the articles, and i think the government as well, are focusing on the question of a cost-benefit analysis: how does the government spend the least amount? but, the backlash to this is really from social conservatives and not from fiscal conservatives. maybe it's an intentional bait and switch, but i think the government is just not engaging with the opposition to the settlement.
from what i've seen of the case, i think omar khadr deserved a settlement. i don't even think his age matters; if he had been an adult at the time, he'd still deserve a settlement. if he had the intent to kill, he'd even still deserve a settlement. the people that are upset are disagreeing with this for the reason that they think that committing a crime should strip an individual of all of their rights. this is a position that is completely outside of canadian law.
even if omar khadr was the worst serial killer in the history of the country, he would still deserve a settlement for being tortured. being bad doesn't mean you deserve to be tortured, and doesn't mean you should be stripped of your rights.
there is consequently a more substantive rights issue at play and i'd like to hear the government be a little more vocal about that, rather than retreat to this cost-benefit analysis.
that said, i don't know how these numbers were calculated. is 10 million dollars a reasonable settlement simply because it represents a savings of x% over a trial? that seems a little crude. it also feels a little like extortion. it's maybe a little much. but, i do agree with the prime minister: the lesson is that you shouldn't torture people.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/omar-khadr-legal-analysis-aaron-wherry-1.4199409
Thursday, July 13, 2017
ups...
the canada post is actually awesome. i don't know why people don't just ship with them. they have dozens of convenient locations, great hours...
i had to get a purolator package the other day in the middle of nowhere, when i could have walked around the corner to get it at canada post. now, ups is trying to tell me that they can't deliver my package (it's the case...) because they don't have the access code to my apartment. this is serious: they want me to give them the pass code. that's insane. and, it doesn't seem like they're going to deliver it, otherwise.
i called them back, and they'll drop it off at the ups store, but they'll charge $6 for it. please, people: just use canada post. they're infinitely better.
pretty much everything else is bikeable, too, they just happened to use ups for the case. which i can't fit in a bag.
the canada post is actually awesome. i don't know why people don't just ship with them. they have dozens of convenient locations, great hours...
i had to get a purolator package the other day in the middle of nowhere, when i could have walked around the corner to get it at canada post. now, ups is trying to tell me that they can't deliver my package (it's the case...) because they don't have the access code to my apartment. this is serious: they want me to give them the pass code. that's insane. and, it doesn't seem like they're going to deliver it, otherwise.
i called them back, and they'll drop it off at the ups store, but they'll charge $6 for it. please, people: just use canada post. they're infinitely better.
pretty much everything else is bikeable, too, they just happened to use ups for the case. which i can't fit in a bag.
why doesn't anybody understand speech? this guy is accidentally almost right.
- free speech is a covenant, a social contract, between the state and the individual. it does not govern relations between individuals.
- the idea of free speech consequently only exists in public spaces. if a public library were to shut this down purely on speech grounds, rather than on something like safety grounds, then it would be a clear speech violation. a private library or private auditorium would be subject to no such covenant, and could shut down anybody at all for whatever reason they want.
- it follows that the public library can't shut it down. but it's not some slippery slope. it's a basic constitutional right! it also follows that a public space is the correct place for it, as nobody can shut them down (legally) so long as they meet in public.
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto/outrage-over-groups-use-of-toronto-library-threatens-freedom-of-speech/article35680999/?reqid=ea5fe985-b6a3-4396-b394-7aef0504cba0
- free speech is a covenant, a social contract, between the state and the individual. it does not govern relations between individuals.
- the idea of free speech consequently only exists in public spaces. if a public library were to shut this down purely on speech grounds, rather than on something like safety grounds, then it would be a clear speech violation. a private library or private auditorium would be subject to no such covenant, and could shut down anybody at all for whatever reason they want.
- it follows that the public library can't shut it down. but it's not some slippery slope. it's a basic constitutional right! it also follows that a public space is the correct place for it, as nobody can shut them down (legally) so long as they meet in public.
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto/outrage-over-groups-use-of-toronto-library-threatens-freedom-of-speech/article35680999/?reqid=ea5fe985-b6a3-4396-b394-7aef0504cba0
canada is a colonial state.
say it with me: canada is a colonial state.
and, the number one rule of colonialism is that you wipe out the indigenous groups that you're stealing the resources from. that's the model. that's how this works.
so long as canada remains a colonial state (that is, so long as it maintains an export-based resource economy dominated by a foreign elite), it will continue to behave like one.
say it with me: canada is a colonial state.
and, the number one rule of colonialism is that you wipe out the indigenous groups that you're stealing the resources from. that's the model. that's how this works.
so long as canada remains a colonial state (that is, so long as it maintains an export-based resource economy dominated by a foreign elite), it will continue to behave like one.
when this finally gets out..
i've never heard anybody openly state what everybody who has looked into this is well aware of is happening: there has been a systemic, and probably ongoing, attempt by the rcmp, particularly in the western provinces, to eliminate indigenous women of child-bearing age. this is the reason that these girls keep disappearing, and the reality is that everybody knows it.
it is a part of the country's ongoing genocide against the indigenous peoples of the continent.
....but nobody will say it. i think it's partly out of fear of being branded a nut, and partly out of fear of opening a can of worms that everybody seems to think is necessary to open very slowly. others may be concerned about their own safety.
but, fuck it. this isn't going anywhere. government after government drags it on, because - well, it's going to take a government of singular character to really deal with this, let alone end it.
i'll stand up and say it: the inquiry has to be independent, because the government is deeply complicit.
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/families-of-missing-and-murdered-indigenous-women-ask-trudeau-to-restart-inquiry/article35680165/
i've never heard anybody openly state what everybody who has looked into this is well aware of is happening: there has been a systemic, and probably ongoing, attempt by the rcmp, particularly in the western provinces, to eliminate indigenous women of child-bearing age. this is the reason that these girls keep disappearing, and the reality is that everybody knows it.
it is a part of the country's ongoing genocide against the indigenous peoples of the continent.
....but nobody will say it. i think it's partly out of fear of being branded a nut, and partly out of fear of opening a can of worms that everybody seems to think is necessary to open very slowly. others may be concerned about their own safety.
but, fuck it. this isn't going anywhere. government after government drags it on, because - well, it's going to take a government of singular character to really deal with this, let alone end it.
i'll stand up and say it: the inquiry has to be independent, because the government is deeply complicit.
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/families-of-missing-and-murdered-indigenous-women-ask-trudeau-to-restart-inquiry/article35680165/
i need to repeat that there should be a scholastic requirement involved in owning property. we just let anybody own property, then we throw stupidity at the courts as a consequence of a lack of oversight.
there is apparently a random poop thrower at large in windsor, ontario. this individual is known to invade people's property and throw poop at your windows. just a prank, bro?
it's this kind of pop-legalology. "you don't have her face on camera". yeah, but there's an obvious inference.
ok, i'll be rigorous. there are four possibilities:
1) the cat poop fell from heaven, like manna.
2) we have a random poop throwing vandal on the loose.
3) one of the agents of the property owner tossed it from a position off camera.
4) it may have been thrown from an open window.
i don't think that either of these agents can be relied on to understand the consequences of perjuring themselves. it's not that easy. i'm going to have to present the evidence as it is. but, if you can make a simple inference, as the court will, it's absolutely devastating.
i have to follow through with this. i'm optionless.
i'll deal with it tomorrow.
there is apparently a random poop thrower at large in windsor, ontario. this individual is known to invade people's property and throw poop at your windows. just a prank, bro?
it's this kind of pop-legalology. "you don't have her face on camera". yeah, but there's an obvious inference.
ok, i'll be rigorous. there are four possibilities:
1) the cat poop fell from heaven, like manna.
2) we have a random poop throwing vandal on the loose.
3) one of the agents of the property owner tossed it from a position off camera.
4) it may have been thrown from an open window.
i don't think that either of these agents can be relied on to understand the consequences of perjuring themselves. it's not that easy. i'm going to have to present the evidence as it is. but, if you can make a simple inference, as the court will, it's absolutely devastating.
i have to follow through with this. i'm optionless.
i'll deal with it tomorrow.
so, what's happened?
i was on my way out on tuesday, when the previous property owner stopped me and accused me of peering into the neighbour's window to try and determine whether he had removed the cat or not and threatened to evict me over it. i at no point suggested removing the cat. this accusation was so obviously fabricated out of absolutely nothing that any concept of good faith went out the window. we're going back to court.
i spent the rest of the day on tuesday running around doing grocery shopping and picking up packages. i just crashed when i got in; it was a long day.
yesterday, i started by sorting through the remaining loose ends for the build. i got a psu (and another power bar...) at amazon, instead.
the government gave me my ostc up front this year, because i forgot to include the on-ben. i'm not sure how this is going to work out; it seems like they want me to send them back the $296 and just continue my normal monthly payments. i happen to be able to do that this month. they haven't sent me a notice yet, but i'm scheduled for normal $60 monthly payments. i'm going to assume that they correct this and that the $60 payments become $35 payments. i can live without $25/month, but i'm going to budget by reducing my groceries rather than my spending, so i actually want to take that $296 and spend it up front. it makes sense to spend $300 on cleaning/bathroom stuff. soap. toothbrushes. toilet paper. lysol. dish soap. that kind of stuff. it would be nice if i could budget that cleanly, but i had loans this month to take care of. so, i'm offsetting it with money out of the 5000. all of the running around over the last two days got me to around $175, but i should have actually bought more and will revisit that today.
i spent the rest of the morning trying to get through the court papers, and look what i found when sorting through looking for exacts dates:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZgzJiInBAw
look at 7 seconds. they're so busted...
i've been suspicious for a bit about this, but i decided they probably started placing the cat feces outside the window in order to piss me off after they figured out it would. it turns out they were doing it from the start. that is seriously a video incidentally catching somebody throwing cat feces to the side of my window. i didn't even notice it at the time; i only caught it due to the angle the camera was pointing in.
the property owner was here shortly after the footage was taken and physically placed tarps outside the window. i can't imagine that she would have done that if she was aware of what was actually happening; she operated on the information i gave her, as best as i could give it to her. i feel the obligation to give her a chance to react to this fairly. it's hard to come up with a good resolution, granted. and, ignorance is not a shield of liability. but, i'm not doing this for the money, i'm doing this to get them to stop. the financial penalty is probably the only thing that's going to work; what i mean is that the only thing that's going to get them to stop is forcing them to pay a substantial fine, whether to me or to somebody else. but, i get to look that much more patient by giving them yet another chance. they have until monday morning to give me an acceptable answer, before i get back to filing...
i was hoping to place orders for jewel cases at staples and pick up the ps/2 combo, but neither thing worked out. staples requires a credit card, period. i'll have to figure something else out. the local computer store will order the ps/2 combo and i'll pick it up in the next few days.
i cannot find a square monitor in any of the pawn shops, either. so, these are my remnant concerns.
i crashed in the evening again and have spent the overnight budgeting these loose ends. the dvds and bds finally shipped. and, everything has gone through over paypal.
right now, i'm very hungry, as i didn't eat yesterday. i don't know what the plan is today, exactly. i'll want to do some laundry. i may even nap a little before the concert tonight.
so, here's what i've added over the last three days:
updated total:
airwalk shoes (payless): $33
bicycle repair (city cyclery): $23
3x40 gb ide hds (kijiji): $10
2x500 gb sshd laptop drives (best buy): $2x82
2 gb internal drive (best buy): $104
100 dvd-rs [best buy]: $30
50 bd-rs [best buy]: $45
2x2 gb laptop ram (amazon.ca): $2x15 + shipping, $47
8 gb sd ram for mp3 player (amazon.ca): $13
2 tb external drive (amazon.ca) : $123
50 cd-rs [amazon.ca]: $30
ps/2 to usb connector [amazon.ca]: $5
intel core i3-4710 [amazon.ca]: $243
atx mid tower [amazon.ca] - $52
asus p9d ws [amazon.ca]: $360
2x8 gb ddr3-1600 ram [amazon.ca]: $150
arctic silver [amazon.ca]: $11
450 joule surge protector (amazon.ca): $9
600 watt psu (amazon.ca): $80
700 joule surge protector (amazon.ca): $10
laptop battery (ebay): $26
2x4 gb laptop ram (ebay): $2x33
ip68 phone (ebay): $128
m-audio audiophile 2496 (ebay) [used]: $60
250 gb ssd drive (newegg.ca): $135
bathroom supplies (food basics, walmart, loblaws, shopper's): $175
==================
2120.88
i was on my way out on tuesday, when the previous property owner stopped me and accused me of peering into the neighbour's window to try and determine whether he had removed the cat or not and threatened to evict me over it. i at no point suggested removing the cat. this accusation was so obviously fabricated out of absolutely nothing that any concept of good faith went out the window. we're going back to court.
i spent the rest of the day on tuesday running around doing grocery shopping and picking up packages. i just crashed when i got in; it was a long day.
yesterday, i started by sorting through the remaining loose ends for the build. i got a psu (and another power bar...) at amazon, instead.
the government gave me my ostc up front this year, because i forgot to include the on-ben. i'm not sure how this is going to work out; it seems like they want me to send them back the $296 and just continue my normal monthly payments. i happen to be able to do that this month. they haven't sent me a notice yet, but i'm scheduled for normal $60 monthly payments. i'm going to assume that they correct this and that the $60 payments become $35 payments. i can live without $25/month, but i'm going to budget by reducing my groceries rather than my spending, so i actually want to take that $296 and spend it up front. it makes sense to spend $300 on cleaning/bathroom stuff. soap. toothbrushes. toilet paper. lysol. dish soap. that kind of stuff. it would be nice if i could budget that cleanly, but i had loans this month to take care of. so, i'm offsetting it with money out of the 5000. all of the running around over the last two days got me to around $175, but i should have actually bought more and will revisit that today.
i spent the rest of the morning trying to get through the court papers, and look what i found when sorting through looking for exacts dates:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZgzJiInBAw
look at 7 seconds. they're so busted...
i've been suspicious for a bit about this, but i decided they probably started placing the cat feces outside the window in order to piss me off after they figured out it would. it turns out they were doing it from the start. that is seriously a video incidentally catching somebody throwing cat feces to the side of my window. i didn't even notice it at the time; i only caught it due to the angle the camera was pointing in.
the property owner was here shortly after the footage was taken and physically placed tarps outside the window. i can't imagine that she would have done that if she was aware of what was actually happening; she operated on the information i gave her, as best as i could give it to her. i feel the obligation to give her a chance to react to this fairly. it's hard to come up with a good resolution, granted. and, ignorance is not a shield of liability. but, i'm not doing this for the money, i'm doing this to get them to stop. the financial penalty is probably the only thing that's going to work; what i mean is that the only thing that's going to get them to stop is forcing them to pay a substantial fine, whether to me or to somebody else. but, i get to look that much more patient by giving them yet another chance. they have until monday morning to give me an acceptable answer, before i get back to filing...
i was hoping to place orders for jewel cases at staples and pick up the ps/2 combo, but neither thing worked out. staples requires a credit card, period. i'll have to figure something else out. the local computer store will order the ps/2 combo and i'll pick it up in the next few days.
i cannot find a square monitor in any of the pawn shops, either. so, these are my remnant concerns.
i crashed in the evening again and have spent the overnight budgeting these loose ends. the dvds and bds finally shipped. and, everything has gone through over paypal.
right now, i'm very hungry, as i didn't eat yesterday. i don't know what the plan is today, exactly. i'll want to do some laundry. i may even nap a little before the concert tonight.
so, here's what i've added over the last three days:
updated total:
airwalk shoes (payless): $33
bicycle repair (city cyclery): $23
3x40 gb ide hds (kijiji): $10
2x500 gb sshd laptop drives (best buy): $2x82
2 gb internal drive (best buy): $104
100 dvd-rs [best buy]: $30
50 bd-rs [best buy]: $45
2x2 gb laptop ram (amazon.ca): $2x15 + shipping, $47
8 gb sd ram for mp3 player (amazon.ca): $13
2 tb external drive (amazon.ca) : $123
50 cd-rs [amazon.ca]: $30
ps/2 to usb connector [amazon.ca]: $5
intel core i3-4710 [amazon.ca]: $243
atx mid tower [amazon.ca] - $52
asus p9d ws [amazon.ca]: $360
2x8 gb ddr3-1600 ram [amazon.ca]: $150
arctic silver [amazon.ca]: $11
450 joule surge protector (amazon.ca): $9
600 watt psu (amazon.ca): $80
700 joule surge protector (amazon.ca): $10
laptop battery (ebay): $26
2x4 gb laptop ram (ebay): $2x33
ip68 phone (ebay): $128
m-audio audiophile 2496 (ebay) [used]: $60
250 gb ssd drive (newegg.ca): $135
bathroom supplies (food basics, walmart, loblaws, shopper's): $175
==================
2120.88
i reject the premise of judging information by it's source. the term "consider the source" is a logical fallacy.
if hitler told you one day that it's raining out, he might have actually been right. an empiricist can't just jump to the conclusion that something is wrong because they don't like who said it. that's just being prejudicial. you have to analyze each claim separately, independent from previous ones, or the correctness that an institution or individual may have demonstrated in the past.
