ZachKessin

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  • in reply to: Fix deragatory credit item? #1014554
    ZachKessin
    Member

    You can’t get it removed unless it was reported in error (that would be called Fraud). Your best bet is finding someone at the bank to talk to and try to explain

    in reply to: Anyone here in Germany? #1014620
    ZachKessin
    Member

    I have traveled to Berlin a few times for work, and I didn’t feel out of place in a Kippa. Though it was winter so some of the time I was in a ski-cap.

    in reply to: Siddur on a Smart Phone #1016345
    ZachKessin
    Member

    I’m pretty sure the half screen comments were a joke. I see people use them all the time. If you find one you like it seems a good deal, you always have a siddur with you, and its one less thing to carry around.

    I don’t use one, mostly because they tend to have small typefaces and my hebrew is not so good, so I like using a Siddur with big print.

    ZachKessin
    Member

    When I ask about parnassa, he tells me about his side business in electronic sales, and that he is sure he will be able to make ends meet because he feels he has some great, innovative ideas that will always keep him ahead in the industry.

    Yea right, one thing I have learned in 20 years in high tech is that good ideas are worth nothing if you don’t have the skills to pull them off (skills that take work to build) I spent most of 2013 working at a startup founded by 2 very experienced founders that ended up closing the doors after about 10 months.

    Honestly I don’t think you can convince this kid of much of anything, 18 year olds are generally known for thinking they know far more than they really do.

    in reply to: Ison: The Comet of the Century #989207
    ZachKessin
    Member

    Having done a little more research on this, 1/p Halley is the only short period comet that is visible without some form of optical aid. So while there are a lot of known SPC’s, all the others would require at least Binoculars if not a telescope to see. Actually for a Comet a 7×50 Binocular will be better then a telescope most of the time.

    That being said Bright Comets seem to show up about once every 5-10 years or so. But those are generally long period comets that we only know about when someone spots them as they head into the solar system.

    in reply to: Calling co-workers by first name #989643
    ZachKessin
    Member

    <b>Before Napoleon there was no such thing as surnames</b> not really, it depends on the country of course but surnames more or less as we know them today go back at least 600 years in England and France, while Iceland still does not use them today, instead people are known as “X son of Y” or the like, similar to how we are called to the Torah (but obviously with a very different grammar)

    As for when Jews started using surnames it rather depends on what country they were in, and probably social class and half a dozen other things.

    in reply to: Calling co-workers by first name #989639
    ZachKessin
    Member

    I think it depends on the type of work place. In High Tech I can’t imagine calling *ANYONE* Mr or Ms, (Well maybe if they were someone on the level of Bill Gates or Jeff Bezos), nor has anyone ever called me “Mr” in 20 years and 3 countries of High Tech work

    in reply to: Calling co-workers by first name #989638
    ZachKessin
    Member

    I think it depends on the type of work place. In High Tech I can’t imagine calling *ANYONE* Mr or Ms, (Well maybe if they were someone on the level of Bill Gates or Jeff Bezos), nor has anyone ever called me “Mr” in 20 years and 3 countries of High Tech work

    in reply to: Ison: The Comet of the Century #989206
    ZachKessin
    Member

    Comets are mostly unpredictable, there are a few 1p/Halley, 55p/Temple-Tuttle that come by Earth on more or less regular periods, that generally run from 20 to 200 years most comets are what are known as Long Period comets that have orbits that run from 100,000 to millions of years. Most of them are unpredictable, we often only know about them a year or so in advance when someone catches them on a survey of the outer solar system.

    The community keeps an eye out for them for several reasons, many people are just passionate about finding comets, but also more importantly there is a small but real chance that a comet or astroid could hit the Earth and do real damage. Comet Shumaker/Levy 9 hit Jupiter about 20 years ago and we think a 2-3m rock from space probably hits the Earth about every 10 years or so. Now depending on where that hit it could do a lot of damage, so we try to know about it in advance.

    in reply to: eBooks vs. Print Books #988544
    ZachKessin
    Member

    I don’t have a tablet or reader, so I do almost all of my reading on paper. However I am an author of 2 books and about half of my book sales are in ebook form (at least that is what my publisher tells me).

    in reply to: Ison: The Comet of the Century #989205
    ZachKessin
    Member

    No it is not. this is a long period comet which appears to be on its first (and probably only) trip into the inner solar system. If it survives Perihelion (Closest approach to the Sun) it will be flung into the far depths of the solar system and probably out all together.

    The thing is comets are balls of Ice of various types, so when they pass close to the sun they sometimes break up.

    in reply to: Men Cooking #1036635
    ZachKessin
    Member

    My boys and I make pancakes from time to time, for dinner or breakfast. I know of no better way to get my kids to take part and they love it. (They are 6 and 4)

    in reply to: Writing lists vs relying on memory #975534
    ZachKessin
    Member

    I make lists of everything. (Or use software to do the same at the office). I forget stuff, so I make notes and make lists.

