Something Random

[ddrueding]

I remember it from a kid, with vague kid-like memories. "oh, cool!". Then I would watch it, and realize that there really wasn't a plot at all "that sucks". Of course, the "oh, cool" memory would stick around longer, and I would be tricked into deciding to watch it again.

 

[Mercutio]

Tron also had a very unique soundtrack. There was one track from a band called Journey, and Journey is heard in the new movie as well, but the rest of the movie was scored by Wendy Carlos, a pioneer and virtuoso on the incredibly obtuse Moog synthesizer.

 

[Howell]

"A band called Journey..."? I think you did that on purpose.
The Moog was a staple instrument of the progressive rock genre.

 

[Mercutio]

"A band called Journey..."? I think you did that on purpose.

It's not familiar to me. The one reason I know as much as I do is that I was looking at the relevant IMDB pages.

 

[snowhiker]

Arizona Sues Bank Of America Over Home Loan Modifications

Arizona Sues Bank Of America Over Home Loan Modifications:

http://consumerist.com/2010/12/arizona-sues-bank-of-america-over-loan-modifications.html

BoA. The worse POS bank in America.

I'm all for banks making all the money they can.
I'm also against the dumb-fucks who took out mortgages WAAAAAY beyond their means.

But when a bank uses obviously deceptive practices they should be....what was that choice phrase again....anally chainsaw raped to death.

/end rant.

 

[time]

All internet porn to be blocked in UK

WTF?

 

[timwhit]

All internet porn to be blocked in UK

WTF?

Unless you request to opt-in and as long as the ISPs give you that option. There's always Tor.

 

[snowhiker]

Unless you request to opt-in and as long as the ISPs give you that option. There's always Tor.

How come every other damn thing in life is an opt-out, cept for porn?

The right to porn should not only be in the bill of rights, but the 10 commandments!

 

[Stereodude]

Arizona Sues Bank Of America Over Home Loan Modifications:

http://consumerist.com/2010/12/arizona-sues-bank-of-america-over-loan-modifications.html

BoA. The worse POS bank in America.

I'm all for banks making all the money they can.
I'm also against the dumb-fucks who took out mortgages WAAAAAY beyond their means.

But when a bank uses obviously deceptive practices they should be....what was that choice phrase again....anally chainsaw raped to death.

/end rant.

Personally, I think it's kind of funny. No one should be getting a loan modifications in the first place. If people claim they can't afford the payment, request a modification, gets told it's in process, and keep making the payment, maybe they could afford the payment after all and didn't need a "modification". ;")

What's next suing Bill Collectors for being annoying and exaggerating to get people to pay?

 

[Pradeep]

Personally, I think it's kind of funny. No one should be getting a loan modifications in the first place. If people claim they can't afford the payment, request a modification, gets told it's in process, and keep making the payment, maybe they could afford the payment after all and didn't need a "modification". ;")

What's next suing Bill Collectors for being annoying and exaggerating to get people to pay?

Modifications usually save the lenders tens of thousands, as opposed to owning and having to take care of the property after foreclosure.

If bill collectors do illegal things like call outside permitted hours, threaten legal action without true intent etc, you can certainly sue under the FCRPA and win. They have to obey the law.

 

[Mercutio]

Sometimes, laws are wrong.

 

[Pradeep]

Sometimes, laws are wrong.

No question.

However, in the case of bill collectors:

Do you think bill collectors should be able to call after 9PM? Maybe call your neighbour using a reverse directory and ask them to tell you that you have legal problems? The laws are specific precisely because bill collectors were harrasing people and acting like dipshits. The only things bill collection companies understand is civil penalties.

 

[Stereodude]

Modifications usually save the lenders tens of thousands, as opposed to owning and having to take care of the property after foreclosure.

Well then the bank must be stupid then for not wanting to save themselves money and rewarding irresponsibility.

I want to know how I can get a modification? Oh wait... I'm responsible... I can't... :tdown:

 

[jtr1962]

I want to know how I can get a modification? Oh wait... I'm responsible... I can't... :tdown:

Seriously, when you were out of work, you should have considered telling the bank you were having trouble meeting your mortgage payments even if you weren't. You might have had your loan modified to more favorable terms. You know the old saying-if you can't beat the system, you may as well take advantage of it.

On another note, it's high time banks started giving better interest rates on savings accounts. This really would reward the responsible who save. Current interest rates are a joke.

 

[ddrueding]

I heard an interesting idea yesterday on NPR; make savings rates part of your credit score.

 

[Stereodude]

Seriously, when you were out of work, you should have considered telling the bank you were having trouble meeting your mortgage payments even if you weren't. You might have had your loan modified to more favorable terms. You know the old saying-if you can't beat the system, you may as well take advantage of it.

Maybe, I didn't look that closely into it, but I figured I had too many assets and too much in savings to qualify. Plus, my wife was still employed.

Ultimately I wasn't really interested in trying to game the system. I'm just sick of having to bear the burden of bailing out the irresponsible.

 

[BingBangBop]

My basic assumption is that when someone modifies their home loan, regardless of the reason, you'll end up paying for it in the end. There are lots of possible manipulations that can occur but in the end the banks win and you lose.

For example, they might just allow a lower payment for a year but then you'll just end up paying more in interest. They can extend the loan longer producing lower monthly payments, you pay more in interest. They can convert the loan to a variable rate but you always get burned through the nose for that. They can convert the loan to a balloon payment so that all you are doing is paying interest and at some later date you'll have to finance the final balloon payment. Then there is the fact that whatever happens, there are invariably big time fees that get added to the loan.

