6/03    Calling all PC HW gurus:  Anyone have an EPROM programmer?  Last
        night I flashed my motherboard's bios while at the same time
        booting the machine with crap loaded into emm386.  During the
        flash, the machine hung, and is now totally toast.  This would not
        be such a big thing if it could boot up to the point where I can
        try the flash again, but for all intensive purposes the machine is
                                         \_ "intents and purposes"
        a paperweight at the moment.  So does anyone have a device that I
        can load up a (hopefully) good bios image onto?  Needless to say, I
        only have a floppy disk with the image, not a chip that can be
        copied...  Or...  Anyone have a summer EECS lab that can help out?
        Never mind the fact that the motherboard goes for about $15 on
        ebay nowadays-   Even better would be if someone knew the magic
        trick to resurrect a board with a nuked bios.  The flash should
        have written out a copy of the old version.  I can see a file on my
        floppy by the same name, but with a 0 length, I have some (foolish)
        hope that the image is still there..  All thanks appreciated - joshk
          \_ "all intents and purposes", sheeze
          \_ I think you're looking for UCSEE, not soda.
        \_ would it be that much trouble for motherboard manufacturers to add
           some kind of backup mechanism to keep things like this from
           happening?
           \_ no, but is it profitable for them to do so?
              \_ is it profitable for them to have improperly flashed
                 motherboards repaired?  and if they refuse to repair them,
                 they've most likely lost a customer.  I wouldn't mind
                 spending a few extra bucks for a secondary bios chip or
                 or something.
                 motherboards fixed?  and if they refuse to fix them and force
                 you to buy a completely new motherboard, they've most likely
                 lost a customer.  besides, I wouldn't mind spending a few extra
                 bucks for a backup bios chip or something.
        \_ if the motherboard maker is still around you may be able to contact
           them and beg them to send you a replacement bios.

6/02    Calling all rice bois: http://www.infatuasian.com

6/3     Soes anyone here have direct expierience or knowledge of
        Falun Gong?  i don't belive anyithing I read in the US press
        about China (since i know sow much of it is lies, and of
        course everything in the Chinese press is lies.)  I'm curious.
        Is this a Moonie-esqe cult, or just some harmless morning excersices?
        Why does it piss off the gov't so much?  I'm asking here beacause
        I know there are alot of chinese people who post to the motd.  If
        you have some opinion based on bullshit you read in the Times,
        please keep it to yourself.
        \_ Go to the China Consulate in SF and ask them yourself.
        \_ They protest outside the China consulate in SF. Go there and
           ask them yourself.
          \_ Falun Gong is a cult.  So was communism in China (and other
             countries that enforced communism as their state idealogy).
             However the old cult of communism was running out of steam
             and appeal, so Falun as well as scores of others emerge to
             fill the "spiritual" vacuum.  In fact Falun became popular
             and powerful in part because a LOT of retired communists,
             including powerful (ex-)officials, became believers.  Then
             conflicts ensued.  Li Hongzhi panicked and organized an
             unprecedented but peaceful protest outside the leadership
             compound (but in other instances they had tried to use violence
             and coercion to silenced their powerless civilian critique).
             Then Jiang Zemin panicked and ordered a complete crackdown.
             Falun started out as one of many breathing exercises that many of
             the senior government leaders endoresed and encouraged, but
             soon, like every scheme (and similar to communism) of this sort,
             become a mind controlling and deprogramming cult.  Fa Lun
             Da Fa, its official sutra, contains complete description of the
             cosmos, tales of alien life, diatribe against homosexuality,
             and most of all, answers for all the mysteries of life that many
             post-communism confused Chinese weary of all the spiritual
             search are dying for.  Of course their choice for answers,
             stupid or otherwise, is not a crime or a mistake that the
             government should force them to correct.  The NYT is right in
             spirit when reporting that they are being persecuted, though
             not in detail, and certainly not in painting Li as a benevolent
             teacher or victim.  Unfortunately, the U.S. has a bad record
             of calling in troops and masscaring cult victims, and has
             provided the Chinese government with free propaganda example.
             \_ I agree with this.  I have met members.  One had a big
                picture of the leader on the wall like a shrine.  This is
                definately a cult.
                \_ Uh-huh.  Then most martial arts schools and many restaurants
                   in the bay area are also cults.
                \_ but did they have Leader beans?
                   \_ Don't you mean Batman beans?
                      \_ nananananana Leader!  nanananananana Leader!