I thought it was interesting to see an item there called "Cialdini+2"

Robert Cialdini is the author of a book called Influence (clean link, no affiliate bs)

I read this book and found it pretty interesting. But I wonder what the hell the +2 means.

The summary of his main points in the book, from his wiki page:

1. Reciprocity – People tend to return a favor, thus the pervasiveness of free samples in marketing. In his conferences, he often uses the example of Ethiopia providing thousands of dollars in humanitarian aid to Mexico just after the 1985 earthquake, despite Ethiopia suffering from a crippling famine and civil war at the time. Ethiopia had been reciprocating for the diplomatic support Mexico provided when Italy invaded Ethiopia in 1935. The good cop/bad cop strategy is also based on this principle.
   
2. Commitment and Consistency – If people commit, orally or in writing, to an idea or goal, they are more likely to honor that commitment because of establishing that idea or goal as being congruent with their self-image. Even if the original incentive or motivation is removed after they have already agreed, they will continue to honor the agreement. Cialdini notes Chinese brainwashing on American prisoners of war to rewrite their self-image and gain automatic unenforced compliance. See cognitive dissonance.
   
3. Social Proof – People will do things that they see other people are doing. For example, in one experiment, one or more confederates would look up into the sky; bystanders would then look up into the sky to see what they were seeing. At one point this experiment aborted, as so many people were looking up that they stopped traffic. See conformity, and the Asch conformity experiments.
   
4. Authority – People will tend to obey authority figures, even if they are asked to perform objectionable acts. Cialdini cites incidents such as the Milgram experiments in the early 1960s and the My Lai massacre.
   
5. Liking – People are easily persuaded by other people that they like. Cialdini cites the marketing of Tupperware in what might now be called viral marketing. People were more likely to buy if they liked the person selling it to them. Some of the many biases favoring more attractive people are discussed. See physical attractiveness stereotype.
   
6. Scarcity – Perceived scarcity will generate demand. For example, saying offers are available for a "limited time only" encourages sales.

> With all that being said, are there any good prepaid phones out there that can be cheaper? That I can get off the internet or walmart maybe? I still want unlimited data, texting, and a few hundred minutes of talk.

The only provider left in the US that actually provides unlimited (high speed) data is T-Mobile on their postpaid accounts, to get truly unlimited (at high speed) it is $80/month + taxes (So, probably closer to $100).

Now, if you just want 5GB of high speed and are OK with reduced speeds after that, the T-Mobile Walmart plan is $30/month prepaid (therefore no extra taxes beyond what you pay for the card, the sales taxes can easily be avoided as well) and gives you 100 minutes with unlimited texting. Additional minutes are $0.10/minute, putting you up to $40/month for your declared usage.

Now, here is the downside, T-Mobile coverage is not exactly stellar for most people everywhere they go.

If you are willing to go for 3GB of high speed data, with throttling thereafter, Straight Talk offers that for $45/month prepaid (unlimited talk/text/data). You can get a AT&T SIM from them, putting you on AT&T's network and therefore compatible with locked used AT&T phones.

If you are looking for new cheaper phones that are decent, here are some recommendations for different price points:

• $55 - Nokia 521 (Windows, AT&T locked) - Not a great phone, but a great phone for the price (No LTE) - Accepts a microSD card
  
• $130 - Moto E (Android, unlocked) - Decent phone, good price (No LTE) - Accepts a microSD card
  
• $220 - Moto G LTE (Android, unlocked) - Good phone, good price - Accepts a microSD card
  
  Higher than this and you start looking at phones like the Nexus 5, which does not take a microSD.

It was a few years ago, but lots of entire series of lectures are online. I got through most of the "core" CS concepts in ~2 years of doing intense academic learning alongside actually writing code (and releasing some stuff to small groups or to app stores). Picking straightforward, small projects with a specific academic challenge like a game with a simple concept but needs pathfinding algorithms (and implementing them myself instead of using a framework)

e.g. Data Structures (YouTube)

You can also find series of lectures like the above on algorithms. Than do basic research on what the most common/industry standard textbooks for these topics are, like Introduction to Algorithms (Amazon link) and buy them or download PDFs or whatever.

The important thing is to actually do the work, suggested tasks/projects, etc. Personal accountability is the driver, here.

Then there are one off books like Code: Hidden Language (Amazon link) that explore specific topics or walk you through certain ideas and concepts at a kind of introductory level. If you find the topic interesting or it is important for your work, it's a good starting point to learn about the lowest level stuff.

