Phil Osborn

The Myth of Net Neutrality in The Media JoeUser Forums

One of the problems with net neutrality is that the hogs rule. Whether it's bandwidth or artificially cheap bread in the Soviet Union, where people would sell their places in line or hire themselves out as line-sitters and then load up wheelbarrows full of bread priced way below cost to feed their hogs or make kitchen vodka, "free lunches" generate lines that ultimately offset the near-zero price with a new access cost, generally about what the "free lunch" would have cost originally up

Reply to Bankruptcy for California in Politics JoeUser Forums

Thanks, guys. Actually, BoobzTwo , the various levels of government own most of the land of the U.S. Anthony L. Hargis did a lot of research on the hidden holdings of local (OC) municipalities and the State of California, and discovered that they were quite enormous. Of course, once you've driven the real productive economiy into the ground via gaming the syste

Bankruptcy for California in Politics JoeUser Forums

Alexis de Tocqueville got a lot of things right in 1831, but I don't specifically recall him envisioning how the elected officials would conspire to vote themselves entitlement to the treasure of the nation. Maybe it was just too obvious to mention. The problem is that this has no easy legal solution. These retirement funds are based on contracts mutually agreed to by bureaucrats for fellow bureaucrats, to be sure, but the elected officials who appointed the to-be-retirees

Reply to Why the Dinosaurs Died in Biology JoeUser Forums

What? Sudden deafening silence from the other side? What are you guys, anyway, a bunch of wusses? You're letting the Big Guy down, you know. And He doesn't forget. Suppose someone reads this and their faith suffers because of YOU!! Perhaps they really screw up and go to HELL!!! And YOU could have saved them. Too bad. An eternity of apologizing won't bring them back. Or do you really believe in any of this stuff to begin with? I

Reply to Why the Dinosaurs Died in Biology JoeUser Forums

So, now, ironically, we have the ongoing debate between the luddite believers in the young earth and the defenders of evolution, right here on my blog. The young earthers have plenty of sites of their own, but they are determined to prevent anyone from saying anything serious about evolution, using what is, in effect, a denial of service attack. They no doubt feel that they are well-intentioned and are spreading the truth among the heathen non-believers, but the effect is sim

Blocking Communication on the Web in Living in Cyberspace JoeUser Forums

Here's something that I've been noticing: Preface: Remember how, in the '60's, every major highway crossing or freeway entrance ramp would be home to a cluster of kids with signs "San Francisco or busted," "NY/NY", etc. Then the killings started, of which the Hillside Strangler was only the best known. According to a p

Reply to We Have Met the Psycho & He is Us in Movies & TV & Books JoeUser Forums

Thanks, Nitro. Good thoughts. Unfortunately, experiments have shown that that kind of verbally threatening assault causes about the same level of stress - cortisol release, etc. - as an actual fight. Cats subjected to a barking dog, for example, show elevated cortisol even 24 hours later. My pulse rate is usually rock steady at 60bpm, with blood pressure typically 110/65. A couple hours after I left the theater, I checked it and my blood pressure at CVS. Th

Why the Dinosaurs Died in Biology JoeUser Forums

I kept forgetting to write this blog - for years, in fact. I came up with the basic theory in the early '80's and assumed that some paleontologist or evolutionary theorist would derive it independently, or someone would shoot it down. So far as I know, neither has happened and more evidence in its favor is accumulating, while I, in turn, have become incrementally more knowledgeable, as well. So, before I lose it to Alzheimer's or a stroke, etc., I figured I better get this i

We Have Met the Psycho & He is Us in Movies & TV & Books JoeUser Forums

So, expecting to sleep in and be fully refreshed for the holiday, of course the neighboring plating company had decided to repave their parking/storage lot, and the day began with jackhammers about 8AM. That was the start. In a sleepless daze, I finally decided to see the new movie, "The Nature of Everything." Then I discovered that the freeway entrance was closed, forcing a long detour and my getting to the movie five minutes into it, despite assurances from the Regal rec

The Claims Games in Consumer Issues JoeUser Forums

I just submitted this to the state of California at insurance.ca.gov/0250-insurers/IndHlthRateFilings, in response to an article about Anthem Blue Cross's application to raise rates by about 20% next year. Note that previously they had insisted that they needed to raise rates by about 40%, due to increasing costs. However, the parent company, WellPoint*, was audited and somehow, via such standard accounting practices as double-billing, as they admitted, they had lost trac

Corporate Culture and other Oxymorons in Consumer Issues JoeUser Forums

Some years back, Ralphs got busted big-time for systematic overcharges of its grocery customers. As a legal consequence they had to offer all kinds of bonuses - free groceries, for example - for every overcharge that a customer caught on their receipt. I had been checking my receipts for years by then and about half the time there would be an error of a few dollars. I collected big-time when the penalty policies were implemented. Now Ralphs, Food-4-Less an

