A time traveller's guide to starting civilization

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Things NOT to do when you work in a secure building

So, as some of you may already know, I work in a secure building. I have to have a security badge and credentials to get through various doors into and within my work environment.

Occasionally, particularly on a Monday after a long holiday weekend, I might forget said credentials. In this case I am required to go through a rather tedious process of signing in, having a manager verify that I am in fact not some uber-criminal bent on theft of confidential records, and receive then receive a temporary badge... all with people at the front desk who have known me for years and who will happily pretend that they have no idea who I am at all for the entire process.

Or... there is the other option... with my amazing ninja stealth-like skills on this particular Monday I embedded myself into a crowd of other incoming agents and pretended to scan my badge to open the door while in reality just grabbing it before it closed on the person before me. (GASP!!! Say it isn't so James! How could you be so untrustworthy!)

For a good chunk of the morning I basked in the glow of my successful use of my finally honed espionage skills as I got down to work. I had a ton of work to do and deadlines looming quickly, so the day went fairly fast. Around 5ish my co-workers were leaving but I had resolved to stay until my project was done. After 6pm it was wonderfully quiet being all alone in the building. Finally about 8pm I found a good stopping place and prepared to go home.

Tim McMorris

I recently found a musical artist that I've been very impressed with. So much of his music is catchy but at the same time inspirational and uplifting; thank you Tim McMorris.


http://timmcmorris.com/


Some samples of his stuff...

Hyperbole and a Half

I'm so happy Allie Brosh has returned to updating her blog, it is seriously one of the funniest things I've ever read (although several of her most recent posts have been more serious - explaining her long absence).

http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/

Buying a car

Tips from an ex-salesman: (Redditor jakfrist explains how to buy a car.)

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BEFORE YOU BUY

• Browse without a salesman first. Get an idea for what you want. Do you want a small car, an SUV, a truck? Two rows, three rows? Automatic, manual? What special features do you want? Knowing what you want is the first step to finding the car you need. Go to a few dealerships at night or on Sundays. If you want to go during the day simply telling the salesman you don't need help might not be enough to get rid of them, telling them you have a car in service for an oil change usually works.
• Read Reviews. Once you have an idea what you like, looking online for reviews helps you to narrow down the field.
• LOOK ONLINE! Almost all dealerships put very good prices on the internet. They know that if you are looking at their website you are probably also looking at the dealership down the road. They must be competitive online to get you in the door.
• LOOK ONLINE!!! This will give you a good price point to start figuring out what you can afford. Don't get sucked into a car you can't afford by a good salesman. Find the car you want at the price you want and stick to it.
• Take a good test drive. When you go on a test drive feel the car, listen to the car, pay attention to the car. That hum that the salesman says you won't notice over the radio will be getting on your nerves 6 months from now. That rattle and bump, it's going to be a problem. This is even more important on a used car. Use everything you see, hear, and feel later in your negotiations.
• Try to find a car without add-ons. That Jeep with a lift kit, the sports car with an aftermarket spoiler, the truck with the big tires. The dealership adds this things on to add on to the price. This just makes it even harder to figure out exactly how much the car costs the dealer. These accessories are marked up excessively, so either look for a car without them or negotiate the accessories separately. (It will almost always cost you less to get the accessories put on afterward)
• Don't let them nickel and dime you. That $22,000 Truck you saw online, well now it has pinstripes ($300). VIN etched into the glass ($800). Fabric stain protectant ($500). Rust undercoating protectant ($900) and a spray in bed-liner ($1500). Now your 22,000 Truck is $26,000. Just like the accessories these are much less expensive done after you leave the dealership (even if you come back to have them done). Thanks /u/IvanTheTerrific

Obamacare

Note: This is a repost of a post made by a user named CaspianX2 regarding Obamacare that I came across while researching the implications it would have for State taxes that I need to understand for my own job. I was really impressed by how well he explains things while staying unpartisan about it.

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What people call "Obamacare" is actually the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (abbreviated to PPACA or ACA). However, people were calling it "Obamacare" before everyone even hammered out what it would be. It's a term that was, at first, mostly used by people who didn't like the PPACA, and it's become popularized in part because PPACA is a really long and awkward name, even when you turn it into an acronym like that. Barack Obama has since said that he actually likes the term "Obamacare" because, he says, "I do care".

Anyway, the PPACA made a bunch of new rules regarding health care, with the purpose of making health care more affordable for everyone. Opponents of the PPACA, on the other hand, feel that the rules it makes take away too many freedoms and force people (both individuals and businesses) to do things they shouldn't have to.

So what does it do? Well, here is everything, in the order of when it goes into effect (because some of it happens later than other parts of it):

(Note: Page numbers listed in citations are the page numbers within the PDF, not the page numbers of the document itself)

Public Speaking