Yes, this.

> How could she refuse these guys after they threw this grand party in her honor?

I'm reading Influence by Rober Cialdini and reciprocation is a powerful motivator of behavior. It's the reason hare krishna give out flowers before asking for donations. And, the effect is more potent when it engages our emotional system (ahem like being honored in some way for our character or creativity). And, people chronically lie to themselves about how much they are influenced by the need to reciprocate.

Purchase any standard cable modem. If you want the same capability as what you currently have, make sure it has wifi built in as well.

Cable Modem only

Cable Modem with wifi built in.

The two I listed are just examples, you can shop around and find other brands for different prices. Just make sure on the specifications it says it's "DOCSIS 3.0" or something like that and it'll be compatible with Comcast.

DO NOT CALL COMCAST RIGHT AWAY! Only do that as a last resort since it's a pain. In most cases you can activate the new modem without calling. Take it home, disconnect your old modem and connect the new one to the cable line and hook it up to your computer. Plug it in and give it 10 mins to connect to Comcast. Open a web browser and the Comcast activation screen should come up. In put your account info, click activate and give it a good 30 mins to complete. Once you have working internet, return your old modem to the Comcast store (GO IN PERSON AND HAND IT TO A PERSON) and make sure you get a receipt.

If you have trouble activated and have to call, before calling take down the Serial Number and the Cable Mac Address on the bottom of the modem. You're gonna need to give that info to the rep so they can add it to your account.

Either way, you won't have to pay that stupid rental fee any more and you'll probably have better performance with your own modem.

What's the matter with Kansas is a great book about that whole issue. Conservatives (Republicans) appeal to dumb people in these types of states on a lot of issues including jobs, giving them false promises and then turning an about-face when the time comes that they're in office.

Republican policies have long benefited the rich, and not the average worker.

Long overdue recognition for a true genius. If you have an interest in the man who invented the AC motor and generator, radio (you thought it was Marconi, right?), remote control and so much more, you might enjoy this - http://www.amazon.com/Wizard-Nikola-Biography-Genius-Citadel/dp/0806519606

Well, if they start taking investors I'll be sure to relinquish a good amount of my portfolio towards the cause. I've dreamnt of a company like this existing since I first read about it about ten years ago in the book Mining the Sky, and I'm not about to miss out on it now that it is technically feasible.

Just get a bidet add-on, like this. Baby wipes are nice, but they're a lot more expensive than regular toilet paper, and the bidet is something you'll only pay for once. Also, I like knowing that my asshole is clean enough to eat off of. Just take my word for it.

A bit late, I just built one a couple months ago and it's great! As far as the raspberry pi kit/controllers below is what I purchased. Installing retropie was pretty simple as explained in other responses:

CanaKit Raspberry Pi 3 Complete Starter Kit - 32 GB Edition

Controllers

A bit dated but, this book covers the topic pretty well.

I had NES, Genesis, snes, n64, Saturn, Xbox, ps2 onward.

They are bought and sold there same as any collector item. Nothing special about the market friend.

All these consoles are old with worn controllers. The consoles are almost non playable on HDTVs. The game memory saves are sometimes on dead batteries. The consoles all need to be hooked up individually. There are so many problems you're overlooking. Emulators are superior in almost every way. You're living in nostalgia.

Here's what I play with. Buffalo Classic USB Gamepad for PC https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002B9XB0E/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_apa_c1CHxb0YHHJZ3. It's literally a brand new snes controller. You play on HDTV with resolution to match and then enable post processing effects.

I'm not at all a PC enthusiast, but it's objectively better in every way except for nostalgia.

If you're looking for decent performance, look for a dual band 802.11n router such as the Asus RT-N66U. If you're looking for the best performance, get a dual band 802.11AC router such as the Netgear Nighthawk R7000 or the Asus RT-AC87U. Also, make sure you have a Docsis 3.0 Modem if you have cable.

I'll still be buying one. Good news for you though, with the money you save from NOT buying one, you can stock up on this:
http://www.amazon.com/Reynolds-Wrap-Aluminum-Foil-Pack/dp/B001R2NM5U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1370953471&sr=8-1&keywords=tin+foil

This conversation never happened, also spend the frickin $40 and see what it does for you, the fact is it shoots a stream of water out, you can move your butt around to a degree to get greater coverage, I say give it a shot if you have any kind of disposable income, they're pretty simple to hook up too.

Option 1
Option 2

I bought this one ($8, Amazon Prime) and it works great. I'm watching PBS right now.