just because somebody was wrong yesterday doesn't mean they're wrong today. and, even somebody that was wrong frequently in the past could turn out to be right today. there's just no logical connection between the correctness of independent statements.
regardless, the article was just a short analysis of a pew paper. and, pew is a very good source.
if you're insistent on upholding your fallacies, you may prefer this article at vox, which is really not a particularly trustworthy source at all (they post a lot of democratic party talking points), but that is basically doing the same analysis, except with a lot more words:
https://www.vox.com/the-big-idea/2017/2/6/14516520/refugee-asylum-demographics-muslim-christian
the important source of information here is neither the center for immigration studies, nor vox, but pew.
if hitler told you one day that it's raining out, he might have actually been right. an empiricist can't just jump to the conclusion that something is wrong because they don't like who said it. that's just being prejudicial. you have to analyze each claim separately, independent from previous ones, or the correctness that an institution or individual may have demonstrated in the past.
just because somebody was wrong yesterday doesn't mean they're wrong today. and, even somebody that was wrong frequently in the past could turn out to be right today. there's just no logical connection between the correctness of independent statements.
regardless, the article was just a short analysis of a pew paper. and, pew is a very good source.
if you're insistent on upholding your fallacies, you may prefer this article at vox, which is really not a particularly trustworthy source at all (they post a lot of democratic party talking points), but that is basically doing the same analysis, except with a lot more words:
https://www.vox.com/the-big-idea/2017/2/6/14516520/refugee-asylum-demographics-muslim-christian
the important source of information here is neither the center for immigration studies, nor vox, but pew.
i need an honest discourse, first and foremost.
so, what the fuck is trump doing? it's a political game. it's just red meat for the base. and, an honest force on the secular left - which i would expect the aclu to be, if nobody else - should call it out for what it is, not play into it by creating some kind of culture war around the acceptance of muslim identity politics.
nobody's wining an election in the united states on muslim identity politics any time soon, guys.
what these pseudo-left actors are doing is harmful to a broader movement towards communism. we need an honest analysis, not solidarity with systems of control against an executive order that doesn't even target one.
the entire discourse is in a parallel reality.
https://cis.org/Rush/SoCalled-Muslim-Ban-Does-Not-Really-Apply-Muslims
so, what the fuck is trump doing? it's a political game. it's just red meat for the base. and, an honest force on the secular left - which i would expect the aclu to be, if nobody else - should call it out for what it is, not play into it by creating some kind of culture war around the acceptance of muslim identity politics.
nobody's wining an election in the united states on muslim identity politics any time soon, guys.
what these pseudo-left actors are doing is harmful to a broader movement towards communism. we need an honest analysis, not solidarity with systems of control against an executive order that doesn't even target one.
the entire discourse is in a parallel reality.
https://cis.org/Rush/SoCalled-Muslim-Ban-Does-Not-Really-Apply-Muslims
Tuesday, July 11, 2017
newegg, you're retarded - you just blew 4 out of 5 sales because you wouldn't wait for paypal to authorize. how does this place stay in business?
guess i'll have to buy the psu somewhere else. they don't want my money, what can i tell you?
that's over $600 that newegg can't be bothered to wait a week for.
guess i'll have to buy the psu somewhere else. they don't want my money, what can i tell you?
that's over $600 that newegg can't be bothered to wait a week for.
i bought an audiophile. problem solved.
used with box, manual + software. shipped to detroit....
$53.20. i'll have to pay $5.00 us to hold it. maybe it'll be there for the thurston moore show on saturday, so i don't have to pay border costs to go get it.
but, this is an exception. i need the item. i'm less worried about nickle and diming it.
i'll be done building these machines tomorrow.
updated total:
airwalk shoes (payless): $33
bicycle repair (city cyclery): $23
3x40 gb ide hds (kijiji): $10
2x500 gb sshd laptop drives (best buy): $2x82
2 gb internal drive (best buy): $104
100 dvd-rs [best buy]: $30
50 bd-rs [best buy]: $45
2x2 gb laptop ram (amazon.ca): $2x15 + shipping, $47
8 gb sd ram for mp3 player (amazon.ca): $13
2 tb external drive (amazon.ca) : $123
50 cd-rs [amazon.ca]: $30
ps/2 to usb connector [amazon.ca]: $5
intel core i3-4710 [amazon.ca]: $243
atx mid tower [amazon.ca] - $52
asus p9d ws [amazon.ca]: $360
2x8 gb ddr3-1600 ram [amazon.ca]: $150
arctic silver [amazon.ca]: $11
450 joule surge protector (amazon.ca): $9
laptop battery (ebay): $26
2x4 gb laptop ram (ebay): $2x33
ip68 phone (ebay): $128
m-audio audiophile 2496 (ebay) [used]: $60
250 gb ssd drive (newegg.ca): $135
600 watt psu (newegg.ca): $72
==================
1934.65
used with box, manual + software. shipped to detroit....
$53.20. i'll have to pay $5.00 us to hold it. maybe it'll be there for the thurston moore show on saturday, so i don't have to pay border costs to go get it.
but, this is an exception. i need the item. i'm less worried about nickle and diming it.
i'll be done building these machines tomorrow.
updated total:
airwalk shoes (payless): $33
bicycle repair (city cyclery): $23
3x40 gb ide hds (kijiji): $10
2x500 gb sshd laptop drives (best buy): $2x82
2 gb internal drive (best buy): $104
100 dvd-rs [best buy]: $30
50 bd-rs [best buy]: $45
2x2 gb laptop ram (amazon.ca): $2x15 + shipping, $47
8 gb sd ram for mp3 player (amazon.ca): $13
2 tb external drive (amazon.ca) : $123
50 cd-rs [amazon.ca]: $30
ps/2 to usb connector [amazon.ca]: $5
intel core i3-4710 [amazon.ca]: $243
atx mid tower [amazon.ca] - $52
asus p9d ws [amazon.ca]: $360
2x8 gb ddr3-1600 ram [amazon.ca]: $150
arctic silver [amazon.ca]: $11
450 joule surge protector (amazon.ca): $9
laptop battery (ebay): $26
2x4 gb laptop ram (ebay): $2x33
ip68 phone (ebay): $128
m-audio audiophile 2496 (ebay) [used]: $60
250 gb ssd drive (newegg.ca): $135
600 watt psu (newegg.ca): $72
==================
1934.65
Monday, July 10, 2017
i ended up crashing, then staying awake, then crashing...
today started around 9:00. i have eaten. i'm back to the build. and, what do i have?
well, i miscalculated the ebay transactions yesterday morning because i forgot to include currency exchange + shipping on one item (ebay should have included the shipping..), which cost me an extra $11. it wouldn't have changed any decisions, item-by-item. but, i should remember that. the best buy stuff didn't have an exchange fee and the amazon stuff was paid for via gift ca.
this is counter-intuitive right now, because the dollar is going up. what that means, for me, is that the fees are increasing.
updated total:
airwalk shoes (payless): $33
bicycle repair (city cyclery): $23
3x40 gb ide hds (kijiji): $10
2x500 gb sshd laptop drives (best buy): $2x82
2 gb internal drive (best buy): $104
100 dvd-rs [best buy]: $30
50 bd-rs [best buy]: $45
2x2 gb laptop ram (amazon.ca): $2x15 + shipping, $47
8 gb sd ram for mp3 player (amazon.ca): $13
2 tb external drive (amazon.ca) : $123
50 cd-rs [amazon.ca]: $30
ps/2 to usb connector [amazon.ca]: $5
laptop battery (ebay): $26 (+4, but mostly missed shipping)
2x4 gb laptop ram (ebay): $2x33 (+ 1)
ip68 phone (ebay): 128 (+3)
==================
842.11
it's not a big deal. i just want to make sure i understand what's happening. the paypal exchange raye fee, for example, turns a good deal for the board at newegg.com into an unnecessary hassle at the ups store.
maybe it's just because it's a board, but the best deal for this seems to be at newegg.ca, which will take a direct paypal out. $372.88. yeah - you start to really notice the exchange rate when you get over $100. that's $290 usd. and, the cad has gone up a lot this week.
the only place i can get the chip i want is at amazon.ca, for $247.65.
620.53 already. that's ok, it's not unexpected.
i'm going to get an ssd for the os. dual booting 32/64, i shouldn't need more than 100 gb. but, i'm concern e about a pagefile for the 64. going past 120 throws back the best deal on a 240, so i'd might as well. that's another $134.46, bringing me up to $754.99. also newegg.
next thing i need is ram. the boards us 4x8, but i'll just get 2x8 for now. i might as well get the heat sink, just in case, right? it's going to come to $150.92 for the dual channel set.
speaking of which, let's not forget the thermal paste: $11.18. so, we're at 917.09.
the next thing i need is a case & psu. of course, i couldn't find what i want together. i'll need to get the case at amazon, and pay for shipping - $51.96. that's not so bad, though. the psu is newegg again and it's going to be $72.34. together, that's $124.30, and the total is up to $1041.39.
this is still cheap, even if i add the $104 for the disc that i had previously purchased and the $130 i spent on the same drive a few months ago.
last thing i need is a ps/2 keyboard & mouse...it's actually for the other system...i'll just head down to a local store and get it....looks like about $25. maybe i'll get a couple of extra usb mice while i'm at it.
adding the extra discs, and the monitor that's coming, that's going to be a total of around $1300-1400. and, that's ok. i've got plenty to spend. so, let me push this through....i guess i need to get to the 7/11 first....
(sleep)
ugh.
that was a mess, again.
i paid this out this morning:
amazon.ca:
chip - 242.69
case - 51.96
newegg:
ssd - 134.45
psu - ? - 72.34
this did not go through at newegg:
board
ram
thermal paste
and i went to sleep in response.
newegg seems to not want to process because it doesn't want to wait for the transfer to go through paypal, which will admittedly take a week. so, i'm going to go through amazon instead.
comparable ram is a little cheaper. it ended up being:
board - 361.59
ram - 150.28
thermal paste - 11.06
buying gift cards left me with leftover, so i got a surge protector, which i need anyways, for $8.52.
actual total:
1032.89 + 104 + 130 + ~25 (keyboard/mouse) + ~30 (monitor) =
1321.89
my actual grand total paid out, applied to the 5000, is currently:
1032.89 + 842.11 =
1875.00
...which is less than half.
what do i still need for the actual computers, then?
old laptop - nothing
old desktop - nothing
access point - rca sound out, ps/2 mouse/keyboard combo.
cq60 - guitar interface
pav g6 - editing software?
new desktop - square dvi or hdmi monitor, new audio receiver & studio monitor speakers
i'm hungry again.
but, i need to budget more carefully tonight.
and i'll finally need to hit the actual city, tomorrow.
updated total:
airwalk shoes (payless): $33
bicycle repair (city cyclery): $23
3x40 gb ide hds (kijiji): $10
2x500 gb sshd laptop drives (best buy): $2x82
2 gb internal drive (best buy): $104
100 dvd-rs [best buy]: $30
50 bd-rs [best buy]: $45
2x2 gb laptop ram (amazon.ca): $2x15 + shipping, $47
8 gb sd ram for mp3 player (amazon.ca): $13
2 tb external drive (amazon.ca) : $123
50 cd-rs [amazon.ca]: $30
ps/2 to usb connector [amazon.ca]: $5
intel core i3-4710 [amazon.ca]: $243
atx mid tower [amazon.ca] - $52
asus p9d ws [amazon.ca]: $360
2x8 gb ddr3-1600 ram [amazon.ca]: $150
arctic silver [amazon.ca]: $11
laptop battery (ebay): $26
2x4 gb laptop ram (ebay): $2x33
ip68 phone (ebay): $128
250 gb ssd drive (newegg.ca): $135
600 watt psu (newegg.ca): $72
450 joule surge protector: $9
==================
1875.00
today started around 9:00. i have eaten. i'm back to the build. and, what do i have?
well, i miscalculated the ebay transactions yesterday morning because i forgot to include currency exchange + shipping on one item (ebay should have included the shipping..), which cost me an extra $11. it wouldn't have changed any decisions, item-by-item. but, i should remember that. the best buy stuff didn't have an exchange fee and the amazon stuff was paid for via gift ca.
this is counter-intuitive right now, because the dollar is going up. what that means, for me, is that the fees are increasing.
updated total:
airwalk shoes (payless): $33
bicycle repair (city cyclery): $23
3x40 gb ide hds (kijiji): $10
2x500 gb sshd laptop drives (best buy): $2x82
2 gb internal drive (best buy): $104
100 dvd-rs [best buy]: $30
50 bd-rs [best buy]: $45
2x2 gb laptop ram (amazon.ca): $2x15 + shipping, $47
8 gb sd ram for mp3 player (amazon.ca): $13
2 tb external drive (amazon.ca) : $123
50 cd-rs [amazon.ca]: $30
ps/2 to usb connector [amazon.ca]: $5
laptop battery (ebay): $26 (+4, but mostly missed shipping)
2x4 gb laptop ram (ebay): $2x33 (+ 1)
ip68 phone (ebay): 128 (+3)
==================
842.11
it's not a big deal. i just want to make sure i understand what's happening. the paypal exchange raye fee, for example, turns a good deal for the board at newegg.com into an unnecessary hassle at the ups store.
maybe it's just because it's a board, but the best deal for this seems to be at newegg.ca, which will take a direct paypal out. $372.88. yeah - you start to really notice the exchange rate when you get over $100. that's $290 usd. and, the cad has gone up a lot this week.
the only place i can get the chip i want is at amazon.ca, for $247.65.
620.53 already. that's ok, it's not unexpected.
i'm going to get an ssd for the os. dual booting 32/64, i shouldn't need more than 100 gb. but, i'm concern e about a pagefile for the 64. going past 120 throws back the best deal on a 240, so i'd might as well. that's another $134.46, bringing me up to $754.99. also newegg.
next thing i need is ram. the boards us 4x8, but i'll just get 2x8 for now. i might as well get the heat sink, just in case, right? it's going to come to $150.92 for the dual channel set.
speaking of which, let's not forget the thermal paste: $11.18. so, we're at 917.09.
the next thing i need is a case & psu. of course, i couldn't find what i want together. i'll need to get the case at amazon, and pay for shipping - $51.96. that's not so bad, though. the psu is newegg again and it's going to be $72.34. together, that's $124.30, and the total is up to $1041.39.
this is still cheap, even if i add the $104 for the disc that i had previously purchased and the $130 i spent on the same drive a few months ago.
last thing i need is a ps/2 keyboard & mouse...it's actually for the other system...i'll just head down to a local store and get it....looks like about $25. maybe i'll get a couple of extra usb mice while i'm at it.
adding the extra discs, and the monitor that's coming, that's going to be a total of around $1300-1400. and, that's ok. i've got plenty to spend. so, let me push this through....i guess i need to get to the 7/11 first....
