Iwritecode

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Mar 23, 2017 -> 09:28 AM) Oh s***, I havent seen it. Time article

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Mar 21, 2017 -> 04:52 PM) Good to know. One of the appeals of both the Korean companies is they have huge warranties - 10/100 for most everything, and lifetime on the batteries for a hybrid. The warranty is really what sold me. Although I blew through it in 2 years. I was debating between the Sonata and the Ford Fusion and the warranty was the big difference. Now that I'm not driving 50,000/year I'll have a little more flexibility in my choices for my next car.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Mar 21, 2017 -> 02:36 PM) Car shopping for the first time in about 6 years. Amazing how far the safety stuff has gotten in that time. Looking at a pair of plug-in hybrids. My wife has a round-trip commute of around 30 miles, which makes these cars with roughly 30-mile electric-only ranges basically perfect for us. And they still get 40+ mpg after that as hybrids. Current tax credits are about $4900 on each, but the difference in price of plug-in versus not is only about $3000-$4000, which further makes it a no-brainer. Not sure why anyone would get the straight hybrid in that case, if the plug-in is actually cheaper and gets better efficiency overall (a lot better for us). Narrowed to the Hyundai Sonata and Kia Optima plug-in hybrids. Anyone have experience with either of those brands? I'm new to both. Reading mostly very good things, but always up for deeper info. I've had my Sonata (although it's not a hybrid) for about 5 years now and haven't had any problems with it. Just routine maintenance. My only complaint is that it seems I've had to change light bulbs on it more often than other cars I've owned. Headlights, taillights, turn signals. It seems like 3 or 4 times a year I have to replace one. Luckily they are all really easy to get to and replace. This is a small thing but I also love the fact that the windshield washer fluid reservoir actually holds an entire gallon. I always hated the fact on some cars you could fill them up and then have another cup or 2 of fluid leftover in the jug.

QUOTE (iWin4Ron @ Mar 13, 2017 -> 07:52 PM) Hi guys, I have a homework assignment (for Japanese class) to 'interview' people based on simple questions and report back. This is a language course, so I am not interested in answers that are too deep. I appreciate any input into the answers and discussion here as I will use it for my essay! Thank you. 1. Have you ever been to Japan? Do you want to go? 2. What's your favourite Japanese food? In regards to this favourite Japanese food, how do you like it (meaning: What type of sushi do you like? Or how do you like your Ramen?) Examples: Sushi, Ramen, Udon, Tempura, Tonkatsu 3. Do you enjoy anime/manga? If so which ones? If not, what do you think of anime/manga? 4. Is there any strange opinions you have on Japanese culture and would like to share? 5. Do you play any popular Japanese games? Or Have you? If so, which ones? examples: Kingdom hearts, Final Fantasy, etc 1. No. Maybe someday but it's not exactly a "must do before I die" for me. 2. Ramen I guess. I prepare it the way the package describes. Boil noodles, add flavor packet. Although I probably eat it with more water than recommended so it's more like a soup. 3. Not really but my daughters are super into it so I know a little about it. 4. My company was recently bought by a Japanese company. We are meeting with some of the guys from the Japanese company on Thursday and we were told to make sure to bring a stack of our business cards. They get offended if you don't offer them a business card apparently? 5. I've played most of the Kingdom Hearts games.

I just installed that update last night. I just recently got Arkham Knight and I'm a little worried that I won't have enough room on my HD to play it. I haven't even opened it yet.

QUOTE (Jerksticks @ Mar 8, 2017 -> 09:47 PM) BUT...Umbehr's argument on POTUS radio today was that if the country went totally concierge, and got insurance entirely out of routine healthcare, then prices for catastrophic insurance-only would plummet. Insurance companies would still be happy because they'd be making 100% profit on like 90% of policies, much like auto insurance, renters, home-owners etc. Isn't that similair to what Canada and many other countries do? Everyone pays a little more (via taxes) that goes to pay for the healthcare of everyone. I know that's super simplified but isn't that the gist of it?