He has an autobiography that talks about his intentions called "My Inventions".

But theres certainly some good biographies.

http://www.amazon.com/Tesla-Man-Time-Margaret-Cheney/dp/0743215362/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1345616103&sr=1-2&keywords=tesla

http://www.amazon.com/Wizard-Nikola-Biography-Genius-Citadel/dp/0806519606/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1345616103&sr=1-4&keywords=tesla

While we're suggesting routers to get... DD-WRT and Tomato have been viable options seemingly forever at this point, the crowd over in /r/homelab would recommend putting pfsense on a old computer, and my personal favorite is the Ubiquity EdgeRouter Lite (only $100).

Just buy this, seriously one of the best purchases I've ever made.

WRT54GL

http://www.amazon.com/Linksys-Cisco-WRT54GL-Wireless-G-Broadband-Compatible/dp/B000BTL0OA

Also used in a research project where we bought like ten of these things. They all worked great. They are also the most mature/baseline platform for popular firmware like Tomato.

The new WRT54G have had their memory and flash reduced to cut cost. It was rather convenient (even kind) that Linksys would continue to vend their "L" version with these additional resources to run the more-stable Linux/Busybox firmware at a small premium.

Sadly, I have heard many tales of woe of the post WRT54G v4 VxWorks based devices.

1, this is the wrong place to be asking this.

2 You want a wireless access point that supports WDS, It's like a wireless mesh.

3 I have easily covered a 1/4 square mile of wooded, hilly area with 4 of these http://www.flyteccomputers.com/details.cfm?wid=250&wb=PicoStation2HP I did have power available to me however.

4 http://www.amazon.com/TP-LINK-TL-WR702N-Wireless-Repeater-150Mpbs/dp/B007PTCFFW/ref=pd_cp_pc_0 Eightish of these with a USB battery pack in repeater mode MAY be a cost effective solution for you, but I have never attempted it with this product.

The WRT54GL is still sold new. This can only do 802.11g (54Mbps max yay!) and has fast ethernet ports. Don't like that? Well you can have this Amazon's Choice router that offers 300Mbps wifi performance on only fast ethernet ports.

But the maximum speed rating for wireless is deceptive. It depends on a number of factors such as your channel width, signal strength, and interference. In order to get 300Mbps, the router must operate 40MHz channels and have a strong signal free of interference AND have no devices negotiated to a lower speed.

Right now my TV has negotiated to 300Mbps, and it probably should get that as it is the only device on my wifi at the moment, and it's on the 5GHz band, which has much less interference due to weaker signal propagation and more bandwidth. If it was on the 2.4GHz band, I wouldn't be using a 40MHz channel due to interference concerns, and I would still be subject to HEAVY interference on the band, both from co-channel interference as there are only 3 usable 2.4GHz channels, and cross-channel interference from idiots. Even in a much less crowded environment you can still wind up with interference on the 2.4GHz band. And once you add walls into play, yeah you're going to be hurting.

The cheap "300Mbps" routers like the one I linked above don't do the 5GHz band, so realistically they won't get anywhere near that. Under ideal conditions I would expect them to get around 100Mbps over wifi.

Browser-based speed tests show my internet speed at somewhere around 150Mbps, and this is on DOCSIS technology that is available in most places. I actually have much faster available in my area, but between the cable company charging an arm and a leg and the fact that I'd have to get my landlord's permission to get cable pulled for fiber internet, this is what I have. It however is still fast enough that a cheap router will absolutely be a bottleneck for me.

So yeah, the customer's choice of wifi router can absolutely cause problems.

The first episode is now available on Amazon VOD.

http://www.amazon.com/Winter-Is-Coming/dp/B007HJ84ZK/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1334849232&sr=1-1

That show is very expensive to produce. If you want HBO to stay around and take big risks on making shows like this then you had better pay for it. My family pays $15 for the subscription and my brother bought the Blu-ray set.

It's easy enough already James T. Porter. Did you know you can get a subscription to tinfoil?

208,333 pounds, or 94.5 metric ton, of platinum is just a cube with a side of 1.65m.

John S. Lewis, author of Mining the Sky, have said that a 1km asteroid with a mass of 2 billion tons, could contain as much as 7500 metric ton of platinum. That would equal a cube with a side of 7.08m.

All the platinum ever mined is roughly 5300 metric ton, or a cube with a side of 6.3m.

I don't think it would be hard to break even if they found a platinum rich 500m asteroid as they're planning on.

