Thread: Now get off my back :P
http://www.commandprompt.com/blogs/joshua_drake/2009/02/what_is_that_sound____that_is_the_sound_of_jd_stomping/ -- PostgreSQL - XMPP: jdrake@jabber.postgresql.org Consulting, Development, Support, Training 503-667-4564 - http://www.commandprompt.com/ The PostgreSQL Company, serving since 1997
Joshua D. Drake wrote: > http://www.commandprompt.com/blogs/joshua_drake/2009/02/what_is_that_sound____that_is_the_sound_of_jd_stomping/ > I have to renew my passport it expired last year. The process to get passports is nuts these days,. If you think thats bad get a license to carry a concealed weapon they get finger prints and will not take cash either at the Police Station. Let me see here i can not use cash because the Police have stolen the money in the past??? The State Department has the Same problem. Lets also don't forget the Government is refusing to take money they are required by law to take. "This Note Is Legal Tender For All Debts Public and Private" its appears on all the US currency. gotta love it If the future use a passport agency to take care of all the crap and you will have your Passport in Same day if you wish. When ever dealing with the Government Agency I always get a proxy to deal with the idiots. example http://www.rushmypassport.com/?gclid=COa_lpLG1ZgCFRYiagodUFvw2g
On Wed, Feb 11, 2009 at 2:58 PM, justin <justin@emproshunts.com> wrote: > Joshua D. Drake wrote: >> >> >> http://www.commandprompt.com/blogs/joshua_drake/2009/02/what_is_that_sound____that_is_the_sound_of_jd_stomping/ >> > > I have to renew my passport it expired last year. The process to get > passports is nuts these days. The two times I've gotten a passport, I found the process efficient and stress-free. I printed out a PDF off the internet, and had to give one of my parents a call to figure out a few details. I have an atypical parent situation - but apparently parent information is not cross checked by passport officials with state records. In anycase, I stopped by a photo place that is one block from the post office and paid $7 for a couple silly photos. Then, I walked into a post office, handed over some cash that I got from an ATM and the form, had a pleasant conversation with a very nice person and bought some stamps on my way out the door. Three to five weeks later each time, I had a passport. So far, I've been lucky enough not to get one with an RFID in it (get our your tin foil, JD). My husband had a similar experience, and we paid a few extra dollars to get his rushed to us for a school trip to Germany last year. All is not wrong in the world of passport bureaucracy. -selena -- Selena Deckelmann Open Source Bridge - http://www.opensourcebridge.org PDXPUG - http://pugs.postgresql.org/pdx Me - http://www.chesnok.com/daily
JD / guys, can you imagine how does it feels to run the same process but instead of a passport applying for a USA B1 (tourism) VISA? They even ask you: "Have you been involved in terrorism acts? Have you been in jail for ..." You've got a job, you've got a house, a car, a family and a mother **** dog. But they still believe that you want to get in the USA for a job. Foo bar. gb.- On Wed, Feb 11, 2009 at 9:37 PM, Selena Deckelmann <selenamarie@gmail.com> wrote: > On Wed, Feb 11, 2009 at 2:58 PM, justin <justin@emproshunts.com> wrote: >> Joshua D. Drake wrote: >>> >>> >>> http://www.commandprompt.com/blogs/joshua_drake/2009/02/what_is_that_sound____that_is_the_sound_of_jd_stomping/ >>> >> >> I have to renew my passport it expired last year. The process to get >> passports is nuts these days. > > The two times I've gotten a passport, I found the process efficient > and stress-free. > > I printed out a PDF off the internet, and had to give one of my > parents a call to figure out a few details. I have an atypical parent > situation - but apparently parent information is not cross checked by > passport officials with state records. > > In anycase, I stopped by a photo place that is one block from the post > office and paid $7 for a couple silly photos. > > Then, I walked into a post office, handed over some cash that I got > from an ATM and the form, had a pleasant conversation with a very nice > person and bought some stamps on