Fix for continuously restarting WoW Launcher 5.04

Went to play World of Warcraft, version 5.04 and the launcher just kept saying "Downloading updated tools". The blue progress bar would advance, and the launcher would close, and do the exact same thing over and over and over and over and over and over again.

The fix that worked on this Windows 7? Deleted the folder "C:\ProgramData\Battle.net"!

Hot Dogs & Guns: Save Lives. Keep Civilians Armed.

Hot Dogs & Guns: Save Lives. Keep Civilians Armed.:

"Average deaths in a shooting rampage when stopped by police: 14.3"

"Average deaths in a shooting rampage when stopped by civilians: 2.3"

Not Some New Man: The Hidden Pattern Behind the Doctor’s Regenerations | Tor.com

Not Some New Man: The Hidden Pattern Behind the Doctor’s Regenerations | Tor.com:

A way good read. Please read it. :)

The Optimizing Mind « the philosopher developer

The Optimizing Mind « the philosopher developer:

This. :)

True story.

Lance Armstrong

Lance Armstrong:

Awesome Lance!

Disable IPV6

netsh interface ipv6 set privacy state=disable
netsh interface ipv6 6to4 set state state=disabled
netsh interface ipv6 isatap set state state=disabled
netsh interface ipv6 set teredo disabled

Karma

Karma.

Buddhists believe in something called "karma".
Karma simply means "cause and effect", in the Buddhist sense.
Every action you take has an effect, and those effects cause other effects (think: billiard balls striking one another).

There is no "good" karma and "bad" karma.
There is merely the net effect of all the things you have set into motion.
This translates into things that often appear good or bad.

For example: if you beat your son, he's likely to hurt others in the future. You aren't directly hurting anyone but your son, but the net effect of your actions could be causing harm to others, who in turn hurt others even more.

The same is true when you do "good" things. Help one person pay their rent this month, and now they are able to feed their kids, those kids see how their mom struggled, and how a stranger helped just when she needed it most, and they go on to help others some day, etc.

Now what this has to do with reincarnation first requires you to understand that the Buddhist concept is not the same as the Hindu belief of the same name. When you die and are "reborn" in the Buddhist sense, it's not some mystical soul that travels from body to body.

It's your karma that experiences rebirth.

The effect of everything you've done in your life ripples out from you and continues to bounce around long after you are gone. Eventually the long chain of events that you set into motion will arrive at the place and time where a new creature is born.

If you've done lots of good things, then the chain of events you set in motion will be passing through people mostly having good lives, so when your karma all meets up to cause two people to make a baby, you'll be "reborn" into a pretty good situation.

Likewise if you are a horrible person, the things you do will mostly have an effect on miserable people, and you'll be reborn in a bad situation.

That's essentially how it works.

If course the goal of Buddhism isn't to be reborn in better situations. It's to never be reborn at all. Buddhism is about escaping the endless cycle of death and rebirth permanently by attaining "Nirvana".
Nirvana literally means "blowing out", like a candle. It's the state where you no longer are part of the chain of cause and effect, the ultimate freedom, but also the ultimate end of the ego.

[Source:] Edited from the comment from gnovos on Reddit for posterity.

Get off your cellphone.

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Hey, get off your cellphone!

Different Operating Systems over time

MS-DOS 3.3 - Cool
MS-DOS 4.0 - Sucked
MS-DOS 6.0 - Cool
Windows 3.1 - Sucked
Windows 95 - Cool
Windows 98 - Sucked
Windows 98SE - Cool
Windows ME - Sucked
Windows XP - Cool
Windows Vista - Sucked
Windows 7 - Cool
Windows 8 - Sucks.

I think I'm seeing a pattern here... I'm sure there are other OS I've missed, but these are ones I've used.

Does anyone else have a similar experience with these OSs?

Consensual Sexuality

I don't care what your gender preference is.
Either way.
Really. I don't care.
I don't care if you 'come out' or if you keep it locked up in a not-so-secret closet.
It doesn't matter to me what you like to poke it in, or like to be poked from.. as long as it is mutually consensual.