QUOTE (bmags @ Mar 7, 2017 -> 09:44 AM) I don't think that's right, it's just a 30% surcharge your first year. This is also a bad idea because it is a somewhat light, one-time penalty, so there is no incentive to have insurance when not sick. It will very likely destabilize the markets and cause everyones premiums to go up. I haven't seen much written about it so if it's only for the first year that is slightly better. But the fact still remains that you are paying a private company more money simply because you didn't previously buy their product. I don't see how that helps anyone but the insurance companies to make more money.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Mar 6, 2017 -> 08:16 PM) Another... Funny. Waiting to see how some articles address this. Most important piece for me is, replace the individual mandate, in which the penalty was money going to the GOVERNMENT to subsidize others paying insurance (redistribution) with a GOVERNMENT REGULATION that allows a PRIVATE, FOR PROFIT, BUSINESS to charge you 30% more; so the penalty now goes to a PRIVATE, FOR PROFIT BUSINESS, which will not be used to subsidize or lower insurance costs for others. Cannot make this stuff up. I'm surprised this hasn't gotten more attention. I've read a few articles about the new plan and only 1 mentioned it. So if you go for a year without insurance for whatever reason, they can literally penalize you for the rest of your life.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Feb 27, 2017 -> 04:53 PM) Chicago White Sox‏Verified account @whitesox 4m4 minutes ago Jose Abreu is leaving for Miami following today's game to tend to personal matters. He is expected to return to Arizona on Wednesday. He's testifying. I've read a little of his story and all the BS he had to go through and all the money he had to give up to get where he is now.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Feb 28, 2017 -> 01:39 PM) And they always will. It's fool proof. Everyone needs them. And they get to essentially charge whatever they want because nobody really knows how much they are paying or even what they are paying for until they get the bill. I can't think of another industry that works this way.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Feb 28, 2017 -> 07:26 AM) 1. Can I attach an external hard drive? 2. Why so much install per game? Is that if you dont want to use a disc? 1.It's supposed to be coming soon. link 2. AFAIK, you still have to have the disc installed. EDIT: Checking into it, it appears that it pretty much dumps the entire contents of the game disc to your hard drive, because that results in significantly shorter load times. But you still have to have the disc to insure that you actually own the game and didn't just copy all the data from a friend or something. I guess the only other option was to tie it to your PSN but that would require constant online connectivity.

QUOTE (Iwritecode @ Jan 31, 2017 -> 01:52 PM) The boys team won state last weekend. Girls start with regionals this weekend. The girls literally swept the post-season. Highest score of all the teams in the regionals, highest score of all the teams in the sectionals and then yesterday they won state. linky

Department of Defense looks to rent space in Trump Tower How is this legal?

I kept seeing ads for Falling Water last year while watching Mr Robot so I set my DVR to record the show. I never got around to watching it until a few weeks ago and it is not good. I'm on episode 8 of 10 and I'm still not sure I know what the hell is going on. I guess I was expecting something more like Inception but it's not even close. Half the time I can't tell if I'm watching something "real" or a dream. Which I guess is what they are going for but it makes the storyline really hard to follow. I'll probably watch the last 2 episodes just to see what happens but I've heard zero talk about the show which leads me to believe that nobody else really liked/watched it either. On seperate note, I'm excited for season 2 of Humans coming up on Monday.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Jan 31, 2017 -> 04:30 PM) And in more depressing news, 49% of Americans actually support Trump's Muslim Ban. That's because this ban appeals to all the people that think all these scary brown people are coming over to terk ur jerbs and use up all our medical services and impose sharia law on us and fly planes into our buildings. Lately my FB page has been filled with memes and pictures saying such. I don't even bother trying to explain things to them anymore. There's just too many and they don't listen when I do anyway. Just yesterday I had a debate with someone when they posted a pic about how "illegal immigrants can come here and get free healthcare while our veterans get put on a waiting list and no care". I asked because I was honestly curious, "What medical care is available to illegals that somehow isn't available to veterans?" I never did get an answer.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Feb 1, 2017 -> 02:27 PM) In that time frame, you know how many terror attacks I have seen? Guess. Is it somewhere between 1 and -1,000,000?

The boys team won state last weekend. Girls start with regionals this weekend.

QUOTE (steveno89 @ Jan 30, 2017 -> 11:32 AM) I'm not sure Sox fans would have the patience to deal with 3-5 years of tanking...but we might have to In the last 5 years the White Sox have had attendance rankings of 2016 - 26th, 2015 - 26th, 2014 - 28th, 2013 - 24th & 2012 - 24th. So I can't say Sox fans have had much patience the past 5 years either. At this point does it really matter if they are 26th or 30th? What they've been doing the past 10+ years simply is not working and it's time to try something different.

QUOTE (soxfan2014 @ Jan 26, 2017 -> 02:46 PM) Let's do over/under: 47.5 The other one is only at 14 pages for me.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Jan 23, 2017 -> 04:02 PM) Often times for the most expensive procedures, there isn't actually time to "price shop" because it's an emergency situation and even if you could, there are very strong emotional incentives against choosing the cheapest option when it comes to your own life and well-being. Market forces don't work in health care for a variety of reasons. Exactly. So maybe we should be trying to figure out why healthcare costs so much in this country instead of blaming the insurance companies who are more or less the middlemen and have no control over those costs. Although at this point I fear it's akin to trying to get the toothpaste back in the tube. I doubt many doctors are going to want to give up their 6 and 7 figure incomes.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Jan 23, 2017 -> 02:58 PM) I fundamentally have no idea how healthcare and child costs can be so freaking expensive Because the free market doesn't work in healthcare. Most people have absolutely no idea if their doctor is overcharging them for the care they are providing or not and have almost no way to comparison shop. So doctors are free to charge essentially whatever they want. QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jan 23, 2017 -> 02:22 PM) Another issue being addressed is transparency. When possible, you should be able to keep your own doctor from previous plans. You especially should be told the cost for any test or procedure at 3-4 competing health centers and hospitals so you can make a determination of quality vs. cost, and the hospitals should be forced to compete with each other on pricing...rather than just dumping a completely unexpected bill on a patient when it's too late for them to make an informed decision. This would be a good start.