(sleep)
ugh.
that was a mess, again.
i paid this out this morning:
amazon.ca:
chip - 242.69
case - 51.96
newegg:
ssd - 134.45
psu - ? - 72.34
this did not go through at newegg:
board
ram
thermal paste
and i went to sleep in response.
newegg seems to not want to process because it doesn't want to wait for the transfer to go through paypal, which will admittedly take a week. so, i'm going to go through amazon instead.
comparable ram is a little cheaper. it ended up being:
board - 361.59
ram - 150.28
thermal paste - 11.06
buying gift cards left me with leftover, so i got a surge protector, which i need anyways, for $8.52.
actual total:
1032.89 + 104 + 130 + ~25 (keyboard/mouse) + ~30 (monitor) =
1321.89
my actual grand total paid out, applied to the 5000, is currently:
1032.89 + 842.11 =
1875.00
...which is less than half.
what do i still need for the actual computers, then?
old laptop - nothing
old desktop - nothing
access point - rca sound out, ps/2 mouse/keyboard combo.
cq60 - guitar interface
pav g6 - editing software?
new desktop - square dvi or hdmi monitor, new audio receiver & studio monitor speakers
i'm hungry again.
but, i need to budget more carefully tonight.
and i'll finally need to hit the actual city, tomorrow.
updated total:
airwalk shoes (payless): $33
bicycle repair (city cyclery): $23
3x40 gb ide hds (kijiji): $10
2x500 gb sshd laptop drives (best buy): $2x82
2 gb internal drive (best buy): $104
100 dvd-rs [best buy]: $30
50 bd-rs [best buy]: $45
2x2 gb laptop ram (amazon.ca): $2x15 + shipping, $47
8 gb sd ram for mp3 player (amazon.ca): $13
2 tb external drive (amazon.ca) : $123
50 cd-rs [amazon.ca]: $30
ps/2 to usb connector [amazon.ca]: $5
intel core i3-4710 [amazon.ca]: $243
atx mid tower [amazon.ca] - $52
asus p9d ws [amazon.ca]: $360
2x8 gb ddr3-1600 ram [amazon.ca]: $150
arctic silver [amazon.ca]: $11
laptop battery (ebay): $26
2x4 gb laptop ram (ebay): $2x33
ip68 phone (ebay): $128
250 gb ssd drive (newegg.ca): $135
600 watt psu (newegg.ca): $72
450 joule surge protector: $9
==================
1875.00
Sunday, July 9, 2017
the phone isn't cheap because it's chinese. all the phones are chinese. and, it's the same parts - they're all the same parts. it's the great scandal, right: all the phones are basically the same thing, they just look a little bit differently.
the phone is cheap because i'm not paying for an advertising and marketing layer of parasitic western bourgeois middle people.
it's the same damn phone that you'll pay $1000 for because you like the logo on it - same parts, same slaves, but just different capitalists.
the phone is cheap because i'm not paying for an advertising and marketing layer of parasitic western bourgeois middle people.
it's the same damn phone that you'll pay $1000 for because you like the logo on it - same parts, same slaves, but just different capitalists.
getting back to the pc-build...
i spent the last week trying to find a sound card with a good rca dac and just couldn't pull the trigger on anything. i had a long write-up about it, but i've let it go, and i'll have to come back to it.
the new/old desktop is otherwise done, although it's less clear how i'll be arranging the audio for it
the cash is in, so i've gone ahead and bought a lot of things. i had to swap some sources around. it turns out it's easier to buy at amazon.ca than i thought, and almost impossible to buy at amazon.com.
so, i ended up buying more things at best buy and more things at ebay.
updated total:
airwalk shoes (payless): $33
bicycle repair (city cyclery): $23
3x40 gb ide hds (kijiji): $10
2x500 gb sshd laptop drives (best buy): $2x82
2 gb internal drive (best buy): $104
100 dvd-rs [best buy]: $30
50 bd-rs [best buy]: $45
2x2 gb laptop ram (amazon.ca): $2x15 + shipping, $47
8 gb sd ram for mp3 player (amazon.ca): $13
2 tb external drive (amazon.ca) : $123
50 cd-rs [amazon.ca]: $30
ps/2 to usb connector [amazon.ca]: $5
laptop battery (ebay): $22
2x4 gb laptop ram (ebay): $2x32
ip68 phone (ebay): 125
==================
830.99
that's exact, not rounded like above.
my max estimate was 881, but it included $80 for jewel cases (which i'll have to order tomorrow in the store) and $50 for a monitor. it didn't include the $56 i spent on day one. so, i'd be at $775.64 if you take day one out, and i'd be on track for $905.64, which mostly washes out in the extra $20 i sent on the phone. i can fix that by spending around $30 on the monitor tomorrow.
this is the phone i went with, and why i went with it:
tonight:
build the new studio desktop
tomorrow:
200 jewel cases [staples.ca]: $80 <------ buy in store
square monitor (pawn shop): <$50
massive groceries overhaul: $~200
later:
tv (kijiji)
table
bookshelves
guitar interface
usb soundcard out?
right now, i'm hungry.
i spent the last week trying to find a sound card with a good rca dac and just couldn't pull the trigger on anything. i had a long write-up about it, but i've let it go, and i'll have to come back to it.
the new/old desktop is otherwise done, although it's less clear how i'll be arranging the audio for it
the cash is in, so i've gone ahead and bought a lot of things. i had to swap some sources around. it turns out it's easier to buy at amazon.ca than i thought, and almost impossible to buy at amazon.com.
so, i ended up buying more things at best buy and more things at ebay.
updated total:
airwalk shoes (payless): $33
bicycle repair (city cyclery): $23
3x40 gb ide hds (kijiji): $10
2x500 gb sshd laptop drives (best buy): $2x82
2 gb internal drive (best buy): $104
100 dvd-rs [best buy]: $30
50 bd-rs [best buy]: $45
2x2 gb laptop ram (amazon.ca): $2x15 + shipping, $47
8 gb sd ram for mp3 player (amazon.ca): $13
2 tb external drive (amazon.ca) : $123
50 cd-rs [amazon.ca]: $30
ps/2 to usb connector [amazon.ca]: $5
laptop battery (ebay): $22
2x4 gb laptop ram (ebay): $2x32
ip68 phone (ebay): 125
==================
830.99
that's exact, not rounded like above.
my max estimate was 881, but it included $80 for jewel cases (which i'll have to order tomorrow in the store) and $50 for a monitor. it didn't include the $56 i spent on day one. so, i'd be at $775.64 if you take day one out, and i'd be on track for $905.64, which mostly washes out in the extra $20 i sent on the phone. i can fix that by spending around $30 on the monitor tomorrow.
this is the phone i went with, and why i went with it:
tonight:
build the new studio desktop
tomorrow:
200 jewel cases [staples.ca]: $80 <------ buy in store
square monitor (pawn shop): <$50
massive groceries overhaul: $~200
later:
tv (kijiji)
table
bookshelves
guitar interface
usb soundcard out?
right now, i'm hungry.
Saturday, July 8, 2017
a strange thing happened this morning.
we'll talk about the cats later. maybe. i'm hoping we don't have to.
but, i got some ide drives. all 40 gb. 3 for $10. i know at least one of them works. i'll install after i get some rest...
the strange thing is this: i went to take out the old drive and i noticed something was loose inside, sort of like a blown light bulb. i shook it a little to prove to myself it was really broken, after 19 years. a little piece of metal fell out; it could have been the leg on a chip, perhaps.
i tried one more time.
...and it spun.
but, it took me up to the block screen i see when the power cuts. this requires a reinstall. the system is, in fact, designed for easy reinstall.
but, see, i've long suspected that the block screen is a sign of a dying hard drive, so i'm going to install on one of the new drives and see if it fixes it.
the more exciting thing is that i didn't lose my script.
i guess it solves the mystery: i seem to have blown a component, and the broken piece seems to have maybe created a short, i guess. the drive seems to work. but, for how long? i should put it aside and try something new.
updated actual spending totals:
22.58 (bicycle) + 32.77 (shoes) = (6th)
55.35 + $10 (hard drives) = (8th)
65.35
i was woken up this morning and need to get back to the sleep that i missed.
we'll talk about the cats later. maybe. i'm hoping we don't have to.
but, i got some ide drives. all 40 gb. 3 for $10. i know at least one of them works. i'll install after i get some rest...
the strange thing is this: i went to take out the old drive and i noticed something was loose inside, sort of like a blown light bulb. i shook it a little to prove to myself it was really broken, after 19 years. a little piece of metal fell out; it could have been the leg on a chip, perhaps.
i tried one more time.
...and it spun.
but, it took me up to the block screen i see when the power cuts. this requires a reinstall. the system is, in fact, designed for easy reinstall.
but, see, i've long suspected that the block screen is a sign of a dying hard drive, so i'm going to install on one of the new drives and see if it fixes it.
the more exciting thing is that i didn't lose my script.
i guess it solves the mystery: i seem to have blown a component, and the broken piece seems to have maybe created a short, i guess. the drive seems to work. but, for how long? i should put it aside and try something new.
updated actual spending totals:
22.58 (bicycle) + 32.77 (shoes) = (6th)
55.35 + $10 (hard drives) = (8th)
65.35
i was woken up this morning and need to get back to the sleep that i missed.
Friday, July 7, 2017
the guy with the ide drives is going to bail on me, too. ugh. i've had a lot of bad luck with electronics on kijiji.
he wants to sell 8 ide drives for $75, 6 of which are large drives and two of which are small drives. he'll probably eventually get somebody to buy, but the idea that he's offering some kind of deal with the smaller drives is idiotic.
i offered him $20 for the two small drives. he was sketchy about agreeing, kind of blowing me off, thinking he'd sell them all together. he relisted the 8 drives together this morning and clearly wants to push that as some kind of deal, as clueless as it is.
see, it's going to be people with pcs from before 1999 that are going to want the smaller drives, and people with pcs from about 1999-2005, or so, that are going to want the bigger drives. if your machine can take a 300 gb drive, there's no conceivable reason why you'd want an 80 gb drive, given that they're the same price, nowadays. the smaller drives should even arguably be saved and put aside for the older machines, and not wasted on machines built after 1999.
again: i'm sure he'll find somebody that wants a bunch of drives and will pay for it. what will happen is that the 80 gb drive will end up as a backup somewhere instead of being used. it's sad, but i can't make stupid people rational.
i have another lead on an 80, but it's not clear if it works out.
again: this is something i'll wait out, although i'd like to get my tv up and running.
worst case scenario, if the cost of the drives gets up past a certain point, i'm going to want to look at something like this, instead:
http://nanopi.io/nanopi2-fire.html
i just need to make sure i get one without a wireless connector.
it would be an upgrade, clearly, and a pretty cheap one. but, then what do i do with the old pc? i don't want to closet it. and, i'll eventually find the drive i want, and feel stupid for getting the board.
again: i'll wait it out.
he wants to sell 8 ide drives for $75, 6 of which are large drives and two of which are small drives. he'll probably eventually get somebody to buy, but the idea that he's offering some kind of deal with the smaller drives is idiotic.
i offered him $20 for the two small drives. he was sketchy about agreeing, kind of blowing me off, thinking he'd sell them all together. he relisted the 8 drives together this morning and clearly wants to push that as some kind of deal, as clueless as it is.
see, it's going to be people with pcs from before 1999 that are going to want the smaller drives, and people with pcs from about 1999-2005, or so, that are going to want the bigger drives. if your machine can take a 300 gb drive, there's no conceivable reason why you'd want an 80 gb drive, given that they're the same price, nowadays. the smaller drives should even arguably be saved and put aside for the older machines, and not wasted on machines built after 1999.
again: i'm sure he'll find somebody that wants a bunch of drives and will pay for it. what will happen is that the 80 gb drive will end up as a backup somewhere instead of being used. it's sad, but i can't make stupid people rational.
i have another lead on an 80, but it's not clear if it works out.
again: this is something i'll wait out, although i'd like to get my tv up and running.
worst case scenario, if the cost of the drives gets up past a certain point, i'm going to want to look at something like this, instead:
http://nanopi.io/nanopi2-fire.html
i just need to make sure i get one without a wireless connector.
it would be an upgrade, clearly, and a pretty cheap one. but, then what do i do with the old pc? i don't want to closet it. and, i'll eventually find the drive i want, and feel stupid for getting the board.
again: i'll wait it out.
i hope i'm getting something across, though.
a lot of people rail against capitalism as this idea of big business monopoly, and want to replace what they see as capitalism with what they see as free markets. they think opposing capitalism means supporting small businesses (that usually pay minimum wage and don't provide benefits). the language is often confused. when you prod them, what you learn is that they're just liberals, and they're not really anti-capitalist at all. if anything, they've confused capitalism with socialism, and what they're really opposed to is the latter.
my anti-capitalism gets right to the heart of what it is: i'm vehemently opposed to markets, and so skeptical of their efficacy as anything other than a corrupt tool of corporate collusion that i'm willing to even act against my own self-interest in suspicion over a market, when i see it approximating the behaviour that the debunked theories claim they should follow.
i'll wait it out.
a lot of people rail against capitalism as this idea of big business monopoly, and want to replace what they see as capitalism with what they see as free markets. they think opposing capitalism means supporting small businesses (that usually pay minimum wage and don't provide benefits). the language is often confused. when you prod them, what you learn is that they're just liberals, and they're not really anti-capitalist at all. if anything, they've confused capitalism with socialism, and what they're really opposed to is the latter.
my anti-capitalism gets right to the heart of what it is: i'm vehemently opposed to markets, and so skeptical of their efficacy as anything other than a corrupt tool of corporate collusion that i'm willing to even act against my own self-interest in suspicion over a market, when i see it approximating the behaviour that the debunked theories claim they should follow.
i'll wait it out.
it's weird with this phone, because direct-from-amazon is usually the cheapest option in the list. with this device, it's the most expensive.
but i'd actually rather pay the highest price. if it means it's from a credible seller, than take a chance with some "marketplace" reseller.
i don't care much for brand names as status symbols or whatever other kind of idiotic capitalist bullshit. it might seem that i'm contradicting myself in insisting on a brand retailer. it's the same thing, right? well, that's the point in contention - how do i know it's the same thing? i'd have to trust the market, and i definitely don't. so, i'm actually not contradicting myself in my broader skepticism towards capitalism, it's just that the proper manifestation of that skepticism is to reject brand names at the status or symbolic level and insist upon them at the retailer level.
i'm hoping that it comes back in stock. i think it was out of stock last week, too.
but i'd actually rather pay the highest price. if it means it's from a credible seller, than take a chance with some "marketplace" reseller.
i don't care much for brand names as status symbols or whatever other kind of idiotic capitalist bullshit. it might seem that i'm contradicting myself in insisting on a brand retailer. it's the same thing, right? well, that's the point in contention - how do i know it's the same thing? i'd have to trust the market, and i definitely don't. so, i'm actually not contradicting myself in my broader skepticism towards capitalism, it's just that the proper manifestation of that skepticism is to reject brand names at the status or symbolic level and insist upon them at the retailer level.
i'm hoping that it comes back in stock. i think it was out of stock last week, too.
yeah. i don't like my options with the phone, right now.
i'm going to wait for the distributor. hopefully it's temporary and comes back. if not, i'll revisit it once i have everything else taken care of.
so,
updated total:
phone (amazon): $105
battery (amazon): $27
2 gb laptop ram (amazon): $2x15 [ships to canada]
8 gb sd ram for mp3 player (amazon): $13 [ships to canada]
4 gb laptop ram (amazon): $2x32 [ships to canada]
2 tb external drive (amazon) : $117 [ships to canada]
50 cd-rs [amazon.com]: $25 [ships to canada]
500 gb sshd laptop drives (best buy or amazon?): $2x80-85 [ships to canada]
2 gb internal drive (amazon or best buy): $105 [ships to canada]
50 bd-rs [amazon.ca or best buy]: $40
ps/2 to usb connector [amazon.ca]: $5
100 dvd-rs [best buy]: $30
200 jewel cases [staples.ca]: $80
square monitor (pawn shop): <$50
< 140 gb ide hds (found, not confirmed) (kijiji): $2x10
==================
$766-776
total phone: $105
total mp3 player: $13
total laptop 1: $137-142 + usb sound card
total laptop 2: $149-154 + $117 (external) + editing software?
total desktop 1: $20
total desktop 2:
total desktop 3: $155
total optical media: $175
i'm going to need to get back to dealing with the sound card(s) this evening.
i'm going to wait for the distributor. hopefully it's temporary and comes back. if not, i'll revisit it once i have everything else taken care of.
so,
updated total:
battery (amazon): $27
2 gb laptop ram (amazon): $2x15 [ships to canada]
8 gb sd ram for mp3 player (amazon): $13 [ships to canada]
4 gb laptop ram (amazon): $2x32 [ships to canada]
2 tb external drive (amazon) : $117 [ships to canada]
50 cd-rs [amazon.com]: $25 [ships to canada]
500 gb sshd laptop drives (best buy or amazon?): $2x80-85 [ships to canada]
2 gb internal drive (amazon or best buy): $105 [ships to canada]
50 bd-rs [amazon.ca or best buy]: $40
ps/2 to usb connector [amazon.ca]: $5
100 dvd-rs [best buy]: $30
200 jewel cases [staples.ca]: $80
square monitor (pawn shop): <$50
< 140 gb ide hds (found, not confirmed) (kijiji): $2x10
==================
$766-776
total mp3 player: $13
total laptop 1: $137-142 + usb sound card
total laptop 2: $149-154 + $117 (external) + editing software?
total desktop 1: $20
total desktop 2:
total desktop 3: $155
total optical media: $175
i'm going to need to get back to dealing with the sound card(s) this evening.
i missed the time window on my phone and it's out of stock by an official seller :(.
i don't want to buy from third-parties. i just don't trust the process.
i don't want to pay more than $100.
back to the drawing board...
the money should be cleared by monday or tuesday. i hope that doesn't happen again...
i don't want to buy from third-parties. i just don't trust the process.
i don't want to pay more than $100.
back to the drawing board...
the money should be cleared by monday or tuesday. i hope that doesn't happen again...
i had an acquaintance in high school; his name was rob blackman. he was a black male, as his name would imply. not a friend, really, but a friend of a friend of a friend. still, i ate lunch with him every day for five years.
there were never more than five people of african descent at this school at any given time. it was a catholic school in a largely italian neighbourhood of ottawa. keeping in mind that almost all afrrican-canadians can trace their history in canada to after 1970, the number of black catholics in ontario is relatively low, and i believe mostly of caribbean descent. this particular school drew mostly from the italians and poles of the surrounding area and the irish and scots of a wealthy suburb, called barrhaven. canada does not have a very large spanish-speaking population, either. the reason we have publicly funded catholic schools has to do with our large french minority, which is largely invisible in ontario.
rob was actually an incredibly passive guy. he was very quiet. he kept to himself. and, we had to pressure him for quite a while before he finally agreed to smoke some pot with us; he didn't like it much. i do not think he excelled academically, but it wasn't due to any clear level of delinquency. i don't know what happened to him.
despite these traits, the teachers tended to pick on him. i used to listen to him grapple with this: he really didn't get it. but, then, one day he did. he'd been sent to detention for something he didn't do, and wasn't sure anybody even did at all. and, he said it, sure of himself, finally:
"it's because i'm black."
this was actually met with the roar of pubescent male laughter, tickled by the absurd surreality of the situation, for we all very well knew it was true, and perhaps a good deal of time before rob, himself, did. and, what can a bunch of kids do in the face of absurdity but laugh?
and, laugh we did.
for, now every problem in the world was reduced to the fact that rob was black.
