The Geek Crew - Interesting News Article Thread

b0b GeekCrew Administrator FTP Server Offline The revolution will not be televised. Posts: 7464 Battle Creek, Michigan Gender:	Re: Interesting News Article Thread Reply #1305 - Jan 9^th, 2013 at 7:28pm That's neat. We've nearly completed a tricorder, so maybe it's time for warp drive? http://gizmodo.com/5942634/nasa-starts-development-of-real-life-star-trek-warp-d... -b0b (...nifty!)
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Cait GeekCrew Hax0r Offline Winter is Coming. Giggity. Posts: 380 Pittsburgh, PA Gender:	Re: Interesting News Article Thread Reply #1306 - Jan 9^th, 2013 at 8:26pm http://gawker.com/5974671/you-will-not-be-able-to-escape-the-worst-flu-season-in... learn from me, if you can: get a flu shot. you do not want this. I repeat, friends, you do not want this. Cait (...going on 2 weeks. might be writing to you from the grave)
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b0b

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Re: Interesting News Article Thread
Reply #1307 - Mar 5^th, 2013 at 7:21pm

Quote:

Mr Chavez had been seriously ill with cancer for more than a year, undergoing several operations in Cuba, and had not been seen in public for several months.

Nicolas Maduro made the announcement on Tuesday evening, flanked by political and military leaders.

Sucks to be Venezuela.

-b0b
(...couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.)

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The_Fat_Man Wootzor von Leetenhaxor FTP Server Offline Grand High Overlard Posts: 910 Colorado Springs, Colorado Gender:	Re: Interesting News Article Thread Reply #1308 - Mar 8^th, 2013 at 11:42pm Someone at NYU invented Medi-gel from the mass effect universe, but in real life.... And it appears to actually work.. http://kotaku.com/5989585/wow-someone-invented-mass-effect+like-medi+gel
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MediaMaster

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Re: Interesting News Article Thread
Reply #1309 - May 29^th, 2013 at 8:20pm

http://bangordailynews.com/2013/05/27/news/portland/south-portland-doctor-stops-...

Quote:

The family physician stopped accepting all forms of health insurance. In early 2013, Ciampi sent a letter to his patients informing them that he would no longer accept any kind of health coverage, both private and government-sponsored. Given that he was now asking patients to pay for his services out of pocket, he posted his prices on the practice’s website.

Before, Ciampi charged $160 for an office visit with an existing patient facing one or more complicated health problems. Now, he charges $75.

Patients with an earache or strep throat can spend $300 at their local hospital emergency room, or promptly get an appointment at his office and pay $50, he said.

Even with the loss of some patients, Ciampi expects his practice to perform just as well financially, if not better, than before he ditched insurance. The new approach will likely attract new patients who are self-employed, lack insurance or have high-deductible plans, he said, because Ciampi has slashed his prices.

“I’ve been able to cut my prices in half because my overhead will be so much less,” he said.

This is how much bloat is in the health insurance racket that we have today.

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"Our Constitution is designed only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate for any other."&&&&John Adams&&

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b0b

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Re: Interesting News Article Thread
Reply #1310 - May 29^th, 2013 at 9:11pm

That's an approach that's catching on. Many doctors, particularly specialists, are opening their own purpose-specific clinics (e.g. knee surgeries) and running them a couple days a week, cutting those days out of their normal hospital routines. The same doctors performing the exact same procedure you would get from them in the hospital are doing it for 25-30% of the price at their clinics. They still take home more money but the patients pay far less.

The biggest overhead they cut isn't insurance but deadbeats. They require payment at the time services are rendered. We wouldn't expect anything less from an auto mechanic or an appliance store, so why do we expect hospitals to float the cost of healthcare for weeks, months, or even years? Ultimately, the costs associates with patients that can't pay get amortized across those patients that can pay. It's a little trickier with emergency healthcare because hospitals can't turn away a patient with emergent needs regardless of their ability to pay. This is where small purpose-specific clinics shine. They don't provide emergency services, so they don't have to take a patient that can't pay.

One thing to keep in mind about the numbers in the article is that any insurance costs are likely inflated. Healthcare providers can only recover a set cost from an insurance company for a given procedure. They often bill much higher than that cost and "discount" the difference after the bill is settled by the insurance company.

-b0b
(...would like to see this approach spread even further.)

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The_Fat_Man

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Re: Interesting News Article Thread
Reply #1311 - May 29^th, 2013 at 10:55pm

Speaking as a person who did not have health insurance for a very long time, I do not think it is fair to blame "dead beats" for insurance and health care costs. Those "dead beats" wouldn't have to pay so much for health care if the prices weren't so ridiculous to begin with.

