Posts by Fletch

  • Oh that wacky EA

    The level at which you're employed is pretty much the yardstick for non-compete clauses. Some financial brokerage houses prevent their CEOs and CFOs from working for competitors for life, and the courts have backed them up. People in those positions know exactly what a company's investment strategies are, which basically is a formula to make billions. Of course, they also get ridiculous severance and retirement packages that are tipping near 100US million to make sure that they are set for life and don't need to go work. It's hard to argue to a judge that in addition to 60 million in severance plus hundreds of millions more made in salary, plus millions more in investments that you're at a financial disadvantage because of unemployment.

  • The faces of Muhammad

    That is pretty much my exact stance on the matter. There is a huge gap between what legal rights and what the 'right' thing to do is. The papers can print this stuff all day long. It's freedom of the press in the finest sense of the word. To a certain degree, I think their hearts are int he right place standing by their fellow journalists.

    That being said, it's an incredibly dumbfuck thing to do. In fact, I 'm actually going to quote George W. Bush without any sense of irony. "They hate our freedoms." In the western-democratic world, we abide by the freedome of the press. In the eatern-Islamic world, the concept just isn't on the table for discussion. It's not that they disagree with the concept. But in their world, freedom of the press isn't a moral priority. Religion is #1 and the government is an arm of the religion. You don't question religion, therefore you don't question government, therefore you don't need freedom of the press. That whole mentality went without saying for a long time, and this just brought it to the forefront. It's like trying to putt two positively charged magnets next to each other. They ain't sticking.

    I wish the media in Europe would have had a bit more sincerity when doing this. For once, I think the American media is being very respectful of the issue (then again, I don't watch Fox News, so I have no frame of reference for what they're talking about). I think part of that is an unconscious attempt to let the extremists go after Europe for a while instead of America, but I digress.

    The overall point is, that the media has the legal right to do this. Just like the KKK has the legal right to march through Harlem. Just like Fred Phelps has the legal right to hold signs that say "God Hates Soldiers" outside military funerals. Freedom of speech is a two way street. But just because you're legally in the right, doesn't make you a good person, or a nice person. You've still got a mroal responsibility unto yourself, and I think a lot of editors screwed up.

  • Oh that wacky EA

    They are extremely valid in America. Almost every industry seems them in some forms. Pilots from certain airlines can't fly for other airlines for 3-6 months usually. Microsoft uses these for all their top people. The music industry slaps them on virtually every middle or top act. It's just good business insurance. It adds less incentive to quit for some other offer.

    The only times they're usually voided is if they are poorly written, or if they are deemed excessive (like prohibitting you to work for a competitor for a full year or something where you would lose everything you own because you can't work).

    As for the argument that it restricts your rights, that is essentially what any contract is. You agree to have certain rights restricted in order for compensation.

  • Oscar Nominees

    Fletch's Oscar's Predictions (Who I Think Will Win)

    Supporting Actor: Jake Gyllenhaal (Brokeback Mountain)

    Supporting Actress: Rachel Weisz (The Constant Gardener)

    Lead Actor: Philip Seymour Hoffman (Capote)

    Lead Actress: Felicity Huffman (Transamerica)

    Best Director: Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain)

    Best Film: Brokeback Mountain

    Fletch's Picks (Who I Think Deserves to Win)

    S. Actor: William Hurt (History of Violence)

    S. Actress: Rachel Weisz

    L. Actor: Philip Seymour Hoffman

    L. Actress: Felicity Huffman

    Best Director: Stephen Speilberg (Munich)

    Best Film: Munich

    For the record, I think Brokeback is all hype and no follow through. Also, King Kong sucks, but it will get a bunch of tech awards because he's a pretty monkey.

  • networking troubles

    Solution 1 (the simplest): Get a wireless router wireless router+modem combo, plug it in next to your 360, run a short cable to your 360, and let your computers attach wirelessly. $40-80

    Solution 2 (the most expensive): Get a Xbox 360 Wireless modem. $99

    Solution 3 (the chepest, but probably prone to more failure): Get a crossover cable and connect your PC and XBox. That should form a mini LAN and share the internet connection from the PC unless the 360 doesn't like it. 50/50 shot on that working. I have no idea what the 360's proprietary stuff is like.

    Solution 1 is the smart way to go. Solution 3 is most closely to what you described, but also really ghetto.

    Solution 4: Mojo and I play with cables.