"shit. it's raining. have to stay in."
"...it's because rob is black."
this was a wonderful joke for, in fact, many years - and rob did not just laugh along, but often offered the punchline, himself.
i get it.
i'm not doing it, though.
there were never more than five people of african descent at this school at any given time. it was a catholic school in a largely italian neighbourhood of ottawa. keeping in mind that almost all afrrican-canadians can trace their history in canada to after 1970, the number of black catholics in ontario is relatively low, and i believe mostly of caribbean descent. this particular school drew mostly from the italians and poles of the surrounding area and the irish and scots of a wealthy suburb, called barrhaven. canada does not have a very large spanish-speaking population, either. the reason we have publicly funded catholic schools has to do with our large french minority, which is largely invisible in ontario.
rob was actually an incredibly passive guy. he was very quiet. he kept to himself. and, we had to pressure him for quite a while before he finally agreed to smoke some pot with us; he didn't like it much. i do not think he excelled academically, but it wasn't due to any clear level of delinquency. i don't know what happened to him.
despite these traits, the teachers tended to pick on him. i used to listen to him grapple with this: he really didn't get it. but, then, one day he did. he'd been sent to detention for something he didn't do, and wasn't sure anybody even did at all. and, he said it, sure of himself, finally:
"it's because i'm black."
this was actually met with the roar of pubescent male laughter, tickled by the absurd surreality of the situation, for we all very well knew it was true, and perhaps a good deal of time before rob, himself, did. and, what can a bunch of kids do in the face of absurdity but laugh?
and, laugh we did.
for, now every problem in the world was reduced to the fact that rob was black.
"shit. it's raining. have to stay in."
"...it's because rob is black."
this was a wonderful joke for, in fact, many years - and rob did not just laugh along, but often offered the punchline, himself.
i get it.
i'm not doing it, though.
Thursday, July 6, 2017
it's not that i'm coming down hard on nina turner because she's a black woman, it's that you blinded yourself to the fraudulence that is so very clearly in front of your blinking eyes for the very precise reason that she is, in fact, a black woman.
it was the same thing with ellison. i didn't come down hard on ellison because he's a muslim; rather, you ignored the reasons you shouldn't have supported him, precisely because he's a muslim.
it was the same thing with ellison. i didn't come down hard on ellison because he's a muslim; rather, you ignored the reasons you shouldn't have supported him, precisely because he's a muslim.
(note: my initial comment was deleted from huffington post. what follows is an approximate reconstruction. it seems that the huffington post only allows comments that are racist, in line with the government's continuing cultural genocide of this continent's indigenous people.)
this article does not explain the part of the indigenous act in question (it just glosses over it as "sexist", which is typical of this government and groups aligned with it) for those that are unaware of it. which is a blood-quantum rule designed to extinguish indigenous membership over a short time period by preventing women from passing on indigenous status. more precisely, and more to the point, it prevents non-indigenous men from marrying into the tribe, which genetic testing tells us is something that has happened frequently in recent history and which biologists tell us is necessary to maintain healthy levels of genetic drift and maintain healthy levels of genetic variability.
this specific legislation, which was brought in by mulroney in 1985, is just a part of canada's longstanding policy of assimilation and cultural genocide towards it's indigenous inhabitants. the trudeau government's refusal to look at this for what it is is a strong signal that the government has no intention of modifying this existing policy at all and that language to the contrary is just a smokescreen, meant to obstruct and confuse from the true intent of continued corporate dominance of indigenous resources, and eventual extinction of indigenous peoples.
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2017/07/06/maliseet-senator-writes-open-letter-to-trudeau-i-am-losing-fai_a_23019779/
this article does not explain the part of the indigenous act in question (it just glosses over it as "sexist", which is typical of this government and groups aligned with it) for those that are unaware of it. which is a blood-quantum rule designed to extinguish indigenous membership over a short time period by preventing women from passing on indigenous status. more precisely, and more to the point, it prevents non-indigenous men from marrying into the tribe, which genetic testing tells us is something that has happened frequently in recent history and which biologists tell us is necessary to maintain healthy levels of genetic drift and maintain healthy levels of genetic variability.
this specific legislation, which was brought in by mulroney in 1985, is just a part of canada's longstanding policy of assimilation and cultural genocide towards it's indigenous inhabitants. the trudeau government's refusal to look at this for what it is is a strong signal that the government has no intention of modifying this existing policy at all and that language to the contrary is just a smokescreen, meant to obstruct and confuse from the true intent of continued corporate dominance of indigenous resources, and eventual extinction of indigenous peoples.
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2017/07/06/maliseet-senator-writes-open-letter-to-trudeau-i-am-losing-fai_a_23019779/
i also got my bicycle fixed today for...
$23.
i didn't realize it'd be so cheap. i would have done it months ago. but, it was $23 and i'm rolling.
i knew all i had to do was put some bearings in it's just....i figured around $50....and it just never prioritized itself.
but, i am ecstatic to be back on my bicycle. it's not an object. it's an extension. an improvement. a bionic betterment. a transhumanist step.
in total, i've spent $55.35. only $4944.65 left to go.
$23.
i didn't realize it'd be so cheap. i would have done it months ago. but, it was $23 and i'm rolling.
i knew all i had to do was put some bearings in it's just....i figured around $50....and it just never prioritized itself.
but, i am ecstatic to be back on my bicycle. it's not an object. it's an extension. an improvement. a bionic betterment. a transhumanist step.
in total, i've spent $55.35. only $4944.65 left to go.
these shoes may or may not be good for skateboarding. i don't know. i don't skate.
http://www.payless.com/womens-airwalk-maddie-mid-top-shoe/77631.html?dwvar_77631_color=chambraydots#start=42&cgid=brands-athletics-airwalk
but, anybody that wants to put this beside a pair of converse or vans and complain about build quality is out of their fucking mind. the airwalks are clearly far better shoes.
just look at the heel:
compare that to any pair of cons or vans on the market. the vans are a little better (than the cons). the cons are fucking trash.
for a walking shoe, the airwalks have to be just about ideal. those backs are key: you could walk to mexico and not get sore heels. it doesn't matter how far mexico is, it's still true.
and look at the bottoms. that's a fucking inch to walk through. this is my problem with shoes: i walk through them. it's going to be a long time before i wear these babies down.
again: i don't know about the marketing battles and the corporate "punk" extravaganzas and the rest of the bullshit. i know that these are far, far better shoes, and that you're fucking daft to suggest otherwise.
$33. canadian. i couldn't imagine paying twice or thrice or even four times that for a pair of shoes that's going to give me blisters walking across town and fall apart in the rain just because the brand is cooler.
just put the shoes beside each other and look. be empirical. examine the facts. there's no comparison. and, suggestions otherwise are daft.
http://www.payless.com/womens-airwalk-maddie-mid-top-shoe/77631.html?dwvar_77631_color=chambraydots#start=42&cgid=brands-athletics-airwalk
but, anybody that wants to put this beside a pair of converse or vans and complain about build quality is out of their fucking mind. the airwalks are clearly far better shoes.
just look at the heel:
compare that to any pair of cons or vans on the market. the vans are a little better (than the cons). the cons are fucking trash.
for a walking shoe, the airwalks have to be just about ideal. those backs are key: you could walk to mexico and not get sore heels. it doesn't matter how far mexico is, it's still true.
and look at the bottoms. that's a fucking inch to walk through. this is my problem with shoes: i walk through them. it's going to be a long time before i wear these babies down.
again: i don't know about the marketing battles and the corporate "punk" extravaganzas and the rest of the bullshit. i know that these are far, far better shoes, and that you're fucking daft to suggest otherwise.
$33. canadian. i couldn't imagine paying twice or thrice or even four times that for a pair of shoes that's going to give me blisters walking across town and fall apart in the rain just because the brand is cooler.
just put the shoes beside each other and look. be empirical. examine the facts. there's no comparison. and, suggestions otherwise are daft.
there's a "vape lounge" in windsor. i've only been in there twice. the reason is because it feels like an after school program, a community centre. there's tvs at either end of the place, with people watching movies and playing video games.
it would be the perfect place for kids to go to get off the street.
but, you have to be an adult to get in
i think the age should be set closer to 16.
http://nationalpost.com/pmn/news-pmn/marijuana-age-limit-should-be-low-not-high/wcm/62cf29f9-6a70-4229-ac1f-99e2ad38239f
it would be the perfect place for kids to go to get off the street.
but, you have to be an adult to get in
i think the age should be set closer to 16.
http://nationalpost.com/pmn/news-pmn/marijuana-age-limit-should-be-low-not-high/wcm/62cf29f9-6a70-4229-ac1f-99e2ad38239f
“if a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is
because he hears a different drummer. let him step to the music which
he hears, however measured or far away.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQYDamOvop8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQYDamOvop8
so, if you understand morality as an evolutionary process - neither absolute nor relative - then how do you apply that understanding in real life?
the homosexuality example was used in the video, and i don't like the way that chomsky handled it. he should have been a little more firm about individual rights at the expense of a culture, because, really, fuck your stupid culture. and, fuck my culture, too.
abolish all culture.
but, let's say that you have this issue where you have this homophobic muslim refugee showing up from an arab country which has historically had scarce resources (what is going on in the region may be described precisely as adjusting from scarcity to plenty) and a system of laws that reflects it, into an overwhelmingly liberal country like canada, which is overwhelmingly liberal precisely because it doesn't need or have any meaningful restrictions on access to resources at all. this may not be all that hypothetical.
you would certainly not want to tell them that they have a right to maintain their culture in a time capsule, and that it's ok if they hate queers because it's their culture and i'm white. that's a disgusting attitude towards everybody - it's caving in on queer rights due to the soft racism of lowered expectations for the primitive arabs. that's what "cultural relativism" is, in real terms: it's wholly, fully, absolutely through and through racist.
likewise, you wouldn't want to sit there and lecture them about the superiority of liberal secularism over muslim backwardsness, no matter how true it may actually be. you don't get anywhere by pushing your perceived superiority in somebody's face.
rather, what you need to do is explain to them that the reason that their religion persecutes queers is that it was developed in a region that has historically had real levels of scarcity. and, the historical scarcity in the middle east is very, very real. it's not the artificial scarcity of western capitalism. it's people dying of starvation, people collapsing due to drought - sometimes due to war, and sometimes due to climate and sometimes due to mismanagement. queer people do not breed, so harsh decisions about resource management required them to be excluded, in order to ensure that the breeding members of the tribe could carry on. there is no such scarcity in canada, so there is no basis for those rules.
if the refugees are reasonable, they should understand this and modify their prejudices. but, if they react with "MUH CULTURE!!!", then the new society has the right - dare i say obligation - to exclude and ostracise them. there is no reasonable argument to hold to concepts of relativism, at this point, now that we've dismantled them using science. that is no longer cultural relativism, but base cultural conservatism, and should be resisted at all costs.
as for today, the oil wealth in these states makes it difficult to generate arguments to hold to the primacy of their books. with the exception of the horn of africa, i am not aware of anywhere in the region experiencing serious scarcity to the point where persecution of homosexuals can be contemplated as rational. criticism of these regimes should consequently not be muted under arguments of "cultural relativism" - that is just a reduction to "they don't know better", and is consequently an expression of white supremacism.
as an aside, the naturalization of morality has an important consequence: it was the last thing that science needed religion for. now that we have a fully naturalistic understanding of morality, we can dispense with religion altogether.
the homosexuality example was used in the video, and i don't like the way that chomsky handled it. he should have been a little more firm about individual rights at the expense of a culture, because, really, fuck your stupid culture. and, fuck my culture, too.
abolish all culture.
but, let's say that you have this issue where you have this homophobic muslim refugee showing up from an arab country which has historically had scarce resources (what is going on in the region may be described precisely as adjusting from scarcity to plenty) and a system of laws that reflects it, into an overwhelmingly liberal country like canada, which is overwhelmingly liberal precisely because it doesn't need or have any meaningful restrictions on access to resources at all. this may not be all that hypothetical.
you would certainly not want to tell them that they have a right to maintain their culture in a time capsule, and that it's ok if they hate queers because it's their culture and i'm white. that's a disgusting attitude towards everybody - it's caving in on queer rights due to the soft racism of lowered expectations for the primitive arabs. that's what "cultural relativism" is, in real terms: it's wholly, fully, absolutely through and through racist.
likewise, you wouldn't want to sit there and lecture them about the superiority of liberal secularism over muslim backwardsness, no matter how true it may actually be. you don't get anywhere by pushing your perceived superiority in somebody's face.
rather, what you need to do is explain to them that the reason that their religion persecutes queers is that it was developed in a region that has historically had real levels of scarcity. and, the historical scarcity in the middle east is very, very real. it's not the artificial scarcity of western capitalism. it's people dying of starvation, people collapsing due to drought - sometimes due to war, and sometimes due to climate and sometimes due to mismanagement. queer people do not breed, so harsh decisions about resource management required them to be excluded, in order to ensure that the breeding members of the tribe could carry on. there is no such scarcity in canada, so there is no basis for those rules.
if the refugees are reasonable, they should understand this and modify their prejudices. but, if they react with "MUH CULTURE!!!", then the new society has the right - dare i say obligation - to exclude and ostracise them. there is no reasonable argument to hold to concepts of relativism, at this point, now that we've dismantled them using science. that is no longer cultural relativism, but base cultural conservatism, and should be resisted at all costs.
as for today, the oil wealth in these states makes it difficult to generate arguments to hold to the primacy of their books. with the exception of the horn of africa, i am not aware of anywhere in the region experiencing serious scarcity to the point where persecution of homosexuals can be contemplated as rational. criticism of these regimes should consequently not be muted under arguments of "cultural relativism" - that is just a reduction to "they don't know better", and is consequently an expression of white supremacism.
as an aside, the naturalization of morality has an important consequence: it was the last thing that science needed religion for. now that we have a fully naturalistic understanding of morality, we can dispense with religion altogether.
chomsky tends to do this, sometimes: he talks about biology without
talking about natural selection. it makes you wonder if he's holding on
to some creationist baggage. it might not even be intentional; he might
not really realize it. he might also be suffering from the fallacy of
descartian dualism, which wants to separate morality from science, even
as he identifies it at the start, in some kind of inverted defiance.
bringing in natural selection is the way to make proper sense of what he's saying.
the idea of morality as a genetic faculty is maybe a little undeveloped, but it makes sense if you assign a specific region of the brain to it. i'm not on board with chomsky's ideas of innatism; i'm all about the tabula rasa. but, that means relative to existing structures inside the brain, which are kind of mini-organs. but, then what?
well, then those born with specific tendencies that maximize success of reproduction will be more successful. but, this will depend on different environments. and, we can look at two specific kinds of moralities that have existed in history to see how selection can shape morality.
nietzsche refers to these as master and slave moralities, but they are just as well referred to as nomadic and civilized moralities, respectively. a nomadic society is going to have harsher limits on access to resources that may require it to behave in ways that settled societies may view as barbaric. strong selective pressures may be required to cull free riders from the group. conversely, a civilized society is going to put greater focus on preventing conflict, as it maximizes total gene expression, and resources are plenty, anyways. a moral system in a civilized society should look something like mutual aid. from these two different scenarios, different concepts of morality arise via the process of natural selection.
that does not mean that any system of morals is interchangeable with any other. it means that systems of morals should make sense relative to selective pressures. and, one should then argue that capitalism is incoherent precisely because it is a nomadic system of morals applied to a set of civilized societies. it is a mismatch, and consequently turns the selection on it's head. it is when things get criss-crossed like this that species end up extinct.
i consequently agree with chomsky's position on relativism and foucault, i just wish he had brought in the machinery of natural selection to better present his argument in truly biological terms.
bringing in natural selection is the way to make proper sense of what he's saying.
the idea of morality as a genetic faculty is maybe a little undeveloped, but it makes sense if you assign a specific region of the brain to it. i'm not on board with chomsky's ideas of innatism; i'm all about the tabula rasa. but, that means relative to existing structures inside the brain, which are kind of mini-organs. but, then what?
well, then those born with specific tendencies that maximize success of reproduction will be more successful. but, this will depend on different environments. and, we can look at two specific kinds of moralities that have existed in history to see how selection can shape morality.
nietzsche refers to these as master and slave moralities, but they are just as well referred to as nomadic and civilized moralities, respectively. a nomadic society is going to have harsher limits on access to resources that may require it to behave in ways that settled societies may view as barbaric. strong selective pressures may be required to cull free riders from the group. conversely, a civilized society is going to put greater focus on preventing conflict, as it maximizes total gene expression, and resources are plenty, anyways. a moral system in a civilized society should look something like mutual aid. from these two different scenarios, different concepts of morality arise via the process of natural selection.
that does not mean that any system of morals is interchangeable with any other. it means that systems of morals should make sense relative to selective pressures. and, one should then argue that capitalism is incoherent precisely because it is a nomadic system of morals applied to a set of civilized societies. it is a mismatch, and consequently turns the selection on it's head. it is when things get criss-crossed like this that species end up extinct.
i consequently agree with chomsky's position on relativism and foucault, i just wish he had brought in the machinery of natural selection to better present his argument in truly biological terms.
another way to say it is this: the boomers have nothing to teach you. don't bother. skip right to gen x.
i mean, i don't know if chomsky's generation is the greatest, but they look pretty great, side by side.
if you're going to force me to pick a boomer, i'd choose somebody like dawkins over zizek with absolutely no second thought put to it.
i mean, i don't know if chomsky's generation is the greatest, but they look pretty great, side by side.
if you're going to force me to pick a boomer, i'd choose somebody like dawkins over zizek with absolutely no second thought put to it.