my way out the door. > > Three to five weeks later each time, I had a passport. So far, I've > been lucky enough not to get one with an RFID in it (get our your tin > foil, JD). My husband had a similar experience, and we paid a few > extra dollars to get his rushed to us for a school trip to Germany > last year. > > All is not wrong in the world of passport bureaucracy. > > -selena > > > -- > Selena Deckelmann > Open Source Bridge - http://www.opensourcebridge.org > PDXPUG - http://pugs.postgresql.org/pdx > Me - http://www.chesnok.com/daily > > -- > Sent via pgsql-advocacy mailing list (pgsql-advocacy@postgresql.org) > To make changes to your subscription: > http://www.postgresql.org/mailpref/pgsql-advocacy >
On Wed, Feb 11, 2009 at 03:37:05PM -0800, Selena Deckelmann wrote: > The two times I've gotten a passport, I found the process efficient > and stress-free. I did in the U.S., too. The hardest part I found about getting my U.S. passport was finding the time, while in the U.S., to go into a post office that accepted them. Getting a U.S. passport is fast, cheap, and easy. I even got my birth certificate from an online site. Really. (People who are worried about identity theft due to SSNs being everywhere would be appalled at how easy it is to get someone's birth certificate delivered to you.) And the people in the U.S. Post Office were cheerful and efficient. You haven't met surly until you've been "served" by a Canada Post counter employee near the end of the day. (That said, my mail carrier is cheerful.) Getting a passport in Canada used to mean that you had two signatures from people who were "qualified" by being members of certain professions. Clergy was one. Laughably, I later felt, so was university professor. (Well, anyway, my wife found it funny. I pretended not to.) Also, passports were good for five years and not renewable, so you had to go through this song and dance every five years. They're renewable now, but since our Israeli allies were caught a few years ago using counterfeit Canadian passports for Mossad agents, Canada is a little snippy about passport security still. So, congrats JD. See, it wasn't so painful. And it coulda been worse. You coulda been Canadian :P A -- Andrew Sullivan ajs@crankycanuck.ca
On Wed, 2009-02-11 at 19:56 -0500, Andrew Sullivan wrote: > On Wed, Feb 11, 2009 at 03:37:05PM -0800, Selena Deckelmann wrote: > The hardest part I found about getting my U.S. passport was finding > the time, while in the U.S., to go into a post office that accepted > them. Getting a U.S. passport is fast, cheap, and easy. I even got > my birth certificate from an online site. Really. (People who are > worried about identity theft due to SSNs being everywhere would be > appalled at how easy it is to get someone's birth certificate > delivered to you.) That is how I got my birth certificate too. > So, congrats JD. See, it wasn't so painful. And it coulda been > worse. You coulda been Canadian :P > I agree. It would be worse to be Canadian :P Joshua D. Drake -- PostgreSQL - XMPP: jdrake@jabber.postgresql.org Consulting, Development, Support, Training 503-667-4564 - http://www.commandprompt.com/ The PostgreSQL Company, serving since 1997
Not sure how we got into this thread but what the heck! I sooooo miss the USPS! They are the best in the world. Our postie Ted used to come by with a cheery outlook, like someone who was lucky to be doing a really important job. When we moved, they automatically re-directed our mail. And it cost nothing to do it! But when we received about A$5,000 from AMEX through the post, I was convinced that yanks all really trust their postie to do the job to perfection. Now don't get me started on the PA or NC motor registration and tax departments. Or US banks and the INS, for that matter. That is an entirely different matter. It's like dealing with a third world country. By comparison, getting a passport in Australia is simple, fast and reliable. In fact, most government departments are pretty good here. But they lack the positive attitude of the USPS. Local government is a pain. All they seem interested in doing is finding ways to charge more fees and taking their own good time to do things that should take a few minutes. But our volunteer firefighters and police are the local heroes at the moment. Finding and identifying bodies after a firestorm must be the worst job in the world. Rob On 12/2/09 11:56 AM, "Andrew Sullivan" <ajs@crankycanuck.ca> wrote: > On Wed, Feb 11, 2009 at 03:37:05PM -0800, Selena Deckelmann wrote: > >> The two times I've gotten a passport, I found the process efficient >> and stress-free. > > I did in the U.S., too. >