So tired of hearing it on the news, seeing it on TV..

If God has a problem with your preference: He will take that up with you in the afterlife.
If Nature has a problem with your preferences, she will intrinsically breed out of existence that which does not propagate work.

So I tell you this: It is not our/society's place to shun or promote any choice related to mutually consensual sex.

My own, deeply personal, opinion is that 'gay' marriage itself is an oxymoron. A sin in God's plan. I don't believe two people of the same gender can truly love each other the way a man and a woman love each other.
But I will NOT stop you, or put you down, or in any way not allow you to live your lifestyle, as long as what you do it totally mutually consensual.

I'm sure some asshat will take a warped view of my comments as "your way allows [insert nasty idea here]!".
NO, it does not. Consensual implies informed. Abusing trust, responsibility, or lying is not consensual.

15 ways to make our jobs better.

1. Remember: we are letting you pay us for a service we provide. That makes you our client.
2. Stop controlling your employees' lives. You are not our masters and we are not slaves.
3. Have more flexible hours. This 8 to 5 crap is so arbitrary, so artificial, so.. unnatural. Take advantage of the fact that different people have different awake/asleep patterns.
4. Stop watching the pennies (as in the minutes).
5. Set clear examples of what is allowed and what is not. If you get to do it, then your employee gets to do it.
6. Don't treat the employee as a thief first, and a human second.
7. Hire some old people! (Some of the wisest people I know..)
8. Hire some disabled people! (Some of the sweetest people I know..)
9. Provide spacious parking for your employees and customers. Stop cramming as many 'spaces' into as little space as possible. Quality not quantity.
10. Discuss everyone's salaries with everyone. People should get paid for what they actually do, not what their position/title says.
11. Don't fire people for passive mistakes. If the employee doesn't perform well, then lower their level of responsibility (reassign them).
12. Reward good (actual) work. Not what the braggart claims to have done.
13. Pay each person in cash weekly.
14. Don't mess around with contracts, 401K, insurance, and other crap like them.
15. Be nice. Don't just act nice. BE nice.

Soul to Body Interface

Soul (most abstract, indestructible)
  <=quantums=>
Mind
  <=neurons=>
Brain
  <=nerves=>
Body (most defined, easily destructible)

The soul influences the mind via collapsing quantum wave functions.
The mind coordinates the brain. How? Frequency, ions, ?
The brain controls the body via electropotential stimulation.

The body provides feedback to the brain.
The brain affects the mind.
The mind tells the soul.

Doctor Who - Rude and not ginger - YouTube

Doctor Who - Rude and not ginger - YouTube:

"Am I.. ginger?"

Lauren Cooper and Doctor Who clash in class - Classic Comic Relief - YouTube

Lauren Cooper and Doctor Who clash in class - Classic Comic Relief - YouTube:

"Are you the Doctor?"

"Doctor who?"

hehe

Rowan Atkinson is Doctor Who - Classic Comic Relief - YouTube

Rowan Atkinson is Doctor Who - Classic Comic Relief - YouTube:

"Result!" lol !

Doctor Who Special starring Rowan Atkinson (as Doctor Who), Richard E Grant (as Doctor Who), Hugh Grant (as Doctor Who), Jonathan Pryce and Joanna Lumley (as Doctor Who).

Awesome.

Awesome.
Awesome.
Awesome.
Awesome.
Awesome.
Awesome!

megatom0 comments on This is kind-of a stupid question, but is there anything wrong with the Matrix from the movie, "The Matrix?"

Their post was so awesome, I'm reposting here so the link doesn't disappear:

No, the Matrix isn't wrong. Not at all. In fact the humans in the Matrix are the real villains of the series. Lets look at the facts of what lead to the actual Matrix. Humanity created the machines and AI, they used them as slaves, and they rebelled. In this war they were defeated. If you watch the animatrix you actually see that the machines were willing to make peace with the humans, but they refused any such notions. Instead they kept fighting to the point where they unleashed a doomsday weapon that blotted out the sun permanently. This was an effort to kill the machines, an act of genocide, but arguably this act would destroy them as well. As expected this act actually weakened the human race by starvation, but the machines adapted quickly.