Wednesday, July 5, 2017
the ideological views on differences in epistemology aside, this fundamental truth remains: zizek will not actually teach you anything, because he does not have anything to say. search through his videos - and writings, if you insist - and you will see that. it is all speculation, leaps of logic, half-formed opinions and, more than anything else, unsubstantial rant. say what you will, but he does not teach.
it is absolute sophistry.
i don't agree with all of her positions, but if you want a new chomsky, i might suggest ignoring zizek and looking more towards naomi klein. in doing so, you have to understand chomsky as an activist and teacher in the public discourse, that is a creator of important texts and a leader of political movements, rather than an ivory tower academic. but, who gives a fuck about ivory tower academics?
it is absolute sophistry.
i don't agree with all of her positions, but if you want a new chomsky, i might suggest ignoring zizek and looking more towards naomi klein. in doing so, you have to understand chomsky as an activist and teacher in the public discourse, that is a creator of important texts and a leader of political movements, rather than an ivory tower academic. but, who gives a fuck about ivory tower academics?
and, for the zillionth time, i'm not a marxist, either, i'm an anarchist.
i've never done anything but criticize marx. i think he was a tyrant; i hold to the view that he is one of the greatest villains in history, that his system is the single greatest threat to individual liberty in the history of the world. and, the anarchists predicted that, and broke with marx, and criticized him and fought against him.
the reality is that anarchists have fought marxists more often than they have fought capitalists.
worse, his ideas are not even well thought out. scientific socialism? historical materialism? give me a fucking break, with your contrived, teleological nonsense.
there is no end of history.
it drives me nuts. like, i don't even see common cause. there's a few obscure strains of marxism that i can tolerate, but the main ones - maoists, stalinists, lenninists and even trotskyists - are just as bad as capitalists, in my perspective.
so, don't call me a marxist, please.
frankly, i'd rather talk about thomas paine.
i've never done anything but criticize marx. i think he was a tyrant; i hold to the view that he is one of the greatest villains in history, that his system is the single greatest threat to individual liberty in the history of the world. and, the anarchists predicted that, and broke with marx, and criticized him and fought against him.
the reality is that anarchists have fought marxists more often than they have fought capitalists.
worse, his ideas are not even well thought out. scientific socialism? historical materialism? give me a fucking break, with your contrived, teleological nonsense.
there is no end of history.
it drives me nuts. like, i don't even see common cause. there's a few obscure strains of marxism that i can tolerate, but the main ones - maoists, stalinists, lenninists and even trotskyists - are just as bad as capitalists, in my perspective.
so, don't call me a marxist, please.
frankly, i'd rather talk about thomas paine.
Tuesday, July 4, 2017
i want to clarify: should we have a trade agreement with china? absolutely. but, it shoudn't be a "free trade" agreement.
i mean, it can't be a free trade agreement. that's impossible, given the realities of things. that should be obvious to anybody qualified to negotiate; it should even be a condition to be qualified. but, none of the "free trade" agreements are actually free trade agreements. so, if they try and pull that over you, you know they're just selling the country out. those words, "free trade", are red flags, nowadays.
rather, a trade agreement with china should clearly list tariffs on goods like clothing and electronics, which are made with child or slave labour. the intent of such an agreement should be to increase the price of chinese imports to compensate for endemic human rights abuses and give local manufacturers an ability to better compete.
if we don't get such an agreement in place, these abuses will get worse.
so, yeah: i support a trade agreement with china, but not in the way anybody in the media or government wants to do it.
....and what i'm saying is actually what you would expect, historically, from a liberal government in canada.
i mean, it can't be a free trade agreement. that's impossible, given the realities of things. that should be obvious to anybody qualified to negotiate; it should even be a condition to be qualified. but, none of the "free trade" agreements are actually free trade agreements. so, if they try and pull that over you, you know they're just selling the country out. those words, "free trade", are red flags, nowadays.
rather, a trade agreement with china should clearly list tariffs on goods like clothing and electronics, which are made with child or slave labour. the intent of such an agreement should be to increase the price of chinese imports to compensate for endemic human rights abuses and give local manufacturers an ability to better compete.
if we don't get such an agreement in place, these abuses will get worse.
so, yeah: i support a trade agreement with china, but not in the way anybody in the media or government wants to do it.
....and what i'm saying is actually what you would expect, historically, from a liberal government in canada.
in principle, the idea that you can't separate human rights in china from free trade discussions is indeed absolutely critical, because you can't begin to talk about free trade with china unless you talk about the lack of worker's rights in the country.
....which is why all they're talking about is journalists.
it's a bait and switch. and, it broadcasts that it's extremely unlikely that what will get signed will be a free trade agreement. it will be another investors rights bonanza, full of special clauses for specific special corporate interests.
this is just mercantilism. and, the way we use 'free trade' today is something like the way orwell used the 'ministry of peace'.
that said, we clearly need an agreement with china. china isn't going anywhere. we have to deal with this.
what's worrisome is the idea that it may end up as the same kind of deal that countries like peru are signing with them. and, watch the chomsky video i posted yesterday for a discussion of the problems endemic within that.
we are hewers of wood. they want our resources. and, they're going to want to sell us back the products they make at slave labour wages. that's not free trade, it's becoming a colony in the neo-mercantilist chinese empire.
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2017/07/04/china-canada-relations-hurt-by-trudeau-government-bowing-down-to_a_23015643/
....which is why all they're talking about is journalists.
it's a bait and switch. and, it broadcasts that it's extremely unlikely that what will get signed will be a free trade agreement. it will be another investors rights bonanza, full of special clauses for specific special corporate interests.
this is just mercantilism. and, the way we use 'free trade' today is something like the way orwell used the 'ministry of peace'.
that said, we clearly need an agreement with china. china isn't going anywhere. we have to deal with this.
what's worrisome is the idea that it may end up as the same kind of deal that countries like peru are signing with them. and, watch the chomsky video i posted yesterday for a discussion of the problems endemic within that.
we are hewers of wood. they want our resources. and, they're going to want to sell us back the products they make at slave labour wages. that's not free trade, it's becoming a colony in the neo-mercantilist chinese empire.
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2017/07/04/china-canada-relations-hurt-by-trudeau-government-bowing-down-to_a_23015643/
so, my cash is in.
i only got access to $100 of it today. i meant to get my release limit increased this afternoon, but i forgot my photo id. i don't know what they're going to take it up to, but i'll have to wait until tuesday to get the rest of it released.
i spent the $100 on groceries.
i'm more interested in increasing my debit limit. it hasn't really been an issue up until this point, but if i don't get it increased, i may have to buy over several days.
i have gst coming in tonight and trillium on friday. i need to try and get my hard drives tomorrow, and it will certainly be nice to have my tv working again, that's for sure. i'm also going to be looking at getting my bike fixed tomorrow, cost permitting.
for tonight, i need to check july show listings, first, to see what i do or don't have to plan for for the weekend.
i only got access to $100 of it today. i meant to get my release limit increased this afternoon, but i forgot my photo id. i don't know what they're going to take it up to, but i'll have to wait until tuesday to get the rest of it released.
i spent the $100 on groceries.
i'm more interested in increasing my debit limit. it hasn't really been an issue up until this point, but if i don't get it increased, i may have to buy over several days.
i have gst coming in tonight and trillium on friday. i need to try and get my hard drives tomorrow, and it will certainly be nice to have my tv working again, that's for sure. i'm also going to be looking at getting my bike fixed tomorrow, cost permitting.
for tonight, i need to check july show listings, first, to see what i do or don't have to plan for for the weekend.
it's true.
master rhymez. killer beatz. da fucking master.
somebody did a wutang/fugazi mashup that got a few spins from me, back in the day. i want to hear somebody convert rem's best material, stipe's best spits, into some really dank shit.
...because it would fit. flawlessly.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N21472M8p9E
master rhymez. killer beatz. da fucking master.
somebody did a wutang/fugazi mashup that got a few spins from me, back in the day. i want to hear somebody convert rem's best material, stipe's best spits, into some really dank shit.
...because it would fit. flawlessly.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N21472M8p9E
i bet you kids nowadays didn't get it, either.
behold, michael stipe: the world's first white rapper, making fun of fukuyama a good five years before he even said it. original hipster, right?
(or, proof that hip-hop was in actual fact overwhelmingly influenced by white beatniks)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0GFRcFm-aY
behold, michael stipe: the world's first white rapper, making fun of fukuyama a good five years before he even said it. original hipster, right?
(or, proof that hip-hop was in actual fact overwhelmingly influenced by white beatniks)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0GFRcFm-aY
Monday, July 3, 2017
i watched growing pains and family ties and full house, and then stopped watching tv in the 90s - except for the simpsons.
and seinfeld.
and the x-files.
i had a latchkey around my neck. not exaggerating. because nobody was ever home until 9:00 pm.
and, when the 90s ended, i complained that the culture was dead and i should have killed myself when i had the chance.
i'm sorry.
it's true.
i'm gen x.
and seinfeld.
and the x-files.
i had a latchkey around my neck. not exaggerating. because nobody was ever home until 9:00 pm.
and, when the 90s ended, i complained that the culture was dead and i should have killed myself when i had the chance.
i'm sorry.
it's true.
i'm gen x.
and, i mean it's not like i'm '85 or something.
i have a younger sister that's '84. you can have these "it's not fair that they call me millenial" conversations with her. although, she's some kind of alt-right, anyways.
i'm '81. early '81. so, i was conceived in 1980, meaning i was imagined in the 70s.
i grew up on rem. i had nevermind on cassette. they played "smells like teen spirit" at the school dances.
i'm fucking gen x, bitch.
deal with it.
i have a younger sister that's '84. you can have these "it's not fair that they call me millenial" conversations with her. although, she's some kind of alt-right, anyways.
i'm '81. early '81. so, i was conceived in 1980, meaning i was imagined in the 70s.
i grew up on rem. i had nevermind on cassette. they played "smells like teen spirit" at the school dances.
i'm fucking gen x, bitch.
deal with it.
the water is working.
it was about about 24 hours, give or take.
i won't pretend i know exactly what happened. but, here's the thing: if i knew they shut it off on purpose, i'd file charges. i'd have to. and i suspect they did, then reversed when i told them i would follow through.
as mentioned, that itself is harassment.
but, whatever the cause, the issue was very quickly resolved. and, i'd rather take that positive than drag them through criminal proceedings.
....for now.
this is all cumulative, of course.
but, whether due to my reaction or due to good faith, the water was in truth restored quite promptly, and i have reason to think things will improve. if that proves naive, they'll pay for it, in the end.
it was about about 24 hours, give or take.
i won't pretend i know exactly what happened. but, here's the thing: if i knew they shut it off on purpose, i'd file charges. i'd have to. and i suspect they did, then reversed when i told them i would follow through.
as mentioned, that itself is harassment.
but, whatever the cause, the issue was very quickly resolved. and, i'd rather take that positive than drag them through criminal proceedings.
....for now.
this is all cumulative, of course.
but, whether due to my reaction or due to good faith, the water was in truth restored quite promptly, and i have reason to think things will improve. if that proves naive, they'll pay for it, in the end.
i could not contact the property owner, as her voice mail was full. i briefly talked to the superintendent, who i prefer to avoid, and he confirmed that the issue is across multiple units.
or, at least, he claims as much.
today is a holiday. so, i'll give them a day or two.
i can't call the rheu with what i have, whether the situation is malicious or not.
or, at least, he claims as much.
today is a holiday. so, i'll give them a day or two.
i can't call the rheu with what i have, whether the situation is malicious or not.
i haven't called yet, but it's clear enough what's going on.
i have no tolerance for this at all and will almost immediately jump to calling it in. it's a criminal offense in ontario to turn off water services - and i will have the landlord charged and convicted, with no second thoughts at all.
i will charge them twice, even.
1) harassment: It is an offence to threaten a tenant, interfere with a tenant, or pressure a tenant to move out of a rental unit.
2) withholding services: It is an offence to withhold or interfere with the reasonable supply of a vital service, which includes hot or cold water, fuel, electricity, natural gas and (during certain times of the year) heat.
i already gave them second and third chances.
this will be followed by a second civil suit, seeking full rent abatement since april 1st, which will be $2679.64.
and, because of the malicious nature of their behaviour, i will win this in full.
should have thought it through, huh, old man? now you've got a criminal record and a $2700 bill coming up because you couldn't control your anger.
dipshit.
she has a very short time window to work this out and make it right.
http://www.mah.gov.on.ca/Page1175.aspx#report
i have no tolerance for this at all and will almost immediately jump to calling it in. it's a criminal offense in ontario to turn off water services - and i will have the landlord charged and convicted, with no second thoughts at all.
i will charge them twice, even.
1) harassment: It is an offence to threaten a tenant, interfere with a tenant, or pressure a tenant to move out of a rental unit.
2) withholding services: It is an offence to withhold or interfere with the reasonable supply of a vital service, which includes hot or cold water, fuel, electricity, natural gas and (during certain times of the year) heat.
i already gave them second and third chances.
this will be followed by a second civil suit, seeking full rent abatement since april 1st, which will be $2679.64.
and, because of the malicious nature of their behaviour, i will win this in full.
should have thought it through, huh, old man? now you've got a criminal record and a $2700 bill coming up because you couldn't control your anger.
dipshit.
she has a very short time window to work this out and make it right.
http://www.mah.gov.on.ca/Page1175.aspx#report
my hot water appears to have been cut this afternoon, and it's hard to believe that it wasn't on purpose.
they'd better have a good reason for this, or the harassment suit is getting that much worse. they're going to give me a year's worth of rent by the time they're done.
it's hard to believe that somebody could truly be this hopelessly idiotic. they're just throwing money out the window. the more they harass me, the more it costs them. how much are they going to have to give me before they get it?
i sent them a notice a few weeks ago to do something about the cats and pro-rate my rent in order to avoid another court date. this was a consequence of another demeaning yelling match and a need for me to be more firm in my reaction to them. i don't care if they're retarded; they can't be yelling at me, and i don't have a responsibility to be patient about it. but, they got rid of the cats, so i decided to let it slide for the benefit of the universe - so long as everybody duly noted that i'd consider the situation cumulative, should i need to.
now, this: they've rather clearly cut my water maliciously. right when i was about to back off on the harassment proceedings, they've gone and escalated to a point i can't ignore.
it is illegal in ontario for the landlord to cut utilities for any purpose whatsoever - even non-payment. that order has to come from the tenant board. all i need to do is demonstrate that they actually cut the water. they have no conceivable defense whatsoever.
i'm willing to cut the property owner a little bit of slack on the premise that her father is acting without her knowledge. but, i'm going to need an actual settlement, this time. these damages are not due to cost but purely punitive - and somebody is going to pay, one way or the other.
they'd better have a good reason for this, or the harassment suit is getting that much worse. they're going to give me a year's worth of rent by the time they're done.
it's hard to believe that somebody could truly be this hopelessly idiotic. they're just throwing money out the window. the more they harass me, the more it costs them. how much are they going to have to give me before they get it?
i sent them a notice a few weeks ago to do something about the cats and pro-rate my rent in order to avoid another court date. this was a consequence of another demeaning yelling match and a need for me to be more firm in my reaction to them. i don't care if they're retarded; they can't be yelling at me, and i don't have a responsibility to be patient about it. but, they got rid of the cats, so i decided to let it slide for the benefit of the universe - so long as everybody duly noted that i'd consider the situation cumulative, should i need to.
now, this: they've rather clearly cut my water maliciously. right when i was about to back off on the harassment proceedings, they've gone and escalated to a point i can't ignore.
it is illegal in ontario for the landlord to cut utilities for any purpose whatsoever - even non-payment. that order has to come from the tenant board. all i need to do is demonstrate that they actually cut the water. they have no conceivable defense whatsoever.
i'm willing to cut the property owner a little bit of slack on the premise that her father is acting without her knowledge. but, i'm going to need an actual settlement, this time. these damages are not due to cost but purely punitive - and somebody is going to pay, one way or the other.