Virtually Real Again in Console Games JoeUser Forums

In the '90's I used to be a regular at E3 where I would report as Press for various computer magazines on the latest in "VideoPlace" technology, of which MicroSoft's Kinect now appears to be positioned to take the lead. "VideoPlace," generically, is any technology that allows the user to directly control a computer system via his video image. See Patent Title: Real Time Perception Of And Response To The Actions Of An Unencumbered Participant/user, Application Number: 06/850,77

The Solution to the Oil Spill in The Environment JoeUser Forums

Ok, without getting into the real underlying reasons for this disaster, basically the offloading of externalities on the general public in the form of unsecured risk by corporations, let's just take a quick look at the possibilities and problems. Methane hydrate crystals, I believe they're called. Zillions of tons of them on the sea floor, enough to power the entire world for probably 50 years with minimal pollution. That's what is causing the real problem for BP. An

Reply to Making Waves in the OC in US Domestic JoeUser Forums

Thanks, Dr. Guy... Obviously should have read "... not passing a test ..."

Reply to Police Brutality in War on Terror JoeUser Forums

Dr Guy, I don't think that the L.A. area has any monopoly on police brutality. I did see "The Changling." What a great movie! Certainly, particular police departments can be systemically bad or good (maybe). Living in the OC, I've personally never had any serious problems with the cops here, although there were a couple of instances that were rather unsettling with the Costa Mesa police, as when they injured my wrist, assuming that I was the perp, after someone

Making Waves in the OC in US Domestic JoeUser Forums

Regarding the Resolution to Save Education in California: <

Police Brutality in War on Terror JoeUser Forums

Police Brutality Incidents I have witnessed re police abuse: <p class="MsoNormal"

The Day of Tyranny Approaches Once Again in US Domestic JoeUser Forums

As Tax Day approaches yet again, the unwary taxpayer is faced with even more than the usual obstacles this year. For one, the libraries, short on cash, cannot seem to stock more than the most basic forms. The other forms are collated in binders with the hope that no one will simply rip them out or re-order them at random after copying - assuming that the copier is working on that day. If it is, then good luck on the quality. The libraries charge 15 cents per copy,

Reality Check in Work Reports JoeUser Forums

Just posted this at the www.RebirthofReason.com objectivist site in response to an article by noted economist and philosopher Tibor Machan regarding the recent executive bonus outrage: Tibor had ended his piece with "... I realized, to my dismay, that even in the West, even in America, too many people are green with envy and would rather work on bringing down their fellows than getting up there themselves. Shame on them all! " Note th

Have all the competent people been abducted by aliens? in Humor JoeUser Forums

STATE OF CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES PO BOX 997408 SACRAMENTO CA 95889-7408 From: xxxxxxxx (Me) xxxx E Edinger Ave., #x Santa Ana, CA 92705 <span style="mso-ansi-language: ES;"

Reply to The Only Real Solution in US Domestic Stardock Forums

"The price of an item at the store is based on supply and demand..." There are always psychological factors, such as the one in play now, the idea that anyone who invests anything is likely to lose it, which has proven to be true for a whole lot of people, but competition sets prices in general. My goal is not to "throw money," but rather to upset the whole cartel that caused the problem and is now in line to collect their handouts. Money is power. Their en

Reply to The Only Real Solution in US Domestic Stardock Forums

Thanks for the comments. However, I'm not so ecomically illiterate as to not have thought of the objections raised. The issue is not one of inflation or hyperinflation. The amount involved would likely cause prices to jump in a few areas where bidding got really hot over a limited supply of something from people who normally would not have any discretionary income, but not in terms of staples, rent, etc. There's just so much that you will eat.&nbs

The Only Real Solution in US Domestic JoeUser Forums

Actually, Obama is not being radical enough: Here's the real solution, meeting the criteria of political possibility, practical economics and maximization of actual justice: Give every U.S. citizen $1million. ... ~$300trillion total Just roll those presses. This bypasses the whole "credit-crunch" debancle and gets the cash into the market to get production demand rolling again. It takes care of most of the mortgage problems.&

Who Cares? Clearly not Carl's Jr. in Consumer Issues JoeUser Forums

Update 11/08/08 No problems today. A new class of customer has moved in bigtime, however. Whenever the economy tanks, we get an influx of "Okies" in the OC, which was apparent both in the sudden appearance of several decripit motorhomes in the back alleys and a dozen or more raw-boned, farm-bred looking customers at Carl's this morning. Last weekend, however, history repeated itself in the appearance of a gang-banger shooting up againg in the me

Reply to Kenneth R. Gregg, Jr., Lost and gone... in Life JoeUser Forums

Note: fourth comment left by Pam on another blog, due to this one being locked... wannabekira on Apr 19, 2008 After all these years, I guess I still don't really understand certain things: (1) Why a woman who plays stupid and helpless is so attractive to