The point is that they can do lots of stuff to make your payments more affordable in the short run but almost always, they win and you lose (in the long run). It is rarely a win-win situation. The only situation that I can think of that is a win-win is where the interest rate has dropped enough that the savings is enough to justify paying the additional refinancing fees.

 

[Stereodude]

So is anyone planning to stay up late or get up in the middle of night to watch the lunar eclipse? I though about it, but think I will sleep instead.

If I was more committed I'd have the camera out and try to photograph it like I did in 2008.

 

[ddrueding]

That is an excellent shot. I was thinking of driving up to Fremont's Peak Observatory that night, but it has been storming like crazy, and that road is sketchy enough in the dry during the day.

 

[Howell]

I heard an interesting idea yesterday on NPR; make savings rates part of your credit score.

What do you mean by savings rates; and how is that supposed to be beneficial?

 

[Mercutio]

What do you mean by savings rates; and how is that supposed to be beneficial?

Savings as percentage of income, perhaps?

Japan would be a rather conspicuous counter-example to that idea; they're a nation of thrifty people and they've been in an economic morass for more than a decade, where our economy is run on the assumption that people who have money will immediately go and spend almost all of it.

 

[LunarMist]

Tron also had a very unique soundtrack. There was one track from a band called Journey, and Journey is heard in the new movie as well, but the rest of the movie was scored by Wendy Carlos, a pioneer and virtuoso on the incredibly obtuse Moog synthesizer.

A band called Journey? You young'uns don't know nothin'. :smack:
I suppose none of your friends played the Moog either?

 

[Mercutio]

What friends?

 

[LunarMist]

Perhaps clammates would have been a better description.

 

[LunarMist]

So is anyone planning to stay up late or get up in the middle of night to watch the lunar eclipse? I though about it, but think I will sleep instead.

If I was more committed I'd have the camera out and try to photograph it like I did in 2008.

No. I lost interest after the late 70s to early 80s. I think I mentioned my Avatar elsewhere in this thread.

 

[Stereodude]

Apparently it was cloudy, I slept though it.

 

[Pradeep]

Well then the bank must be stupid then for not wanting to save themselves money and rewarding irresponsibility.

I want to know how I can get a modification? Oh wait... I'm responsible... I can't... :tdown:

So when you were let go from your previous job, that was for drinking on the job and goosing the secretaries right?

Oh hang on, you mean you were a diligent employee with no drinkies and touchies and you were still terminated? Sounds like things can happen that are out of your control. But according to your logic, it must have been your irresponsibility that caused it.

 

[Stereodude]

So when you were let go from your previous job, that was for drinking on the job and goosing the secretaries right?

Oh hang on, you mean you were a diligent employee with no drinkies and touchies and you were still terminated? Sounds like things can happen that are out of your control. But according to your logic, it must have been your irresponsibility that caused it.

:scratch: Uh... I'm not following your attempt at connecting the dots. When did I say that nothing happens that's out of someone's control?

 

[CougTek]

Well then the bank must be stupid then for not wanting to save themselves money and rewarding irresponsibility.

I think he was refering to this. The way you word it, it sounds offensive to someone who finds himself without income for reasons out of his control (which might happen to me in the upcoming month unless things change radically).

 

[ddrueding]

Moving into the house we bought today. Our offer for the house was accepted 363 days ago, and we got the keys 6 months ago. Since then $80k+ has gone into the place.

 

[Stereodude]

The local Nissan stealership wanted ~$1k from me to fix a bad MAF and change the "$25" air filter. :rofl:

The part has a MSRP of ~$560, but it can be bought for ~$425 from other dealers. Swapping it out should be a 15 minute job. So, I guess they figure they should get $400+ in labor for 15 minutes of their time (ignoring the profit on the parts).

I'll be retrieving the car later today, paying them their outrageous $130 diagnostic fee, and limping away. The 2000-2001 MAF is $90 and with the addition of a $1 Honeywell Thermistor (135-202FAG-J01) you've got your $425 2002-2003 part. :beer:

 

[Stereodude]

Moving into the house we bought today. Our offer for the house was accepted 363 days ago, and we got the keys 6 months ago. Since then $80k+ has gone into the place.

Congrats! 8)

ps: Where are the pictures? :scratch:

 

[ddrueding]

It is still far from ready. No interior doors, no blinds, no kitchen, no flooring, no closets, a bunch of plywood where a french door should be, and a bunch of stuff isn't painted. But we are out of money, so we move in.

 

[Stereodude]

Did you get a certificate of occupancy?

 

[Stereodude]

So, I'm in the process of copying just over 5TB of data from one RAID-6 array to another. The copy is moving along at >300MB/sec. It's 12% done and FastCopy is informing me it will still take another 8 hours 36 minutes to complete the copy and do the verify.

Who would have thought something going so fast would still take so long. :dunno:

 

[ddrueding]

Indeed. I'm in the process of sending some backups of my data to 3TB USB drives. At 100MB/s it still takes forever.

 

[LunarMist]

This is a new one on vacation. I broke a toilet seat. Now on Christmas eve I have to replace it.

 

[time]

And all for nothing - crabs can jump.

 

[LunarMist]

Mostly they walk sideways or angleways.

 

[CougTek]

And all for nothing - crabs can jump.

And elephants can't.