Guido Barosio wrote: > JD / guys, can you imagine how does it feels to run the same process > but instead of a passport applying for a USA B1 (tourism) VISA? > > They even ask you: "Have you been involved in terrorism acts? Have you > been in jail for ..." > The US government does the same thing to US citizens via back ground checks, its very intrusive even more so than in the past. > You've got a job, you've got a house, a car, a family and a mother > **** dog. But they still believe that you want to get in the USA for a > job. > > Foo bar. > > gb.- > > > On Wed, Feb 11, 2009 at 9:37 PM, Selena Deckelmann > <selenamarie@gmail.com> wrote: > >> On Wed, Feb 11, 2009 at 2:58 PM, justin <justin@emproshunts.com> wrote: >> >>> Joshua D. Drake wrote: >>> >>>> http://www.commandprompt.com/blogs/joshua_drake/2009/02/what_is_that_sound____that_is_the_sound_of_jd_stomping/ >>>> >>>> >>> I have to renew my passport it expired last year. The process to get >>> passports is nuts these days. >>> >> The two times I've gotten a passport, I found the process efficient >> and stress-free. >> >> I printed out a PDF off the internet, and had to give one of my >> parents a call to figure out a few details. I have an atypical parent >> situation - but apparently parent information is not cross checked by >> passport officials with state records. >> >> In anycase, I stopped by a photo place that is one block from the post >> office and paid $7 for a couple silly photos. >> >> Then, I walked into a post office, handed over some cash that I got >> from an ATM and the form, had a pleasant conversation with a very nice >> person and bought some stamps on my way out the door. >> >> Three to five weeks later each time, I had a passport. So far, I've >> been lucky enough not to get one with an RFID in it (get our your tin >> foil, JD). My husband had a similar experience, and we paid a few >> extra dollars to get his rushed to us for a school trip to Germany >> last year. >> >> All is not wrong in the world of passport bureaucracy. >> >> -selena >> >> >> -- >> Selena Deckelmann >> Open Source Bridge - http://www.opensourcebridge.org >> PDXPUG - http://pugs.postgresql.org/pdx >> Me - http://www.chesnok.com/daily >> >> -- >> Sent via pgsql-advocacy mailing list (pgsql-advocacy@postgresql.org) >> To make changes to your subscription: >> http://www.postgresql.org/mailpref/pgsql-advocacy >> >>
Hi Joshua, > http://www.commandprompt.com/blogs/joshua_drake/2009/02/what_is_that_sound____that_is_the_sound_of_jd_stomping/ What I see there is that red tape is all the same around the globe, but I won't comment this on a PostgreSQL Advocacy ML, its not the right place to do so. What I enjoy there is that we gonna meet you finaly, thats a very good news :-) Cheers, -- Jean-Paul Argudo www.PostgreSQLFr.org www.Dalibo.com
On Wed, Feb 11, 2009 at 10:33 PM, Joshua D. Drake <jd@commandprompt.com> wrote: > http://www.commandprompt.com/blogs/joshua_drake/2009/02/what_is_that_sound____that_is_the_sound_of_jd_stomping/ 'bout bloody time too :-) -- Dave Page EnterpriseDB UK: http://www.enterprisedb.com
On Wed, Feb 11, 2009 at 02:33:16PM -0800, Joshua D. Drake wrote: > http://www.commandprompt.com/blogs/joshua_drake/2009/02/what_is_that_sound____that_is_the_sound_of_jd_stomping/ JD, you'll want to look over your password policy. Someone hacked your blog account. //Magnus
Joshua, >> http://www.commandprompt.com/blogs/joshua_drake/2009/02/what_is_that_sound____that_is_the_sound_of_jd_stomping/ I recommend to not use words like "t% Europe" when blogging about intercontinental travel. :) Harald -- GHUM Harald Massa persuadere et programmare Harald Armin Massa Spielberger Straße 49 70435 Stuttgart 0173/9409607 no fx, no carrier pigeon - EuroPython 2009 will take place in Birmingham - Stay tuned!