Instead of leaving the human race to die, the machines in an act of mercy decide to preserve the human race to function in a forced symbiosis. It is my belief that the machines could have used other animals to power themselves, or even used geothermal power as the humans did. Indeed, the machines are the ones who show mercy to the humans, even attempt to make their lives utopian, something the humans could have never achieved themselves, but of course they reject this. One has to even ask why the quality of life in the matrix should even matter to the machines. I believe this also proves the machines to be empathetic and more so than the human race. We actually see this empathy later with the "rogue" program that has a family (the indian couple at the train station). This empathy is something the human have not shown the machines in anyway.

So yes the matrix is a prison, but it is a prison built for humanity's and the machines' own protection. Humanity had proven to be not only self-destructive but also genocidal. This would be grounds enough to let the human race perish, but the machines had more mercy than to let that happen. They did realize that humanity did need to be controlled, but they actually did it in a very benevolent way, and imo they were shown a mercy that they didn't deserve.

Furthermore, you have the rebel humans. Now lets look at these guys. You might be asking "megatom but if the machines are so benevolent and merciful why do they hunt down and kill the freed humans?" The answer is very simple. The freed humans and "the one" had all proven repeatedly to be proponents of destruction. Six times before the matrix, both humanity and the machines were brought to the edge of extinction due to the actions of the one. Granted the machines had begun to see this as some inevitability, they still needed to defend themselves from this act of terror or in reality hope to destroy it, which is why they continue to try to kill all the people of Zion.

TL;DR: The humans are the enemy, and consistently act as a force of destruction bringing both the machine race and the human race to the brink of destruction. The Matrix is a merciful prison to contain a violent race that inevitably causes destruction.

-megatom0

Social websites.

Reddit makes me feel normal.
Facebook makes me feel loved.
YouTube makes me feel smart.
Craigslist makes me feel rich.

VHS generation loss - YouTube

VHS generation loss - YouTube:

Now that was a cool experiment.. one comment was particularly relevant: "what is VHS?". heh.

Titan-crystal_bar.JPG (5572×3500)

Glow temperatures for smelting of different metals

Here is a quick list of melting temperatures and heat sources.
 (for the refining of common metals and at what temps they glow)
The comparative heat sources have been marked with a red background.

• 232℃ (450℉), Tin, no visible glow.
• 328℃ (622℉), Lead, no visible glow.
• 482℃ (900℉), Self Cleaning Oven.
• 661℃ (1222℉), Aluminium, slight red glow.
• 896℃ (1644℉), Large log fire.
• 1000℃ (1832℉), Magma.
• 1065℃ (1949℉), Gold, cherry red glow.
• 1085℃ (1985℉), Copper, cherry red glow.
• 1434℃ (2613℉), Carbon Steel, orange glow.
• 1510℃ (2750℉), Stainless Steel, orange glow.
• 1538℃ (2800℉), Iron, bright orange glow.
• 1596℃ (2906℉), Bunsen burner flame.
• 1668℃ (3034℉), Titanium, very bright orange glow.
• 1980℃ (3596℉), Wood fire with blowing air.
• 1995℃ (3623℉), Propane Torch.
• 2820℃ (5110℉), Propane Torch with Oxygen.
• 2925℃ (5300℉), MAPP Torch with Oxygen.

Sources: mostly Wikipedia. If you find any misinformation please let me know.

Proof that my wife plays World of Warcraft ?

Z0kzM.jpg (1024×768):

Lol.

Love my wife. And her sense of humour.
Apparently she wants some love too.