QUOTE (3GamesToLove @ Jan 23, 2017 -> 08:39 AM) So any advice for a first-timer? Dad and I are going just Sunday. I want to go to the Farm system panel at the beginning of the day and the broadcaster one at the end. Are the photo lines as long as the autograph lines? How early do we have to be there to receive wristbands for signings? There aren't many HUGE names signing on Sunday, and combined with a general lack of enthusiasm maybe the lines won't be as long? Will Burdi and Collins be easier to get? Should we get there much before 9am? Our tickets are at will-call. How big are the seminar rooms? Can you sneak in late if necessary (like if you got caught up in an autograph line)? Once the signing starts, how fast do the lines move? If I'm in the line at 9:30 for the Burdi/Collins signing, what are the odds I can still make it to a 10am seminar? Again, I'm basing this on my experience from when I went 10 years ago but there were people lining up at 5AM or earlier on both Saturday and Sunday mornings. If they are giving out wristbands for a 9:30 signing and you show up at 9 you probably won't get one. The lines move decently after the players start signing but depending on where you are in the line and how many signings they are doing you could still spend an hour+ waiting.

QUOTE (South Sider @ Jan 21, 2017 -> 08:09 PM) Appreciate the comments fellas. I'm not interested in getting into tournaments because I simply don't have 4-5 days a week to dedicate, but definitely looking to join some local league for competitive fun. I did buy a $200 ball, got it drilled at the pro shop I got it from. Everything feels great and I'm really enjoying my ball so far. This might be a really good thing, but I have been doing incredibly well at picking up my spares. I don't often string together strikes, but I did put together another mid-500's series this past Tuesday and another 500 this past Thursday. I felt pretty good on Thursday because in my final two games I left only one open frame and that was with few strikes. As you said, the games were like 185 and 195. As of now I'm inconsistent with my first ball. I've just recently started to actually get hook on my ball, but it's inconsistent yet. Sometimes it doesn't make it to the pocket, sometimes it gets too much of the head pin, and sometimes it drifts to the backdoor pocket. Sometimes it hits the pocket right on the money, though, and those feel nice. I'm just working on the repetition there and no doubt I'll make some progress soon enough. If I can get some more consistent strikes and keep up my propensity to pick up spares, I'll be really happy with the progress I've made in only a few months. Sounds like you are on the right path. Getting better is just a matter of practice and consistency. Even the pro bowlers miss the pocket sometimes. That just means that you did something different. And there are literally dozens of things you can mess up on every throw. When you miss you have to figure out what you did different and try to correct it on the next shot. Could be you missed your mark. Or you were off-balance. Or didn't get enough lift on your throw. Or your footwork was off. Or any number of things. Then there are the times where you hit the pocket perfectly and the pins just don't fall right. That's just bad luck. QUOTE (South Sider @ Jan 21, 2017 -> 08:09 PM) As an aside, my buddy is an absolute freak of nature. Last time he seriously bowled was in high school (~10 years ago) and he started joining me twice a week and throws his dads old ball the same way he did in high school, which is thumbless. His accuracy is insane. He has had several 200+ games in only a couple of months, and just this past Thursday had a 277 which was part of a 700 series. Everything I read online says thumbless bowling can be very inconsistent but he's just got his style down and it works for him. He started worrying me with talk of learning how to bowl like everyone else, using the thumb and everything. I argue that it might be a tough transition for him, especially since we're bowling mostly for fun and maybe for competition some time this year. Furthermore, I argue that he is enjoying great success with his style of bowling and why fix what isn't broken? He did mention that he wants to be able to adjust to different lane conditions should he go to different bowling alleys since one time we went to a different bowling center and his ball had almost no hook at all despite the revolutions he puts on it. I know a guy that bowls with no thumb. Like your buddy, he's really good. I've seen him throw a 300 game before. Really, there is no "right way" to bowl. It's whatever you're comfortable with and whatever works. Arguably the best bowler in the world (Jason Belmonte) is a two-hander. If he's having trouble adjusting to different lanes he might think about getting another ball or 2. If he's not getting any hook then maybe he needs a ball that reacts better to oily lanes. With the HS bowlers they all have at least 3 balls. One for oily lanes, one for dry lanes and a spare ball. Although many of them have 5 or 6.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Jan 20, 2017 -> 11:45 AM) Wow, says a lot that only one kid really made it out alive of that group. So the moral of the story is, don't be friends with Rabbit.