On Thursday 12 February 2009 01:37:05 Selena Deckelmann wrote: > Three to five weeks later each time, I had a passport. So far, I've > been lucky enough not to get one with an RFID in it (get our your tin > foil, JD). Two words: microwave :-) Or look up the relevant Chaos Communication Congress talks from about two years ago.
Peter Eisentraut a écrit : > On Thursday 12 February 2009 01:37:05 Selena Deckelmann wrote: >> Three to five weeks later each time, I had a passport. So far, I've >> been lucky enough not to get one with an RFID in it (get our your tin >> foil, JD). > > Two words: microwave :-) > An small hammer can do the job too :) > Or look up the relevant Chaos Communication Congress talks from about two > years ago. > http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-blockkill-RFID-chips/ -- damien clochard http://dalibo.org | http://dalibo.com
On Thu, 2009-02-12 at 16:02 +0200, Peter Eisentraut wrote: > On Thursday 12 February 2009 01:37:05 Selena Deckelmann wrote: > > Three to five weeks later each time, I had a passport. So far, I've > > been lucky enough not to get one with an RFID in it (get our your tin > > foil, JD). > > Two words: microwave :-) > Supposedly I can still get a "passport" versus the RFID thing. That is what I requested anyway. We shall see. Joshua D. Drake > Or look up the relevant Chaos Communication Congress talks from about two > years ago. > -- PostgreSQL - XMPP: jdrake@jabber.postgresql.org Consulting, Development, Support, Training 503-667-4564 - http://www.commandprompt.com/ The PostgreSQL Company, serving since 1997
On Wed, 2009-02-11 at 14:33 -0800, Joshua D. Drake wrote: > http://www.commandprompt.com/blogs/joshua_drake/2009/02/what_is_that_sound____that_is_the_sound_of_jd_stomping/ *sigh*. Now, my nightmare may come true, and I may see Joshua ringing my bell. ;) -- Devrim GÜNDÜZ, RHCE devrim~gunduz.org, devrim~PostgreSQL.org, devrim.gunduz~linux.org.tr http://www.gunduz.org
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On Wed, 2009-02-11 at 22:27 -0200, Guido Barosio wrote:
> JD / guys, can you imagine how does it feels to run the same process
> but instead of a passport applying for a USA B1 (tourism) VISA?
It took me 1 (one) day to get a visa to US which is valid for 10 years
and also which is B1/B2 visa :)
--
Devrim GÜNDÜZ, RHCE
devrim~gunduz.org, devrim~PostgreSQL.org, devrim.gunduz~linux.org.tr
http://www.gunduz.org
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3 attemps on my own, 100 bucks each one, non refundable on failure to succeed! On Thu, Feb 12, 2009 at 4:16 PM, Devrim GÜNDÜZ <devrim@gunduz.org> wrote: > On Wed, 2009-02-11 at 22:27 -0200, Guido Barosio wrote: >> JD / guys, can you imagine how does it feels to run the same process >> but instead of a passport applying for a USA B1 (tourism) VISA? > > It took me 1 (one) day to get a visa to US which is valid for 10 years > and also which is B1/B2 visa :) > > -- > Devrim GÜNDÜZ, RHCE > devrim~gunduz.org, devrim~PostgreSQL.org, devrim.gunduz~linux.org.tr > http://www.gunduz.org >
On Thu, 2009-02-12 at 20:15 +0200, Devrim GÜNDÜZ wrote: > On Wed, 2009-02-11 at 14:33 -0800, Joshua D. Drake wrote: > > http://www.commandprompt.com/blogs/joshua_drake/2009/02/what_is_that_sound____that_is_the_sound_of_jd_stomping/ > > *sigh*. Now, my nightmare may come true, and I may see Joshua ringing my > bell. Possible ... > > ;) -- PostgreSQL - XMPP: jdrake@jabber.postgresql.org Consulting, Development, Support, Training 503-667-4564 - http://www.commandprompt.com/ The PostgreSQL Company, serving since 1997