Okay, I just don't trust Comcast any farther than I can throw them. At the end of the day, it probably comes down to that.

> Also not everyone knows how to create a bridged wifi router.

I think we're both fairly advanced when it comes to our knowledge of WiFi routers. I would agree that it's probably beyond the ability of most home users to set that up. (There's a guest mode in DD-WRT, but I haven't been able to get it to work. I don't know if it's a bug in DD-WRT, the implementation for my router, if the guide I've been following is wrong or out of date, or if I'm just doing it wrong. But I just couldn't get it to work.)

This little router, however, was dead simple. A step-by-step quick start instruction card tells you exactly how to connect to it and go though the menu in your web browser to set it up. Five minutes and it was done. Still probably beyond the ability of, for example, my parents, but well within the grasp of many.

I'll give Comcast credit for making it easy for guests to have WiFi away from home. I'd still rather roll my own solution.

To get those routed packets flowing at sweet gigabit speed for cheap, check out Ubiquiti's Edge Router Lite. Running gig internet at gig speeds.

I think I'll be ok :)

I'm not relying on webcomics. Tesla has been largely underappreciated in his lifetime and for many years after it. 5 years ago, most people did not have any idea who Tesla was. Now, he has become a hot topic (through webcomics and things like this post) and more people know about his innovations.

I've done a lot of research on Tesla. Here are some of my sources, if you want them: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

Looking at the Ubiquiti ones cause I already have a WAP, three of these models caught my eye:

• Ubiquiti Networks Edgerouter Lite 3Port Router (ERLITE-3)
  
• Ubiquiti EdgeMax EdgeRouter Lite ERLite-3 512MB Memory 3 Ethernet Ports
  
• Ubiquiti EdgeRouter X x ER-X-SFP-US Advanced Gigabit 6-port Router with PoE and SFP
  
  So far I may get one of the Lite's because the Edge X seems to cap out at 500 MBs

Let's try this again. Seems like the other link had a ref.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00E45043A/ref=s9_simh_gw_p107_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=11R9XCSAMZST56TQA7SV&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1688200382&pf_rd_i=507846

Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software

A good read if you want history and understanding binary code, among others. Not exactly about politics, but more on the easy-to-read technical side.

Apparently Mueller is selling it on Amazon? How is this legal?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1510750169/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_hj6UCbEB930R1

I think I'm going to get this at some point soon. Thanks for letting me know about that, I really had no idea.

This is the new one on Amazon. Not in stock but still ~$50

Related resources:

SNES case

NES case

If you don't have access to a 3D printer here are 2 options for printing services:

3D Hubs and Shapeways

Controllers that I have tested:

NES/SNES wireless/rechargable

NES/SNES corded

NES/SNES/Analog wireless/rechargable

Its CRI is 92. Source

WRT54GL + Tomato

I wonder if this is somehow related to the fact that the report is currently being sold as an ebook all over Amazon for $10

you can buy a router/modem combo for ~90-120 depending on sale prices. I got this one for about 90 some time around black friday.

http://www.amazon.com/RCA-ANT111-Basic-Indoor-Antenna/dp/B000HKGK8Y

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/subscriptions/index.jsp?product=mlbtv&affiliateId=MLBTVREDIRECT

https://gamecenter.nhl.com/nhlgc/secure/gclsignup?navid=nav-gcl-main&intcmpid=nhl-gcl-mainnav

https://www.amazon.com/Whats-Matter-Kansas-Conservatives-America/dp/080507774X

I use this one

Amazon has it for $50

https://www.amazon.com/Three-Felonies-Day-Target-Innocent-ebook/dp/B00505UZ4G

Time to rip down all my walls, floor and ceiling to install some metal sheeting. The most annoying part is going to be the doors for sure... But the plus is that if an EMP ever hits, all my stuff will be safe.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001R2NM5U/

Oh yeah? So is denying it.

No, they probably weren't lying, maybe, but more likely just have no idea what they're talking about. Here's a modem that would work for you just fine. No idea on the quality of it, just the first one I came across. Here's one that's capable of up to 686Mbps even.

Here you go--you can watch Game of Thrones on Amazon video on demand. I don't understand why people complain about HBO, when you don't need an HBO subscription and can buy the episodes online:

http://www.amazon.com/Winter-Is-Coming/dp/B007HJ84ZK/ref=sr_1_3?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1373907838&sr=1-3&keywords=game+of+thrones

I bought a Nokia 520 for $50 and stuck a 64GB micro SD card in it. The Windows Phone app works with iTunes to sync all my music and podcasts. If you need more than 64GB, I'm not sure if it will handle the new 128GB cards.

