This is just wild. The cost of the 2008 US Government Bailout, as of November, has been $4.6165 trillion. To put things into perspective, that’s more than all of the following… combined:

• Marshall Plan: $12.7 billion, Inflation Adjusted: $115.3 billion
• Louisiana Purchase: $15 million, Inflation Adjusted: $217 billion
• Race to the Moon: $36.4 billion, Inflation Adjusted: $237 billion
• S&L Crisis: $153 billion, Inflation Adjusted: $256 billion
• Korean War: $54 billion, Inflation Adjusted: $454 billion
• The New Deal: $32 billion (Est), Inflation Adjusted: $500 billion (Est)
• Invasion of Iraq: $551 billion, Inflation Adjusted: $597 billion
• Vietnam War: $111 billion, Inflation Adjusted: $698 billion
• NASA: $416.7 billion, Inflation Adjusted: $851.2 billion

Total (adjusted for inflation): $3.92 trillion

So, I just wasted about half an hour trying to figure this bug out. A web search shows that I’m not unique in encountering this issue. So, I’m hoping that posted the solution here might lend a hand to some other poor soul who’s stuck in the same boat.

Problem: I had a directory that appeared in Windows Explorer and Command Prompt, but acted as if it didn’t exist. It would issue the following error messages: “Could not find this item… This is no longer located in PATH. Verify the item’s location and try again.”

Solution:

• Run the Windows Command Prompt (CMD)
• WinXP: Start → Run → cmd
• WinVista: Start → Start Search → cmd
• Navigate to the directory containing the problem file/directory
• cd C:/path/to/directory/containing/problem/
• Figure out the 8.3 file name
• dir /x ⇒ somethin~1
• Remove using the 8.3 name
• del /s somethin~1

M: McCain
O: Obama

R: Conservative (right)
C: Moderate (central)
L: Liberal (left)

Totals:

• M-R: XXXXXXX
• O-L: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
• M-C: XXXXXX
• O-C:

International Issues: Foreign Policy, Homeland Security, War & Peace, Immigration, Free Trade, Energy & Oil.

• M-R: XX
• O-L: XXXX
• M-C: X
• O-C:

Domestic Issues: Gun Control, Crime, Corporations, Drugs, Civil Rights, Environment.

• M-R: XXX
• O-L: XXXX
• M-C: XX
• O-C:

Economic Issues: Budget & Economy, Government Reform, Tax Reform, Social Security, Technology, Principles & Values.

• M-R: X
• O-L: XXXX
• M-C: X
• O-C:

Social Issues: Education, Jobs, Welfare & Poverty, Health Care, Abortion, Families & Children.

• M-R: X
• O-L: XXXX
• M-C: XX
• O-C:

What’s the point? One candidate is consistently partisan, the other is consistently moderate. I’ve known this for quite some time, it’s just interesting seeing the data in this head-to-head format.

Source: OnTheIssues

I finally found a way to get rid of that annoying “Application/Chat” bar on the bottom of all facebook pages. I’ve always felt it was a huge waste of screen real estate, so I’m thrilled to be able to kill it.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• GreaseMonkey Firefox Add-on
• NoFacebookChat GreaseMonkey Script [mirror]

First, install the GreaseMonkey add-on and restart your web browser. Then, install the NoFacebookChat GreaseMonkey script. That’s it, you’re done.

While the eeePC 4G contains a 900 Mhz Intel Processor, it is factory underclocked to 630 Mhz for battery life reasons. I just found a fantastic tool to return the CPU to its native clock frequency.

 70 Mhz FSB == 630 Mhz CPU
100 Mhz FSB == 900 Mhz CPU

Original Post
KRingg Mirror

I ran across this information the other day and found it quite interesting. The first graph plots Barack Obama, John McCain, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton according to their voting records. The second plot depicts the same individuals on a scale from moderate to partisan (be it democrat or republican). The surprising observation that John McCain is actually less partisan than Barack Obama. Essentially, Obama is about as liberal as Bush is conservative, while the same comparison applies to McCain and Clinton.

All data is taken from OnTheIssues.org.

As a proud technology nerd, I found the following information very interesting (and quite disconcerting). According to his record, Joseph Biden…

• …has close ties with and fully supports the RIAA and the MPAA. [The RIAA and MPAA understandably want to protect their work, but they go way too far. As an example, according to them, you're not allowed to make backups of your own CDs and DVDs.note]
• …strongly supports internet censorship. [Seriously, this is a basic freedom of speech issue. Take a look at the Great Firewall of China. Is that what we want the U.S. internet to look like? I didn't think so.note]
• …opposes encryption that does not allow plain text backdoors. [The whole point of encryption is to keep your data safe from the outside world. If anyone can just get your private key (government included) what's the point? This one is especially ridiculous.note]
• …strongly opposes peer-to-peer technology. [Yes, P2P is used extensively for illegal content, but the technology itself is not (and should not) be outlawed/bottlenecked. This would simply punish all of those (like myself) who use this fantastic technology for legitimate contentnote]

Here’s the data to support the above points:

• Biden sponsored a bill in 2002 that would have make it a federal felony to trick certain types of devices into playing unauthorized music or executing unapproved computer programs. Biden’s bill was backed by content companies including News Corp. but eventually died after Verizon, Microsoft, Apple, eBay, and Yahoo lobbied against it. [link]
• Biden signed a letter that urged the Justice Department “to prosecute individuals who intentionally allow mass copying from their computer over peer-to-peer networks.” This means that the taxpayers pay for the MPAA’s and RIAA’s lawsuits. [link]
• Biden sponsored an RIAA-backed bill called the Perform Act aimed at restricting Americans’ ability to record and play back individual songs from satellite and Internet radio services. [link]
• Biden was one of only four U.S. senators invited to a champagne reception in celebration of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act hosted by the MPAA’s Jack Valenti, the RIAA, and the Business Software Alliance. [link]
• Biden has twice introduced bills with the following language: It is the sense of Congress that providers of electronic communications services and manufacturers of electronic communications service equipment shall ensure that communications systems permit the government to obtain the plain text contents of voice, data, and other communications when appropriately authorized by law. [link]
• In 1996 Biden voted for a bill that would have required “states to place Social Security numbers on drivers licenses and to obtain fingerprints or some other form of biometric identification for licenses.” [link]
• Biden pushed to make posting bomb-making information on the Internet a felony, punishable by up to 20 years in jail. He has a record of supporting internet censorship. [link]
• In April, he proposed spending $1 billion in U.S. tax dollars so police can monitor peer-to-peer networks for illegal activity. [link]
• On Net neutrality, Biden has sounded skeptical. In 2006, he indicated that no preemptive laws were necessary because if violations do happen, such a public outcry will develop that “the chairman will be required to hold this meeting in this largest room in the Capitol, and there will be lines wandering all the way down to the White House.” [link]

Much thanks to CNet News for compiling the original data used here.

I wanted to write up a full introduction to this article similar to what I did with the Obama counterpart. John McCain, however, has not captured America’s attention (or at least the American media’s attention) nearly as much as Barack Obama has. So, I really can’t say a whole lot about him. His voting record is very much on par with what I was expecting though… he’s a moderate-leaning republican and tends to vote that way.

According to his voting record, John McCain:

• Supports: Pro-Life
• Supports: Affirmative Action
• Supports: Homosexual Partnerships
• Supports: Prayer in Public School
• Strongly Supports: Death Penalty
• Strongly Supports: Three Strikes Laws
• Strongly Supports: Absolute Gun Ownership
• Opposes: Federal Health Care Funding
• Strongly Supports: Privatizing Social Security
• Supports: Alternative Energy
• Strongly Supports: Anti-Drug Legislation
• Strongly Supports: Allowing Church Provided Welfare
• Opposes: Progressive Taxes
• Supports: Citizenship for Illegal Immigrants
• Strongly Supports: Free Trade
• Strongly Supports: Campaign Funding Limits
• Strongly Supports: The Patriot Act
• Strongly Opposes: Withdrawal from Iraq

The above information is taken from: www.OnTheIssues.org. I’ve attempted to phrase this article in the most non-biased manner possible.

Note: Barack Obama has voted “no opinion” on two issues, which I have left off of both voting records.

I, like a large percentage of Americans, have been extraordinarily impressed by Barack Obama’s speeches and campaign platforms. He’s a very motivating man and knows how to get people excited about his causes. But what exactly are his causes? We all know “a vote for Obama is a vote for change”… but what change is he speaking of exactly? I was sitting here tonight pondering that very questing when it occurred to me, I honestly have no idea what kind of voting record he has. I’ve been so swept away by his public speaking, that I never bothered to look up what exactly he has stood for in the past.

After some time spent exploring his stances on a number of key issues, I’m amazed how he’s managed to position himself as a moderate candidate. He is not. At all. I think a lot of this moderate perception revolves around his statements on faith and politics (which are nothing less than pandering to the religious right). I’ll address his views on that issue on a later night. What I’d like to present here is a list of controversial issues and Obama’s voting record for each of them. Over the next week or so, I plan to walk through each of these and present my own rationale outlining my support (or lack thereof) for each.

According to his voting record, Barack Obama:

• Strongly Supports: Pro-Choice
• Strongly Supports: Affirmative Action
• Supports: Homosexual Partnerships
• Opposes: Prayer in Public School
• Opposes: Death Penalty
• Opposes: Three Strikes Laws
• Opposes: Absolute Gun Ownership
• Supports: Federal Health Care Funding
• Strongly Opposes: Privatizing Social Security
• Strongly Supports: Alternative Energy
• Opposes: Anti-Drug Legislation
• Favors: Allowing Church Provided Welfare
• Strongly Favors: Progressive Taxes
• Strongly Favors: Citizenship for Illegal Immigrants
• Opposes: Free Trade
• Strongly Favors: Campaign Funding Limits
• Strongly Opposes: The Patriot Act
• Favors: Withdrawal from Iraq

The above information is taken from: www.OnTheIssues.org. I’ve attempted to phrase this article in the most non-biased manner possible.

Note: Barack Obama has voted “no opinion” on two issues, which I have left off of both voting records.

I’ve acquired the title “Webmaster” for my research group here at UVA… something I have no problem with. I think it’s pretty obvious that I enjoy web design, so this gives me a change to hone my skills. My latest endeavor was overhauling my professor’s homepage. The new site is heavily php and css driven and features an abstracted design such that the page content can easily be edited via a web interface without seeing any style/layout code.

The live site is here and my personal mirror is located here. As always, comments or suggestions are quite welcome.