Sunday, July 2, 2017
i guess it could have been this one, but it's not as catchy and didn't present itself.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DeQDRhidNnY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DeQDRhidNnY
i went for an unnecessarily long walk last night. in the end, it was a waste of time. but, it's not like i missed something better. this city was disturbingly quiet, last night.
in the process, i generated a lot of concern from passing motorists, who all wanted to give me a ride. every other block, it seemed. should i be impressed by the altruism of male windsorites, who were all out to help me get from a to b, out of the goodness of their little hearts?
i go over this repeatedly in the vlogs: if you were really concerned abut my safety, the first piece of advice you'd give me would be to not stop for random drivers while walking alone early in the morning. so, it's a non-starter. i'll never get in your car. i'll never even stop to give you the time of day. it's not even that i'm not friendly, it's just unacceptable to yell at people from your car.
so, i said "no" to a lot of people last night. and, i found myself humming this old tune....
in the process, i generated a lot of concern from passing motorists, who all wanted to give me a ride. every other block, it seemed. should i be impressed by the altruism of male windsorites, who were all out to help me get from a to b, out of the goodness of their little hearts?
i go over this repeatedly in the vlogs: if you were really concerned abut my safety, the first piece of advice you'd give me would be to not stop for random drivers while walking alone early in the morning. so, it's a non-starter. i'll never get in your car. i'll never even stop to give you the time of day. it's not even that i'm not friendly, it's just unacceptable to yell at people from your car.
so, i said "no" to a lot of people last night. and, i found myself humming this old tune....
i must have had a lot of lucky guesses. but, i'd also like to see a more direct breakdown.
see, i think i got most of the first part right, i found the second part difficult and if i got anything at all in the third part it was just a fluke.
after doing the test, i'm more convinced that it's a real possibility. but, i need to reiterate that i might just be bad with faces.
as an aside, i'm highly critical of self-assessments. this test is a good test.
http://www.bbk.ac.uk/psychology/psychologyexperiments/experiments/facememorytest/startup.php
see, i think i got most of the first part right, i found the second part difficult and if i got anything at all in the third part it was just a fluke.
after doing the test, i'm more convinced that it's a real possibility. but, i need to reiterate that i might just be bad with faces.
as an aside, i'm highly critical of self-assessments. this test is a good test.
http://www.bbk.ac.uk/psychology/psychologyexperiments/experiments/facememorytest/startup.php
i'm not diagnosed with this, but i did have a head injury when i was a kid and i've long believed i'm an undiagnosed asperger. i have all of the social cues, or lack thereof, of an asperger's case. but, i'm as high functioning as the charts get (i just can't get my head around people very well), so it would kind be a diagnosis without a disease, sort of thing. i may want to look into this more seriously the next time my odsp renews.
i tend to recognize people by other markers, like haircuts, body shapes and articles of clothing. or, i'll recognize somebody from a role or position, but then i might not recognize them outside that role. i could talk to you for an hour at the bank in the afternoon, and then not recognize you at the club the same night. so, if you have a really distinctive haircut, or some other flamboyant characteristic, i'll probably recognize you. i otherwise might not recognize you until i see you in a familiar article of clothing that i've seen you in before, or something else of the sort, even after i've seen you in multiple places and multiple contexts.
again: i'm not diagnosed. i might not have a brain injury; i might just be so hopelessly aloof that i can't or don't keep track of the people around me, because i live in my own head. it might just be that. but this reoccurs, and i am aware of it.
so, if i don't recognize you, i'm not trying to be rude. jog my memory. it's not that i don't remember, it's that i can't connect the dots.
or, play along and treat me like a new face every time, if you'd like that, too.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prosopagnosia
i tend to recognize people by other markers, like haircuts, body shapes and articles of clothing. or, i'll recognize somebody from a role or position, but then i might not recognize them outside that role. i could talk to you for an hour at the bank in the afternoon, and then not recognize you at the club the same night. so, if you have a really distinctive haircut, or some other flamboyant characteristic, i'll probably recognize you. i otherwise might not recognize you until i see you in a familiar article of clothing that i've seen you in before, or something else of the sort, even after i've seen you in multiple places and multiple contexts.
again: i'm not diagnosed. i might not have a brain injury; i might just be so hopelessly aloof that i can't or don't keep track of the people around me, because i live in my own head. it might just be that. but this reoccurs, and i am aware of it.
so, if i don't recognize you, i'm not trying to be rude. jog my memory. it's not that i don't remember, it's that i can't connect the dots.
or, play along and treat me like a new face every time, if you'd like that, too.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prosopagnosia
Saturday, July 1, 2017
i learned something at the bar last night: kathleen wynne needs to step down.
the person i was talking to would not be likely to self-identify as belonging to the left, but the liberals in canada are not the left-wing party (the ndp is.) and require at least a little bit of support from red tories and soft centrists. they need far more support from small-l liberals; they need to lean to the left. but, they have to restrain themselves, too. i'm a strong advocate of a three party system and have already made these arguments repeatedly.
the liberals in ontario are delivering to their voters far better than the federal government is. it's easy to be cynical about vote-buying. but, we need strong government interference in a broken and corrupt market, right now. in my view, they're doing almost everything right. the ndp are not offering me a reason to support them over the liberals, right now - and the liberals are not giving me a reason to vote against them. the only really strong point of disagreement i have with them is their privatization of the energy sector, but this actually doesn't affect me directly, and the reality is that this is baggage from previous premiers, both dalton mcguinty and mike harris. the root cause of the rise in electricity costs was harris' privatization, but mcguinty contributed to this by signing a lot of bad contracts (based on the assumption that we'd be using electric cars by now). if we owned the generating capacity ourselves, we wouldn't have to sign contracts with private producers, which are who is actually gauging consumers. and, as strange as it might sound, the way to decrease costs is actually to use more energy.
if i took control tomorrow, i'd just nationalize the lot of it and let the courts figure out compensation costs. i don't expect the liberals to do that...
the first complaint is something that the liberal party needs a pr strategy for. i need to clarify before i start that the entire situation is ridiculous. this person makes $16/hr - one dollar more than the minimum wage increase that is coming - working as a student labourer for chrysler. she thinks she ought to be making well over the minimum wage, and opposes the increase on those grounds. to begin with, i don't just disagree that she should be making well over the minimum wage, i actually think she ought to be making a student wage that is less than the minimum wage (and that tuition should be free). but, i don't think she should have that job in the first place. the real scandal here is that chrysler is hiring students. that job should be unionized, with benefits, and held by an adult with a mortgage and a family. rather than complain that other people are getting a raise, she should be fighting for a raise herself; she won't, though, because she's a student, and she's planning around getting an even higher paying job.
who could possibly take her side in this? it's the definition of privilege. her position is unsupportable. it's not even ideological. it's really just clueless class privilege: she thinks she's better than the plebs and resents anything that might make them better off.
so, i don't have a lot of empathy on this point. but, the government needs a strategy to reach out to voters that are now going to be just over the minimum wage barrier, especially young ones with wealthy parents, and feel like they're being pulled down into the working class. these children of the bourgeoisie, complete with quasi-objectivist tendencies, are actually an important voting demographic for the liberal party. they basically run the federal party. they may be too socially liberal to lean towards the conservative party, but they will retreat to their class interests, like frightened animals, if they feel threatened by wealth redistribution.
the second complaint came across as a talking point, and while i'm not sure of the source, i found this article at the star, which has a reputation for being left-leaning but which any leftist will label a sounding board for banking interests:
https://www.thestar.com/news/queenspark/2017/01/01/ontario-hydro-rebates-start-in-january-but-so-do-carbon-taxes.html
her complaint was that gas prices are going up because kathleen wynne has introduced a carbon tax. this is actually false on multiple levels, but we can see how the media is playing into it.
ontario does not have a carbon tax. further, it was the federal government that has mandated carbon pricing, not the provincial one. while gas prices are increasing, if you want to blame a politician, the politician you should blame is justin trudeau.
...but, even that is fuzzy thinking.
the article complains that the court order should have put a separate item on the bill for a "carbon fee". but, in doing so, it is presenting a false understanding of cap and trade as a tax levied by the government on consumers, which is precisely what the court ruled is false. that journalist should be fired. cap and trade is nothing of the sort: it is a punitive fine leveled against corporations by the state. if the corporation then chooses to pass that cost on to customers, it may do so, but it is correct to list that as an increase in delivery charges, as it is the corporation that is charging the consumer, and not the state. the purpose of the policy is not to raise prices or generate state revenue, but to create an incentive for corporations to generate less pollution. the actual person you should blame is yourself, and the thing you should do is use less carbon - whatever that means, to you. if you don't want to create less pollution, you have a social responsibility to pay for the pollution you're creating.
so, i don't have a lot of empathy for this complaint, either, despite being fully aware that carbon pricing will not reduce pollution so much as it will create a lot of whiners that don't want to take responsibility for their destructive behaviour. we need a different approach if we're going to reduce pollution.
but, the government, at the least, needs to make sure that people actually understand what is happening, and do not fall victim to right-wing propaganda about tax increases. there is a subset of low information voters that the liberals will never swing or control; they get their information from sun newspapers and facebook feeds and are just beyond any concept of reason. this person was not that, she was a young professional that was misinformed and may have very well been misinformed by the toronto star.
these are substantial obstacles for the government to overcome. but, she seemed to be angry at kathleen wynne, particularly. when i explained that the policy came from trudeau, her tone changed: she was not nearly as hostile towards him as she was towards her.
it was absolutely clear to me last night that they're going to need a new spokesperson if they want to compete in the next election - and that if she does not step down very soon, we're going to have to cut bait and throw our full support behind the ndp.
the person i was talking to would not be likely to self-identify as belonging to the left, but the liberals in canada are not the left-wing party (the ndp is.) and require at least a little bit of support from red tories and soft centrists. they need far more support from small-l liberals; they need to lean to the left. but, they have to restrain themselves, too. i'm a strong advocate of a three party system and have already made these arguments repeatedly.
the liberals in ontario are delivering to their voters far better than the federal government is. it's easy to be cynical about vote-buying. but, we need strong government interference in a broken and corrupt market, right now. in my view, they're doing almost everything right. the ndp are not offering me a reason to support them over the liberals, right now - and the liberals are not giving me a reason to vote against them. the only really strong point of disagreement i have with them is their privatization of the energy sector, but this actually doesn't affect me directly, and the reality is that this is baggage from previous premiers, both dalton mcguinty and mike harris. the root cause of the rise in electricity costs was harris' privatization, but mcguinty contributed to this by signing a lot of bad contracts (based on the assumption that we'd be using electric cars by now). if we owned the generating capacity ourselves, we wouldn't have to sign contracts with private producers, which are who is actually gauging consumers. and, as strange as it might sound, the way to decrease costs is actually to use more energy.
if i took control tomorrow, i'd just nationalize the lot of it and let the courts figure out compensation costs. i don't expect the liberals to do that...
the first complaint is something that the liberal party needs a pr strategy for. i need to clarify before i start that the entire situation is ridiculous. this person makes $16/hr - one dollar more than the minimum wage increase that is coming - working as a student labourer for chrysler. she thinks she ought to be making well over the minimum wage, and opposes the increase on those grounds. to begin with, i don't just disagree that she should be making well over the minimum wage, i actually think she ought to be making a student wage that is less than the minimum wage (and that tuition should be free). but, i don't think she should have that job in the first place. the real scandal here is that chrysler is hiring students. that job should be unionized, with benefits, and held by an adult with a mortgage and a family. rather than complain that other people are getting a raise, she should be fighting for a raise herself; she won't, though, because she's a student, and she's planning around getting an even higher paying job.
who could possibly take her side in this? it's the definition of privilege. her position is unsupportable. it's not even ideological. it's really just clueless class privilege: she thinks she's better than the plebs and resents anything that might make them better off.
so, i don't have a lot of empathy on this point. but, the government needs a strategy to reach out to voters that are now going to be just over the minimum wage barrier, especially young ones with wealthy parents, and feel like they're being pulled down into the working class. these children of the bourgeoisie, complete with quasi-objectivist tendencies, are actually an important voting demographic for the liberal party. they basically run the federal party. they may be too socially liberal to lean towards the conservative party, but they will retreat to their class interests, like frightened animals, if they feel threatened by wealth redistribution.
the second complaint came across as a talking point, and while i'm not sure of the source, i found this article at the star, which has a reputation for being left-leaning but which any leftist will label a sounding board for banking interests:
https://www.thestar.com/news/queenspark/2017/01/01/ontario-hydro-rebates-start-in-january-but-so-do-carbon-taxes.html
her complaint was that gas prices are going up because kathleen wynne has introduced a carbon tax. this is actually false on multiple levels, but we can see how the media is playing into it.
ontario does not have a carbon tax. further, it was the federal government that has mandated carbon pricing, not the provincial one. while gas prices are increasing, if you want to blame a politician, the politician you should blame is justin trudeau.
...but, even that is fuzzy thinking.
the article complains that the court order should have put a separate item on the bill for a "carbon fee". but, in doing so, it is presenting a false understanding of cap and trade as a tax levied by the government on consumers, which is precisely what the court ruled is false. that journalist should be fired. cap and trade is nothing of the sort: it is a punitive fine leveled against corporations by the state. if the corporation then chooses to pass that cost on to customers, it may do so, but it is correct to list that as an increase in delivery charges, as it is the corporation that is charging the consumer, and not the state. the purpose of the policy is not to raise prices or generate state revenue, but to create an incentive for corporations to generate less pollution. the actual person you should blame is yourself, and the thing you should do is use less carbon - whatever that means, to you. if you don't want to create less pollution, you have a social responsibility to pay for the pollution you're creating.
so, i don't have a lot of empathy for this complaint, either, despite being fully aware that carbon pricing will not reduce pollution so much as it will create a lot of whiners that don't want to take responsibility for their destructive behaviour. we need a different approach if we're going to reduce pollution.
but, the government, at the least, needs to make sure that people actually understand what is happening, and do not fall victim to right-wing propaganda about tax increases. there is a subset of low information voters that the liberals will never swing or control; they get their information from sun newspapers and facebook feeds and are just beyond any concept of reason. this person was not that, she was a young professional that was misinformed and may have very well been misinformed by the toronto star.
these are substantial obstacles for the government to overcome. but, she seemed to be angry at kathleen wynne, particularly. when i explained that the policy came from trudeau, her tone changed: she was not nearly as hostile towards him as she was towards her.
it was absolutely clear to me last night that they're going to need a new spokesperson if they want to compete in the next election - and that if she does not step down very soon, we're going to have to cut bait and throw our full support behind the ndp.
Friday, June 30, 2017
i want to clarify what i mean when i talk about the ancient war between east and west. i get sloppy, but the context is here and clear.
i consider the dividing line between east and west to be further than most colonial era historians would: the line is the indus river. certainly, persia is an integral aspect of western culture. you can't separate the iranians out into an east the way you can separate the hindu-descended thought systems. if the persians had kept to zoroastrianism, and europe had remained pagan, these lines would be blurrier. and, certainly, the arabs with their perverted judaism and fetish for greek math and babylonian astronomy are firmly in the realm of western civilization. you can't pull anything out of islam that originates in india or china. it's a fully western culture and always was.
but, when i talk of the ancient war, it's not a war between the greeks and the hindus. rather, it's a civil war within the broadest realm of hellenism that you can get your head around.
it is egypt v. mesopotamia, greece v. persia, rome v. persia, catholic v. orthodox, london v moscow, america v russia. centers of power shift and mutate. but, it is a war within the empire, rather than a war between them.
it is not the only war. when the arabs fought the byzantines, it was for control of the east of the empire. when the british fought the franks, usually backed by the pope, it was for control of the west of it. so, capitals shift. but the war carries on.
the ancient war transcends geography. it even transcends ideology, in the sense that it transmutes it. but it is present throughout history.
it would be a remarkable story, should anybody fully understand it enough to narrate it.
i consider the dividing line between east and west to be further than most colonial era historians would: the line is the indus river. certainly, persia is an integral aspect of western culture. you can't separate the iranians out into an east the way you can separate the hindu-descended thought systems. if the persians had kept to zoroastrianism, and europe had remained pagan, these lines would be blurrier. and, certainly, the arabs with their perverted judaism and fetish for greek math and babylonian astronomy are firmly in the realm of western civilization. you can't pull anything out of islam that originates in india or china. it's a fully western culture and always was.
but, when i talk of the ancient war, it's not a war between the greeks and the hindus. rather, it's a civil war within the broadest realm of hellenism that you can get your head around.
it is egypt v. mesopotamia, greece v. persia, rome v. persia, catholic v. orthodox, london v moscow, america v russia. centers of power shift and mutate. but, it is a war within the empire, rather than a war between them.
it is not the only war. when the arabs fought the byzantines, it was for control of the east of the empire. when the british fought the franks, usually backed by the pope, it was for control of the west of it. so, capitals shift. but the war carries on.
the ancient war transcends geography. it even transcends ideology, in the sense that it transmutes it. but it is present throughout history.
it would be a remarkable story, should anybody fully understand it enough to narrate it.
the coup in ukraine was a turning point in history. but, perhaps the true lesson is that the long war, the ancient war, never ends - that it is a characteristic of civilization, itself.