I for instance was working 60 hours a week, but paying for insurance would have basically cut my weekly pay to 35 hours, it cost me that much!

As it was, when I went to the hospital for a severe sinus infection (my nose was bleeding down my throat, couldn't wait any longer), the Doctor there checked my temperature, looked down my throat and nose and gave me a prescription. I was literally in and out of the exam room in 5 minutes.

My bill, 260 dollars.

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MediaMaster GeekCrew Administrator FTP Server Offline Holy Xenu! Posts: 1884 Detroit Gender:	Re: Interesting News Article Thread Reply #1312 - Jul 2^nd, 2013 at 10:54pm https://www.google.com/flights/ YES I have been wanting this feature forever! You plugin the amount you want to spend, the dates you want to fly and google will show you where in the world you can go! wee!
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X Post Whore FTP Server Offline Truth Is Treason, In The Empire Of Lies Posts: 3903 Gender:	Re: Interesting News Article Thread Reply #1313 - Jul 3^rd, 2013 at 7:14am Ohh...I wanted to fly from Kzoo to Three Rivers!
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X Post Whore FTP Server Offline Truth Is Treason, In The Empire Of Lies Posts: 3903 Gender:	Re: Interesting News Article Thread Reply #1314 - Jul 3^rd, 2013 at 8:02pm https://www.humblebundle.com/ New ebook humble bundle with some good stuff. I picked it up. Thought you chaps might enjoy it. X
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X Post Whore FTP Server Offline Truth Is Treason, In The Empire Of Lies Posts: 3903 Gender:	Re: Interesting News Article Thread Reply #1315 - Sep 4^th, 2013 at 9:24am So I'm curious as to what everyone is thinking about this Syria issue? http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics-live/the-senates-syria-hearing... Supporting it? Another Iraq? Constitutionality? What's going on with both sides seemingly wanting this in our govt? X
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The_Fat_Man

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Re: Interesting News Article Thread
Reply #1316 - Sep 4^th, 2013 at 11:23am

I'm proud to live in a country that does not stand by while evil people do terrible things. We are the good guys, and turning a blind cheek to shit like this would make us monsters.

That being said....I am not sure our country or our economy is in the proper place for another damn war. Also, I have to ask why America is always the country that has to clean this shit up. What our are allies doing?

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X Post Whore FTP Server Offline Truth Is Treason, In The Empire Of Lies Posts: 3903 Gender:	Re: Interesting News Article Thread Reply #1317 - Sep 4^th, 2013 at 1:56pm So where's the line we draw to stop helping the world? Do we go to war when an African drug lord kills 30 people? How about 2? Why haven't we invaded Mexico yet? Now THERE is a war! X
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The_Fat_Man Wootzor von Leetenhaxor FTP Server Offline Grand High Overlard Posts: 910 Colorado Springs, Colorado Gender:	Re: Interesting News Article Thread Reply #1318 - Sep 4^th, 2013 at 6:49pm That is the question Pat. When do we let semantics get in the way of helping people? Now days it is less about doing the moral thing, and more about doing what you think your voting party thinks you should do. Sad really.
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b0b

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Re: Interesting News Article Thread
Reply #1319 - Sep 5^th, 2013 at 4:58pm

This is one of those times that I don't envy the President in the least. This is a complex issue and there really is no right answer. If we don't invade, we're effectively telling the despots of the world that they can treat their own citizens in any manner they want and the rest of the world is just going to stand idly by and do nothing. If we don't respond to this attack, what will discourage Syria from employing the same tactics again on a wider scale? What will prevent some other crap-hole of a country from doing the same thing to their citizens?

On the other hand, if we do get involved, we run the risk of starting a conflict that will have a far higher death toll for the civilian population than we've seen thus far. It's hard to spin a full-blown war as a humanitarian effort. No matter how much technology the military adopts, even the most precise weaponry occasionally finds its way into a house, school, or place of work occupied by innocent individuals.

Personally, I'd like to see us go for a moderated approach similar to Libya. Use precise attacks to debilitate government command-and-control facilities and hope the population can take care of the rest. Of course, even this isn't exactly cut-and-dry. After all, I work in a government facility and I have absolutely no input into military decisions, so it is difficult to advocate my government attacking a foreign government facility just because their governmental leaders are murderous assholes.

At the very least, if there is no imminent threat of further chemical warfare from Syria, I think the United States needs to back down until the international community agrees on a course of action. I'm certainly not a fan of the United Nations, but we have an International Court of Justice for a reason. Pursuant to an ICJ indictment, I would fully support military from the United States and other countries to the extent necessary to capture those responsible for the chemical attacks and bring them to trial.

-b0b
(...tough call, really.)

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