On Wed, Feb 11, 2009 at 5:58 PM, justin <justin@emproshunts.com> wrote: > (...) the Government is refusing to take money > they are required by law to take. "This Note Is Legal Tender For All Debts > Public and Private" its appears on all the US currency. gotta love it Not really. From http://www.ustreas.gov/education/faq/currency/legal-tender.shtml : Question: I thought that United States currency was legal tender for all debts. Some businesses or governmental agencies say that they will only accept checks, money orders or credit cards as payment, and others will only accept currency notes in denominations of $20 or smaller. Isn't this illegal? Answer: The pertinent portion of law that applies to your question is the Coinage Act of 1965, specifically Section 31 U.S.C. 5103, entitled "Legal tender," which states: "United States coins and currency (including Federal reserve notes and circulating notes of Federal reserve banks and national banks) are legal tender for all debts, public charges, taxes, and dues." This statute means that all United States money as identified above are a valid and legal offer of payment for debts when tendered to a creditor. There is, however, no Federal statute mandating that a private business, a person or an organization must accept currency or coins as for payment for goods and/or services. Private businesses are free to develop their own policies on whether or not to accept cash unless there is a State law which says otherwise. For example, a bus line may prohibit payment of fares in pennies or dollar bills. In addition, movie theaters, convenience stores and gas stations may refuse to accept large denomination currency (usually notes above $20) as a matter of policy.
Guido Barosio escribió: > 3 attemps on my own, 100 bucks each one, non refundable on failure to succeed! 4 attempts here, 140 bucks each (non refundable of course), each with its own photos, hand-completed forms, lots of waiting time at the consulate, fingerprint taking, and some more annoyances I don't recall offhand. Some of this has changed recently for the better I hear, fortunately.
On Thu, Feb 12, 2009 at 5:39 PM, Alvaro Herrera <alvherre@commandprompt.com> wrote: > Guido Barosio escribió: >> 3 attemps on my own, 100 bucks each one, non refundable on failure to succeed! > > 4 attempts here, 140 bucks each (non refundable of course), each with > its own photos, hand-completed forms, lots of waiting time at the > consulate, fingerprint taking, and some more annoyances I don't recall > offhand. Some of this has changed recently for the better I hear, > fortunately. > i haven't tried yet but i know that when i'll try it will cost me 100 bucks for a phone call of 5 minutes (no more) to make an appointment for being interrogated and all those beautiful things Alvaro and Guido talk about... and of course the VISA could be rejected "without an explanation of why"... :( -- Atentamente, Jaime Casanova Soporte y capacitación de PostgreSQL Asesoría y desarrollo de sistemas Guayaquil - Ecuador Cel. +59387171157
On Thu, 12 Feb 2009 20:15:10 +0200 Devrim GÜNDÜZ wrote: > On Wed, 2009-02-11 at 14:33 -0800, Joshua D. Drake wrote: > > http://www.commandprompt.com/blogs/joshua_drake/2009/02/what_is_that_sound____that_is_the_sound_of_jd_stomping/ > > *sigh*. Now, my nightmare may come true, and I may see Joshua ringing my > bell. So both of you will show up in Paris? ;-) Bye -- Andreas 'ads' Scherbaum German PostgreSQL User Group European PostgreSQL User Group - Board of Directors
On Sun, 2009-03-08 at 15:05 +0100, Andreas 'ads' Scherbaum wrote: > On Thu, 12 Feb 2009 20:15:10 +0200 Devrim GÜNDÜZ wrote: > > > On Wed, 2009-02-11 at 14:33 -0800, Joshua D. Drake wrote: > > > http://www.commandprompt.com/blogs/joshua_drake/2009/02/what_is_that_sound____that_is_the_sound_of_jd_stomping/ > > > > *sigh*. Now, my nightmare may come true, and I may see Joshua ringing my > > bell. > > So both of you will show up in Paris? ;-) If I can afford it. I will be in Paris. Joshua D. Drake -- PostgreSQL - XMPP: jdrake@jabber.postgresql.org Consulting, Development, Support, Training 503-667-4564 - http://www.commandprompt.com/ The PostgreSQL Company, serving since 1997