the russians were defeated. it was partly their own fault, granted: they had spent the better part of the last twenty years trying to appease a force that was clearly out to dismantle them. they offered co-operation on the most naive terms, and seemed genuinely hurt when it was refused. surely, a new leader would appear in washington that would be interested in collaboration?
they eventually woke up one day in early 2011 and realized that the americans had played them for fools at the security council to take out their oil interests in libya. there was an offensive missile shield being erected just outside their borders that would give the americans a clear first-strike advantage. and, now the americans are closing in on kiev?
it was all over.
russia was doomed.
the unfolding of history was obvious: a german-chinese alliance would pick the russians apart from either side. it might be in slow motion - one oblast at a time. but, it seemed irreversible.
two things happened as a consequence of the coup in kiev. the first is that the russians dropped the bullshit and finally resolved themselves to the need to treat america as an enemy. the second is that obama fucked it all up.
first, the sanctions. academic critics of the sanctions were clear: this will not harm russia, but merely create closer co-operation with their neighbours. russia reacted to the us sanctions by building a closer relationship with iran, including a closer defense relationship. this in turn led to russian involvement in syria, which is straining nato relations with turkey, and possibly even qatar. the russians were able to offset the effects of european agricultural imports by focusing on food sovereignty; the europeans, on the other hand, are now in a much worse state, as they remain reliant on russian energy.
we freely attack the bush administration for not listening to the academics on iraq, but we don't hold the obama administration to account for refusing to listen to the academics on sanctions against russia - despite the consequences being equally dire. it was just as stupid. did obama even understand his own trade rhetoric, or was he just reading it off a screen? he should have known better. he should have expected this. it wasn't just predictable, it was predicted!
the russians have increased their position dramatically, but don't misunderstand: the same basic power differential remains at play. russia remains in deep peril. what's changed is the politics around it. the russians may in the end be unable to defend their heartland, but they've shifted the hotspots and balances of power enough that the destruction of moscow will not end the ancient war, but merely shift the eastern focal point to a different capital.
china is everything, in this. and, i want you to realize that both approaches have the same outcome. if the chinese side with the russians, they take over russia from the inside. if they side with the americans, they take over russia from the outside.
moscow may still live to see another century, if the americans decide to pull back. but, if they move ahead, the outcome will not be the end of the ancient war, but the crowning of beijing as the new east.
let history record that obama was as close to victory as anybody has ever come in this, and let us take note of his error: it was the sanctions against russia, and the diplomatic actions around the invasion of libya, that cost him the win.
the russians were defeated. it was partly their own fault, granted: they had spent the better part of the last twenty years trying to appease a force that was clearly out to dismantle them. they offered co-operation on the most naive terms, and seemed genuinely hurt when it was refused. surely, a new leader would appear in washington that would be interested in collaboration?
they eventually woke up one day in early 2011 and realized that the americans had played them for fools at the security council to take out their oil interests in libya. there was an offensive missile shield being erected just outside their borders that would give the americans a clear first-strike advantage. and, now the americans are closing in on kiev?
it was all over.
russia was doomed.
the unfolding of history was obvious: a german-chinese alliance would pick the russians apart from either side. it might be in slow motion - one oblast at a time. but, it seemed irreversible.
two things happened as a consequence of the coup in kiev. the first is that the russians dropped the bullshit and finally resolved themselves to the need to treat america as an enemy. the second is that obama fucked it all up.
first, the sanctions. academic critics of the sanctions were clear: this will not harm russia, but merely create closer co-operation with their neighbours. russia reacted to the us sanctions by building a closer relationship with iran, including a closer defense relationship. this in turn led to russian involvement in syria, which is straining nato relations with turkey, and possibly even qatar. the russians were able to offset the effects of european agricultural imports by focusing on food sovereignty; the europeans, on the other hand, are now in a much worse state, as they remain reliant on russian energy.
we freely attack the bush administration for not listening to the academics on iraq, but we don't hold the obama administration to account for refusing to listen to the academics on sanctions against russia - despite the consequences being equally dire. it was just as stupid. did obama even understand his own trade rhetoric, or was he just reading it off a screen? he should have known better. he should have expected this. it wasn't just predictable, it was predicted!
the russians have increased their position dramatically, but don't misunderstand: the same basic power differential remains at play. russia remains in deep peril. what's changed is the politics around it. the russians may in the end be unable to defend their heartland, but they've shifted the hotspots and balances of power enough that the destruction of moscow will not end the ancient war, but merely shift the eastern focal point to a different capital.
china is everything, in this. and, i want you to realize that both approaches have the same outcome. if the chinese side with the russians, they take over russia from the inside. if they side with the americans, they take over russia from the outside.
moscow may still live to see another century, if the americans decide to pull back. but, if they move ahead, the outcome will not be the end of the ancient war, but the crowning of beijing as the new east.
let history record that obama was as close to victory as anybody has ever come in this, and let us take note of his error: it was the sanctions against russia, and the diplomatic actions around the invasion of libya, that cost him the win.
Thursday, June 29, 2017
aaaaaactually. i can get a newer chip, too.
lol.
why would i get an i5 if it lacks hyperthreading? let me look at the i7s.
https://www.asus.com/us/Motherboards/P9D_WS/HelpDesk_CPU/
lol.
why would i get an i5 if it lacks hyperthreading? let me look at the i7s.
https://www.asus.com/us/Motherboards/P9D_WS/HelpDesk_CPU/
rave board review.
it's asus. i know.
the one i bought in 1998 still runs. the one i bought in 2007 still runs. it's time for a new one. and, all three will still be running in 2027, when i get #4.
who will #4 be for, though?
don't get me started on #5....
"#5 needs input. iiiiiinpuuuuuut."
http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/6035/asus-p9d-ws-workstation-motherboard-review/index.html
it's asus. i know.
the one i bought in 1998 still runs. the one i bought in 2007 still runs. it's time for a new one. and, all three will still be running in 2027, when i get #4.
who will #4 be for, though?
don't get me started on #5....
"#5 needs input. iiiiiinpuuuuuut."
http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/6035/asus-p9d-ws-workstation-motherboard-review/index.html
i'm going to just compare benchmarks. the differences in the lines have to do with things like encryption that don't concern me much.
my pentium D was fast when i bought it. i'm surprised it's even listed here, really. but, i've never had a performance issue, either. really, i haven't.
the 4th gen i3s are clearly a dramatic improvement over the D. i should notice it. it's good enough.
http://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-Pentium-D-340GHz-vs-Intel-Core-i3-4370/m5820vs2817
but what about the other board, with the ridiculous ram, just to compare?
the fastest 6th gen i7 is actually only about 50% faster than the fastest 4th gen i3, and some of them are actually slower. i don't know why intel is being so weird with it's names, but whatever.
here's another comparison:
http://www.cpu-world.com/Compare/494/Intel_Core_i3_i3-4370_vs_Intel_Core_i5_i5-6600K.html
...which is weird to me, because i thought the generation shifts were all about efficiency. how did the i3 end up more efficient? the i5 is twice as fast for hyperthreading, but i'm actually more concerned about single-threading, as i use a lot of older software, and i could very well be booting into 32-bit xp for quite a while, still. they're the same...
so.
my new machine will have this board/chip combo:
https://www.asus.com/ca-en/Motherboards/P9D_WS/specifications/ (~ 235 us)
http://ark.intel.com/products/77495/Intel-Core-i3-4370-Processor-4M-Cache-3_80-GHz (~$140 us)
if i want to stay in budget, that leaves me with around $200-$300 to build the rest of it, which is just going to be the case/psu, memory and some drives. but, it's an arbitrary ceiling. i wasn't expecting to upgrade desktop 2.
i've never put a machine together with my own hands from total scratch before. i'll have to think about that carefully. i might pay for assembly, just so i can blame somebody. plus, the stores have parts and cases. it might cost me less to pay for assembly than it would to pay for shipping.
or, maybe i can find it pre-assembled.
but, that's the new machine. it's not so new, absolutely. but, it will be a lot faster.
and, i guess i'd might as well swank it out with an ssd for programs and that extra 2 tb disc. i'll have to go through piece by piece and figure out where things ought to be before i decide exactly what i need. but, i should have ample optical drives, and most of the disc space, even. i'm going to need a second audiophile card, i guess. it's all very minor....
my pentium D was fast when i bought it. i'm surprised it's even listed here, really. but, i've never had a performance issue, either. really, i haven't.
the 4th gen i3s are clearly a dramatic improvement over the D. i should notice it. it's good enough.
http://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-Pentium-D-340GHz-vs-Intel-Core-i3-4370/m5820vs2817
but what about the other board, with the ridiculous ram, just to compare?
the fastest 6th gen i7 is actually only about 50% faster than the fastest 4th gen i3, and some of them are actually slower. i don't know why intel is being so weird with it's names, but whatever.
here's another comparison:
http://www.cpu-world.com/Compare/494/Intel_Core_i3_i3-4370_vs_Intel_Core_i5_i5-6600K.html
...which is weird to me, because i thought the generation shifts were all about efficiency. how did the i3 end up more efficient? the i5 is twice as fast for hyperthreading, but i'm actually more concerned about single-threading, as i use a lot of older software, and i could very well be booting into 32-bit xp for quite a while, still. they're the same...
so.
my new machine will have this board/chip combo:
https://www.asus.com/ca-en/Motherboards/P9D_WS/specifications/ (~ 235 us)
http://ark.intel.com/products/77495/Intel-Core-i3-4370-Processor-4M-Cache-3_80-GHz (~$140 us)
if i want to stay in budget, that leaves me with around $200-$300 to build the rest of it, which is just going to be the case/psu, memory and some drives. but, it's an arbitrary ceiling. i wasn't expecting to upgrade desktop 2.
i've never put a machine together with my own hands from total scratch before. i'll have to think about that carefully. i might pay for assembly, just so i can blame somebody. plus, the stores have parts and cases. it might cost me less to pay for assembly than it would to pay for shipping.
or, maybe i can find it pre-assembled.
but, that's the new machine. it's not so new, absolutely. but, it will be a lot faster.
and, i guess i'd might as well swank it out with an ssd for programs and that extra 2 tb disc. i'll have to go through piece by piece and figure out where things ought to be before i decide exactly what i need. but, i should have ample optical drives, and most of the disc space, even. i'm going to need a second audiophile card, i guess. it's all very minor....
let's have a good singalong with a golden oldie.
c'mon, kids. you know the words...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoA_zY6tqQw
c'mon, kids. you know the words...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoA_zY6tqQw
the president did campaign on a muslim ban, and he won that election.
the court will evaluate a number of legal questions, sure. but, it cannot overturn the results of the election.
the democratic legitimacy of the policy as an expression of the popular will will be central to the ruling, when it comes.
the court will evaluate a number of legal questions, sure. but, it cannot overturn the results of the election.
the democratic legitimacy of the policy as an expression of the popular will will be central to the ruling, when it comes.
i'm realizing that i have no idea what processor is faster than any other anymore.
you'd think i7>i5>i3. but, apparently not. it's generational.
my initial feeling was that you'll never tell the difference: they're all really fast. but, let me try and get my head around this just a little....
it's probably the year i want to check. and, i'm probably fine with anything in the last five years. really.
you'd think i7>i5>i3. but, apparently not. it's generational.
my initial feeling was that you'll never tell the difference: they're all really fast. but, let me try and get my head around this just a little....
it's probably the year i want to check. and, i'm probably fine with anything in the last five years. really.
well, i found one:
https://www.asus.com/ca-en/Motherboards/P9D_WS/specifications/
almost. so close.
firewire + 2 pcis means i don't lose anything in my recording studio. and, i can put dual 8s in, making it an upgrade that isn't ridiculous.
this is almost the board i want.
it would just be nice if i could take an i5.
but, that is the least of my concerns.
the other option, right now, is this:
https://www.asus.com/ca-en/Motherboards/B150-PLUS/specifications/
that can take an i7, but i'd have to dual at a ridiculous 2x16. i'll have to use my firewire pci card. and, it actually has less expansion and fewer usbs, although they're both ample.
there are some other options i might consider for the access point, but they'd involve buying pcie cards for firewire or lan, which strikes me as silly. right now, it looks like i'm doing an upgrade in the music room, primarily.
https://www.asus.com/ca-en/Motherboards/P9D_WS/specifications/
almost. so close.
firewire + 2 pcis means i don't lose anything in my recording studio. and, i can put dual 8s in, making it an upgrade that isn't ridiculous.
this is almost the board i want.
it would just be nice if i could take an i5.
but, that is the least of my concerns.
the other option, right now, is this:
https://www.asus.com/ca-en/Motherboards/B150-PLUS/specifications/
that can take an i7, but i'd have to dual at a ridiculous 2x16. i'll have to use my firewire pci card. and, it actually has less expansion and fewer usbs, although they're both ample.
there are some other options i might consider for the access point, but they'd involve buying pcie cards for firewire or lan, which strikes me as silly. right now, it looks like i'm doing an upgrade in the music room, primarily.
the firewire thing is a kind of a big deal for me.
modern asus boards come with thunderbolt connectors on the board, but you have to buy a pci-e card. i'd then have to get an adapter.
the purpose of the setup is intrinsically connected to a 1394a device. any machine in this space needs to be designed to utilize that device. i will not be updating that device.
i'm not really happy about bringing a 1394a pci card into it, but it's certainly better than using the thunderbolt header..
i'm going to exhaust my options with asus. but i may have to move on.
modern asus boards come with thunderbolt connectors on the board, but you have to buy a pci-e card. i'd then have to get an adapter.
the purpose of the setup is intrinsically connected to a 1394a device. any machine in this space needs to be designed to utilize that device. i will not be updating that device.
i'm not really happy about bringing a 1394a pci card into it, but it's certainly better than using the thunderbolt header..
i'm going to exhaust my options with asus. but i may have to move on.
yeah. i may have jumped to conclusions regarding the idea of swapping the boards out, or moving the machines over at all. i need to slow down a tad and work this out a little more carefully.
why don't i list my options.
1)) i could leave desktop 2 where it is and buy a new desktop 3. if i do that, i'll want to get something cheap; 8 gb max. that will help me find the right specs, too. ps/2 outs. integrated video. no wireless. lots of usb. etc.
2) i could move desktop 2 in here (minus the peripherals) and buy a new desktop 3 (using some parts from desktop 2). in that case,
a) what os would i use for desktop 2? xp 32 winlited? xp 64 (winlited?)? 7 64? answer: i'd need to experiment. is this a minor oe major concern? dependent on optins.
b) can i find an ideal desktop 2 board? or an ideal desktop 3 board?
that's maybe where i should start: what can i find? can i find the perfect board for one or the other? and, if so, how can i adjust the other?
and, what if i find two ideal boards?
ideal desktop 2: basically the p5b-premium, except the chipset was iffy for 64-bit with 2007 tech. i need to experiment.
ideal desktop 3: 16 gb ram max (8 for now). no wifi. firewire in back. ps/2. ample sata & usb. integrated vga video.
k.
i'm going to search every single asus board for the ideals, and go from there.
why don't i list my options.
1)) i could leave desktop 2 where it is and buy a new desktop 3. if i do that, i'll want to get something cheap; 8 gb max. that will help me find the right specs, too. ps/2 outs. integrated video. no wireless. lots of usb. etc.
2) i could move desktop 2 in here (minus the peripherals) and buy a new desktop 3 (using some parts from desktop 2). in that case,
a) what os would i use for desktop 2? xp 32 winlited? xp 64 (winlited?)? 7 64? answer: i'd need to experiment. is this a minor oe major concern? dependent on optins.
b) can i find an ideal desktop 2 board? or an ideal desktop 3 board?
that's maybe where i should start: what can i find? can i find the perfect board for one or the other? and, if so, how can i adjust the other?
and, what if i find two ideal boards?
ideal desktop 2: basically the p5b-premium, except the chipset was iffy for 64-bit with 2007 tech. i need to experiment.
ideal desktop 3: 16 gb ram max (8 for now). no wifi. firewire in back. ps/2. ample sata & usb. integrated vga video.
k.
i'm going to search every single asus board for the ideals, and go from there.
so, what am i looking for in this thing?
i need:
- some firewire of some sort. that's obscure, today. especially in a non-mac. i happen to have a pci card. i could buy a pcie card. but, i'd rather it be native.
- i don't care about the video out. i don't game. it's a recording pc. i'd like a cheap monitor, too. so, i'd like an integrated vga out, please. otherwise, i'm either looking for a dvi monitor or a dvi-->vga, or sadly an hdmi---> vga, out. i'm not paying for an hdmi monitor to mix on.
- ps/2 mouse & keyboard would, in fact, be preferable, but this is minor. well, maybe one of those fail safe combos would be acceptable.
- i want four ram slots, because i'm only going to start with two. 16, 32, 64, whatever. i'll get there eventually. or, i may split my oczs in half to get desktop 3 up to 6/8.
- i'm actually not at all concerned about the processor. they're all really fast, nowadays.
- no wireless.