"Source? Liar."

Source:
https://www.amazon.com/Mueller-Report-Special-Counsel-Collusion/dp/1510750169

"Again, I disagree. Tik Tok is worse. It isn't as prevalent, sure, but it's still worse."

Why am i still talking to you. Ciaooo FBPR

Read the book Amazon: Three Felonies a Day. Basically, it is impossible for any normal American to get through a single day without committing multiple felonies. The progressive discounting of mens rea by the state means that your intent or even awareness no longer matters.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00F0DD0I6?pc_redir=T1 baller ass router. I mean that's my guess. I don't have any boost or anything.

HBO already offer episodes for purchase see below. They are no able to offer for-sale inflight series. Why? Because they have obligations to a subscriber base. Are they losing money? No and not for a long time.

Would people pay this way if it were inflight? Maybe. But guess what? HBO wouldn't exist and pirating would still flourish. HBO relies on a subscriber base not an a al carte one.



http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007HJ84ZK/ref=sr_1_3_vod_0_pur_epi?ie=UTF8&keywords=game%20of%20thrones&qid=1380824880&s=movies-tv&sr=1-3

>The next generation of algorithms or smart application of the old ones could create even more upheaval

What, specifically, should we regulate, and how? An algorithm is just a set of steps that produces a correct answer to a problem. Which algorithms do you propose we regulate, and what should the regulations be? Should I go to jail if I implement a C++ solution of the map-coloring problem in a college classroom? Are there whole chapters of the classic CLRS textbook that should be banned from the curriculum?

A vague reference to "the next generation of algorithms" is hand-wavy, and suggests a fundamental misunderstanding of what algorithms are and how they apply to AI.

There is no algorithm that is going to just switch on one day and take over the world. That makes as much sense as worrying that the Pythagorean Theorem will wake up tomorrow and become SkyNet.

Its easy to say its obviously bullshit after the fact. But looking at the page, it is actually non-obvious for people outside the medical professions to know its bullshit.

Measurement of all these values might actually be possible with a device this size. That caloric intake can not be infered from all of this is not necessarily obvious. After all you can for example measure O2 concentration in the blood non-invasively only by shining light onto the skin. Its not that far of a stretch for not medically-trained persons to believe caloric measurement could also be possible.

Whenever something is shown to be bullshit, people are always fast to say that everyone who fell for it is/was an idiot. These people either forget or dont know yet how easy it is to be manipulated, and how often it happens to every single one of us every day. Thinking you are somehow immune to beeing fooled actually makes it easier for people to fool you, because you are not on guard.

http://www.amazon.com/Influence-Psychology-Persuasion-Business-Essentials/dp/006124189X

I do not want a fully autonomous car. I want to own my car. I want to be 100% in control of where my car goes (and by extension, where I go) at all times. I do not want to put my destination in the hands of google and/or whomever else may be watching.

The argument for them, of course, is 'safety'. If just 11% of cars were autonomous, driving would be much safer! It's safer for everyone if we take away your control of the steering wheel! It's the same argument that gave us the TSA, that compels us to give up Facebook & phone passwords at the border, that the US, Australia, and the UK are using to curtail encryption. Sometimes 'more safety' is not really a good thing.

Every single one of us is a criminal in the eyes of the law. (This particular author asserts that we commit, on average, 3 felonies per day.) Have you exceeded the speed limit? Criminal. Accidentally blown through a red light or rolled a little too quickly through a stop sign because you were distracted? Criminal. Yeah but driverless cars will prevent that! you say. OK, have you ever picked up a feather off the sidewalk? You may be a felon if it came from the wrong kind of bird, whether you know it or not. Did you buy orchids off the internet? You're probably a smuggler.

Hell, nobody even knows for sure how many laws exist, let alone how many of them you may have violated. There's a high probability that you are breaking some law right now while you're reading this.

Once the initial suspicion about driverless cars passes, governments will start looking for the ability to track exactly who is in them, and exactly where. Governments will start pressing companies for an override to command the car to lock it's passengers in and deliver them to a destination against their will (ie - a police station). They will try to sell you on this being a good idea because 'safety'. It is not a good idea because they've made every single one of us criminals, and most of us don't even know it.

I will happily shift my own gears and hope that I die before they make "driving your own car on a public road" illegal.