Creepy Spying System Revealed by Wikileaks, Which Then Gets Hit by a Massive Attack - Hit & Run : Reason.com

Creepy Spying System Revealed by Wikileaks, Which Then Gets Hit by a Massive Attack - Hit &amp; Run : Reason.com:

Good read. Best quote:

- "Yeah. So ... an ad hoc group of young super-patriot anti-terrorism activists has knocked Wikileaks and all of its mirrors offline for a week? Right."

Parkinson's man arrested at cycling 'for not smiling' - News - getsurrey

Parkinson's man arrested at cycling 'for not smiling' - News - getsurrey:

More fudged up stuff going on in the world.

Brainfuck beware: JavaScript is after you! | Patricio Palladino

Brainfuck beware: JavaScript is after you! | Patricio Palladino:

Holy Brainfuck on roids..

A new Dr. Horrible movie!

I recently read somewhere that a possible second Dr. Horrible movie might be in the works.

/barney That would be legen-, wait for it, -dary!

(Has anyone seen any trailers for it?)

What is the Grandma-complex?

I see it more and more the [older and hopefully] wiser I become.
People who have children who are afraid to be the parent the child needs, not wants.

The parents are so focused on being the child's friend. They do not want to 'scar' their child's childhood by spanking them or raising their voice.

I tell you: learn the difference between discipline and punishment.

Discipline means to teach. To correct your child's behavior when they learn wrongly. Do this first. Talk to your child with words. Don't be patronizing. Tell them why the behavior is wrong. Tell them how it makes you feel when they do what they did. Don't lie.

I feel I shouldn't even have to say this, but never insult your child. Focus on the behavior. Don't belittle the child. They don't have your years of experience.. yet.

Punishment should only be administered when the child does something wrong on purpose. And even then only when you have a clear head about it. Don't hit your child. (Children can seek any attention without realizing it.)
But I firmly believe a quick swat on the butt will get your point across.

A friend a long time ago told me that when he was a child he was always given the choice between a spanking, or standing the corner. He told me that he'd always choose the spanking because it would be done and over with and then he could get back to playing with friends. Lol.

Sorry if I rant on this subject too much. (on this blog?!)
But it just bugs me when I see the two extremes [too often IMO]. Child-bearing kids with kids who ignore their children, don't teach, don't discipline, just let their clan run amok. Ever hear a parent say something like "But if I don't give little Suzy what she wants she will scream!". Lol, seriously?

And the other extreme where if a child looks at the clock wrong they get a finger cut off.
Okay, maybe not that bad. (Just saw that happen on a Medium episode. It was horrible.. Who could do that to a child??)

But still. Back to reality.. A person close to me, who I respect and love, has what I'm calling a Grandma-complex. She wants to be a kind and gentle person just like the Grandma she dearly loves and remembers from when she was a child.
But what this mother does not realize is that her children need a parent, not a friend.
(She also forgets that the Grandma would not have let any child behave the way they sometimes try.)

Yes, I do realize that each child responds differently to each style, but you, the parent, is the one that needs to be consistent. Be loving. Be firm. Set the example.

If anything let the child learn by example.

Peace.

How many tapeworms from oatmeal?

Created by Oatmeal

lol.

Justices Approve Strip Searches for Any Offense

Justices Approve Strip Searches for Any Offense - NYTimes.com:

Oh my goodness, this is just ridiculous!
And that 'judge' Kennedy says that 13 million people are admitted to the Nation's jails?

According to Wolfram Alpha, the current population of the United States is 309 million.
13 of 309 million is about 1 out of every 24 people.

THIS IS HORRIBLE ! (Look at 23 other law-abiding citizens.. you're next!)

Can this be constitutional? Let's read what the 'supreme law of the land' reads: "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.".

Reads pretty clear to me. A warrant is needed to search a person. Any person. Any time. EVERY TIME.

What the hell.. don't these 'Judges' read the Constitution?

I'm so flabbergasted that I'm not even sure what to say.

Doctor Who - Series 7 Extended Trailer

BBC - Blogs - Doctor Who - At Long Last, Here It Is:

Looking forward to it. Daleks are cool. :P