- 6+ sata connections.
also, these idea about swapping cases won't actually work. the new board won't have a floppy connector, or example, and the new case won't have space for a floppy drive. hey, i've been in scenarios where i've actually had to use it. if i'm buying a board with 6 sata connectors, it should ship in a large enough space to plug them in, right?
the only things i can't get around are the number of sata connectors and the number of dimms; and, i don't want a wireless card. i'll have to check each model for the ideal, then circle back. right now, i'm nodding off....
i need:
- some firewire of some sort. that's obscure, today. especially in a non-mac. i happen to have a pci card. i could buy a pcie card. but, i'd rather it be native.
- i don't care about the video out. i don't game. it's a recording pc. i'd like a cheap monitor, too. so, i'd like an integrated vga out, please. otherwise, i'm either looking for a dvi monitor or a dvi-->vga, or sadly an hdmi---> vga, out. i'm not paying for an hdmi monitor to mix on.
- ps/2 mouse & keyboard would, in fact, be preferable, but this is minor. well, maybe one of those fail safe combos would be acceptable.
- i want four ram slots, because i'm only going to start with two. 16, 32, 64, whatever. i'll get there eventually. or, i may split my oczs in half to get desktop 3 up to 6/8.
- i'm actually not at all concerned about the processor. they're all really fast, nowadays.
- no wireless.
- 6+ sata connections.
also, these idea about swapping cases won't actually work. the new board won't have a floppy connector, or example, and the new case won't have space for a floppy drive. hey, i've been in scenarios where i've actually had to use it. if i'm buying a board with 6 sata connectors, it should ship in a large enough space to plug them in, right?
the only things i can't get around are the number of sata connectors and the number of dimms; and, i don't want a wireless card. i'll have to check each model for the ideal, then circle back. right now, i'm nodding off....
and, i went to find the manual, just to be sure.
this is the actual model:
https://www.asus.com/Motherboards/P5B_Premium_Vista_Edition/specifications/
same form factor. and all the things i want, in here.
this is the actual model:
https://www.asus.com/Motherboards/P5B_Premium_Vista_Edition/specifications/
same form factor. and all the things i want, in here.
Wednesday, June 28, 2017
sorry, it's a p5b-deluxe, not a p5b-vm.
whch means it's a:
ATX Form Factor
12 inch x 9.6 inch ( 30.5 cm x 24.5 cm )
that was a potentially awful error. glad i caught that.
https://www.asus.com/Motherboards/P5B_Deluxe/specifications/
whch means it's a:
ATX Form Factor
12 inch x 9.6 inch ( 30.5 cm x 24.5 cm )
that was a potentially awful error. glad i caught that.
https://www.asus.com/Motherboards/P5B_Deluxe/specifications/
well, it says there are drivers.
that's the only thing i should really worry about.
http://www.alesis.com/products/view/multimix-16-firewire
i don't want this machine on the internet. at all. are the processors so fast now that winliting xp-64 is a waste of time? or should i just go with 7?
i'll be dualbooting for the near future, anyways. i can experiment a little.
yeah. this is the way to go.
i don't want to move the tower; the new desktop won't have four hds and 3 optical drives in it. but, i'll take the board (it's a p5b: https://www.asus.com/Motherboards/P5BVM/specifications/) with the ram in it, and take the video card, too. that means i'll need to get a microform to replace it.
this board has the ps/2 set up i want, it has two rj-45s and it doesn't have wireless. it's actually ideal.
i'm loyal to asus; their boards just don't break. i'm hoping i can find a barebones with the board i want and swap them out, then fix them both up.
wish me luck.
that's the only thing i should really worry about.
http://www.alesis.com/products/view/multimix-16-firewire
i don't want this machine on the internet. at all. are the processors so fast now that winliting xp-64 is a waste of time? or should i just go with 7?
i'll be dualbooting for the near future, anyways. i can experiment a little.
yeah. this is the way to go.
i don't want to move the tower; the new desktop won't have four hds and 3 optical drives in it. but, i'll take the board (it's a p5b: https://www.asus.com/Motherboards/P5BVM/specifications/) with the ram in it, and take the video card, too. that means i'll need to get a microform to replace it.
this board has the ps/2 set up i want, it has two rj-45s and it doesn't have wireless. it's actually ideal.
i'm loyal to asus; their boards just don't break. i'm hoping i can find a barebones with the board i want and swap them out, then fix them both up.
wish me luck.
i'm going to take a good look at it.
but it may make more sense to build desktop 3 around the board in desktop 2, and then upgrade desktop 2 after all.
that machine is a beast, as it is. i can obviously connect to the internet with it. but, the minimum specs on new boards seem to be 16 gb. and, if i'm going to buy a board like that, it should be where it's needed, and put to better use than deployed to argue over youtube.
but it may make more sense to build desktop 3 around the board in desktop 2, and then upgrade desktop 2 after all.
that machine is a beast, as it is. i can obviously connect to the internet with it. but, the minimum specs on new boards seem to be 16 gb. and, if i'm going to buy a board like that, it should be where it's needed, and put to better use than deployed to argue over youtube.
i was expcting an infrastructure bank that would print interest-free money for this kind of thing.
but, at least they're doing it. it's a rare positive step. this is what government ought to be doing a lot more of...
https://www.thestar.com/news/city_hall/2017/06/28/toronto-waterfront-receives-125-billion-to-clean-up-and-protect-the-port-lands.html
but, at least they're doing it. it's a rare positive step. this is what government ought to be doing a lot more of...
https://www.thestar.com/news/city_hall/2017/06/28/toronto-waterfront-receives-125-billion-to-clean-up-and-protect-the-port-lands.html
they even got a fucking kennedy to write it.
trump has a few more years to convince everybody he's not a crook. it will be a while before pence has to pull out. but, people seem to forget that nixon took agnew down with him.
who's around that....huckabee.
clearly.
(it would actually be paul ryan)
http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/13/opinions/kennedy-syria-vietnam/index.html
trump has a few more years to convince everybody he's not a crook. it will be a while before pence has to pull out. but, people seem to forget that nixon took agnew down with him.
who's around that....huckabee.
clearly.
(it would actually be paul ryan)
http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/13/opinions/kennedy-syria-vietnam/index.html
desktop 2. what do i need? not a lot...
my monitor died last fall. i replaced it with something that has a poor resolution for cubase, but is good for general browsing. so, i'll use that monitor for the new desktop.
what i want is a square monitor that is not too big. 15-19. 20 is too big. can i find one?
not really. i sort of knew that, already.
there are some refurbished square models at best buy, but for three-four times what i'd pay in a pawn shop. amazon is the only place that sells them at the aspect ratio i want,and they're not that expensive for new monitors, but i'm kind of not keen on paying out. for monitors, i'd rather sort through pawns shops.
i'm willing to pay, at most, $50. $30 is more realistic.
the only other thing i'm going to need for this machine for right now is a new hard drive. i just bought a new hard drive, right? but, i'm going to be slowly replacing them out. i will take a 250 gb out as backup when it's full. if i can get back on track, it won't be long. this is a good idea.
in the long run, what am i doing with it, though? well, i've had no reason to seek an upgrade - except some minor annoyances about ram. but, i'd have to upgrade to 64 bit before i can think about that. this is really at the crux of the pull back. and, of course, there's driver issues.
i guess i'm going to eventually ease into it by dual-booting into a 64-bit OS. my RAM is functional; it wasn't supposed to be. i was supposed to have had to upgrade by now. that will be the next step, after 64-bits: i'll take the ram out two sticks at a time, as they fail, until i'm maxing the board, which happens at 8 gb. 4x1---->4x2. i'll want to move the 64-bit OS onto an ssd or sshd and move the 32-bit onto a second partition of it while i'm at it. it can be a smaller drive, even. but, this could be ten years from now. you can do a lot with a dualcore, 4 gb of ram, cubase and an n-lited xp. i'm not anywhere near feeling the pull to upgrade, and i don't know what i'll upgrade to, if i do. as of today, it would be 64-bit xp.
so, i don't want to spend money on parts that could sit for years, and that i'm not even sure how i'll use. i mean, there's some logic in putting the money down now, sure. but, this is something that's going to cost me $50-$100, here and there, over a long period and it's better if i space it out than drop $700 on it and let the parts rust. the ram, for instance, will already be quite cheap to replace when it finally dies. but, why replace it when it works?
there was a time when i wanted a mac as backup for sound recording just in case, but that era has passed.
my primary task when i get to it will be backing up files to blu-ray. so, i should check the price on bd-rs. it's around $40 for 50 printable discs, either at amazon.ca or best buy - they both beat amazon on this one. but, i may or may not buy at all from either. i may get an amazon gift card just for the ps/2 to usb, in which case getting blank media would make sense.
i have lots of printable cds, but i only have lightscribe dvds. so, i should get printable dvds too, i guess. best buy wins, hands down: 50 printable for $12. well, why not get cds, too, i guess? to keep it under $100 on media, let's stick with 50 for $25 from amazon.com. & that means i need 200 jewel cases, too. staples finally wins at something, here: $80 for 200. these are overhead costs, under the hope that i actually sell some media. it's there, now. i have plenty of paper, but won't buy ink ahead.
the drive is a 2 tb seagate in a generic packaging. so, let's see what i can get out of this...
i can't tell any difference between these two drives:
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?CompareItemList=14|22-148-910^22-148-910%2C22-178-993^22-178-993
if anything, the cheaper drive seems to be a few years newer. if there's a difference at all, it's that the more expensive drive comes in a box and with some software i'd never, ever install. the cheaper one is also only available online.
i didn't do a lot of research into the more expensive drive when i bought it a few months ago. i was walking in the direction of staples. i wanted to bring it home on the day of purchase. i haven't tested it much, yet, frankly.
but, if i can save myself $20 and get a newer drive at the expense of a box and bloatware, i'll do it.
and, you know, it's not like i'm running raid. i don't really need matching drive types. i should focus more on cost.
...but, it does turn out that these seagates are cheaper across the board. they must have really taken a hit, recently. i don't believe one brand is better than the other. i'll take advantage of it.
but, it's again not clear whether i'm better off with amazon or best buy. they're both around $105. i'll have to work that out the day of.
updated total:
phone (amazon): $105
battery (amazon): $27
2 gb laptop ram (amazon): $2x15 [ships to canada]
8 gb sd ram for mp3 player (amazon): $13 [ships to canada]
4 gb laptop ram (amazon): $2x32 [ships to canada]
2 tb external drive(amazon) : $117 [ships to canada]
50 cd-rs [amazon.com]: $25 [ships to canada]
500 gb sshd laptop drives (best buy or amazon?): $2x80-85 [ships to canada]
2 gb internal drive (amazon or best buy): $105 [ships to canada]
50 bd-rs [amazon.ca or best buy]: $40
ps/2 to usb connector [amazon.ca]: $5
100 dvd-rs [best buy]: $30
200 jewel cases [staples.ca]: $80
square monitor (pawn shop): <$50
< 140 gb ide hds (found, not confirmed) (kijiji): $2x10
==================
$871-881
total phone: $105
total mp3 player: $13
total laptop 1: $137-142 + usb sound card
total laptop 2: $149-154 + $117 (external) + editing software?
total desktop 1: $20
total desktop 2: $155
total desktop 3:
total optical media: $175
it adds up, but when you look at it, it really isn't a lot: $150 on three machines each, $100 on a phone, $100 on an external drive and $200 on optical media, which is something unique to what i do.
minus the media, which i hadn't budgeted for, and the external, which i was going to get anyways, it's about what i expected: around $500 to max out and fix up my four existing machines.
i haven't eaten yet today. but, i'm going to get to actually designing the new desktop when i get back. i'm expecting it to run around $700-800, if i go overboard. the hard part is going to be finding the right board.
my monitor died last fall. i replaced it with something that has a poor resolution for cubase, but is good for general browsing. so, i'll use that monitor for the new desktop.
what i want is a square monitor that is not too big. 15-19. 20 is too big. can i find one?
not really. i sort of knew that, already.
there are some refurbished square models at best buy, but for three-four times what i'd pay in a pawn shop. amazon is the only place that sells them at the aspect ratio i want,and they're not that expensive for new monitors, but i'm kind of not keen on paying out. for monitors, i'd rather sort through pawns shops.
i'm willing to pay, at most, $50. $30 is more realistic.
the only other thing i'm going to need for this machine for right now is a new hard drive. i just bought a new hard drive, right? but, i'm going to be slowly replacing them out. i will take a 250 gb out as backup when it's full. if i can get back on track, it won't be long. this is a good idea.
in the long run, what am i doing with it, though? well, i've had no reason to seek an upgrade - except some minor annoyances about ram. but, i'd have to upgrade to 64 bit before i can think about that. this is really at the crux of the pull back. and, of course, there's driver issues.
i guess i'm going to eventually ease into it by dual-booting into a 64-bit OS. my RAM is functional; it wasn't supposed to be. i was supposed to have had to upgrade by now. that will be the next step, after 64-bits: i'll take the ram out two sticks at a time, as they fail, until i'm maxing the board, which happens at 8 gb. 4x1---->4x2. i'll want to move the 64-bit OS onto an ssd or sshd and move the 32-bit onto a second partition of it while i'm at it. it can be a smaller drive, even. but, this could be ten years from now. you can do a lot with a dualcore, 4 gb of ram, cubase and an n-lited xp. i'm not anywhere near feeling the pull to upgrade, and i don't know what i'll upgrade to, if i do. as of today, it would be 64-bit xp.
so, i don't want to spend money on parts that could sit for years, and that i'm not even sure how i'll use. i mean, there's some logic in putting the money down now, sure. but, this is something that's going to cost me $50-$100, here and there, over a long period and it's better if i space it out than drop $700 on it and let the parts rust. the ram, for instance, will already be quite cheap to replace when it finally dies. but, why replace it when it works?
there was a time when i wanted a mac as backup for sound recording just in case, but that era has passed.
my primary task when i get to it will be backing up files to blu-ray. so, i should check the price on bd-rs. it's around $40 for 50 printable discs, either at amazon.ca or best buy - they both beat amazon on this one. but, i may or may not buy at all from either. i may get an amazon gift card just for the ps/2 to usb, in which case getting blank media would make sense.
i have lots of printable cds, but i only have lightscribe dvds. so, i should get printable dvds too, i guess. best buy wins, hands down: 50 printable for $12. well, why not get cds, too, i guess? to keep it under $100 on media, let's stick with 50 for $25 from amazon.com. & that means i need 200 jewel cases, too. staples finally wins at something, here: $80 for 200. these are overhead costs, under the hope that i actually sell some media. it's there, now. i have plenty of paper, but won't buy ink ahead.
the drive is a 2 tb seagate in a generic packaging. so, let's see what i can get out of this...
i can't tell any difference between these two drives:
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?CompareItemList=14|22-148-910^22-148-910%2C22-178-993^22-178-993
if anything, the cheaper drive seems to be a few years newer. if there's a difference at all, it's that the more expensive drive comes in a box and with some software i'd never, ever install. the cheaper one is also only available online.
i didn't do a lot of research into the more expensive drive when i bought it a few months ago. i was walking in the direction of staples. i wanted to bring it home on the day of purchase. i haven't tested it much, yet, frankly.
but, if i can save myself $20 and get a newer drive at the expense of a box and bloatware, i'll do it.
and, you know, it's not like i'm running raid. i don't really need matching drive types. i should focus more on cost.
...but, it does turn out that these seagates are cheaper across the board. they must have really taken a hit, recently. i don't believe one brand is better than the other. i'll take advantage of it.
but, it's again not clear whether i'm better off with amazon or best buy. they're both around $105. i'll have to work that out the day of.
updated total:
phone (amazon): $105
battery (amazon): $27
2 gb laptop ram (amazon): $2x15 [ships to canada]
8 gb sd ram for mp3 player (amazon): $13 [ships to canada]
4 gb laptop ram (amazon): $2x32 [ships to canada]
2 tb external drive(amazon) : $117 [ships to canada]
50 cd-rs [amazon.com]: $25 [ships to canada]
500 gb sshd laptop drives (best buy or amazon?): $2x80-85 [ships to canada]
2 gb internal drive (amazon or best buy): $105 [ships to canada]
50 bd-rs [amazon.ca or best buy]: $40
ps/2 to usb connector [amazon.ca]: $5
100 dvd-rs [best buy]: $30
200 jewel cases [staples.ca]: $80
square monitor (pawn shop): <$50
< 140 gb ide hds (found, not confirmed) (kijiji): $2x10
==================
$871-881
total phone: $105
total mp3 player: $13
total laptop 1: $137-142 + usb sound card
total laptop 2: $149-154 + $117 (external) + editing software?
total desktop 1: $20
total desktop 2: $155
total desktop 3:
total optical media: $175
it adds up, but when you look at it, it really isn't a lot: $150 on three machines each, $100 on a phone, $100 on an external drive and $200 on optical media, which is something unique to what i do.
minus the media, which i hadn't budgeted for, and the external, which i was going to get anyways, it's about what i expected: around $500 to max out and fix up my four existing machines.
i haven't eaten yet today. but, i'm going to get to actually designing the new desktop when i get back. i'm expecting it to run around $700-800, if i go overboard. the hard part is going to be finding the right board.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)