    When I am working I keep an index card or notepad and pencil next to my desk for making notes.

    in reply to: Friend wants to marry girl he met online #1187438
    ZachKessin
    Member

    FWIW, my wife and I met due to a post she made on an internet mailing list. We have now been married 9 years.

    As for how they met, this your concern how? They don’t need to ask your ok to get engaged, or tell the world about it.

    in reply to: So We Should Feel Foolish #974782
    ZachKessin
    Member

    Its weird, I have been trying to loose weight, and I started a blog to write about, (mostly for myself, not really figuring anyone else cares much) and I think my weightloss stopped when I stopped writing every day. I guess I need to go back to daily posts.

    (If you care you can find it by googling my name), mostly you will find me talking about how to cook stuff in an office microwave.

    in reply to: Setting up a guy you dated with your friend #972880
    ZachKessin
    Member

    If he is a decent guy who you think would be good for your friend but not for you then go for it. My wife set her best friend up with a guy she had dated for a short time, they have now been married more than 20 years.

    On a similar note I once got a job at a company because a friend of mine interviewed there, decided he wasn’t interested but knew that I would be, so he gave them my name, and they called me.

    in reply to: Rosh Hashana Prep #972871
    ZachKessin
    Member

    I sat down with my Rabbi (and an artscroll interlinear Machzor) and we went over the davening. Including such important things as which parts our shul does and which parts we skip. But also the major themes of the day.

    For me this is the difference between enjoying the holiday and being very frustrated.

    I also now have a bunch of post its sticking out of my machzor so I can find stuff quickly

    in reply to: Does networking have any core value? #971616
    ZachKessin
    Member

    You bet, I got my current job with 1 phone call because I knew someone who was starting a company and needed someone with my skills.

    If you send your resume to a company where they don’t know you it will sit in a pile with 300 others, if you know someone there who can say “oh yes I know him/her and they are great at X” it will skip that pile and land right on the desk of the person who is hiring. Guess who gets the call for the interview, its not one of the people in that pile of 300 resumes!

    in reply to: Going to school for Pharmacy #969721
    ZachKessin
    Member

    A few notes from friends of mine who work as pharmisists…

    1) Some jobs (esp in retail) will want you to work saturdays, if you are shomer shabbat (and If you are reading YWN that is probably true) you will not be able to get those jobs. Mind you I have Shomer Shabbat Pharmacists friends and they have jobs, its just there are some limits.

    2) When people ask you what you do for a living you can say that you “Sell Drugs” or the like.

    3) The job will require you stand for most of the day, if you have bad feet it might not be for you.

    IF you think you will like it I would suggest doing some reading and talk to some people who are in the field. Maybe even as a pharmasist if you can shadow them for a day or two. After all if you are not going to like the job its better to find that out sooner rather than later 😉

    in reply to: Canadian Provinces Should Become U.S. States #1106818
    ZachKessin
    Member

    Charlie is not an MD (he has a PhD). That being said he is one of the nicest and smartest people I have the privilege of calling a friend.

    in reply to: What Not to Share With Your Spouse #1000279
    ZachKessin
    Member

    Don’t spread your misery to your spouse. Don’t get her worried over you possibly losing your job.

    If there is a possibility that you might loose your job, you should share it with your spouse. Otherwise they will be blindsided when and if it happens. If you see a possible emergency you need to get ready, put aside some money etc. Think of Paro’s Dream and the 7 Fat cows and the 7 Thing Cows.

    I find that my life is much better when my wife and I talk. And when I have a bad day at work, It helps to talk about it.

    in reply to: Autographs From Actors. Right or Wrong? #963217
    ZachKessin
    Member

    Famous, in a few very small technical communities.

    in reply to: Autographs From Actors. Right or Wrong? #963211
    ZachKessin
    Member

    I have gotten an autograph or two over the years. I have also signed a few. 🙂 Specifically at a few tech events I have given away a copy of my book and signed it for someone.

    in reply to: Marrying for Kiruv #963275
    ZachKessin
    Member

    I had a friend years ago who was of scotts background (and Jewish) he had a matching Tallit and Kilt. It was a sight.

    Actually a great kilt probably requires tzitzit.

    in reply to: Investing for dummies #962509
    ZachKessin
    Member

    Actually I found that the book investing for dummies was quite good.

    If all else fails and you are planning to leave the money alone for at least 5+ years go with the Vanguard SP500 Index fund. You can invest as little as $3000, the fees are low.

    The advantages:

    • It is an old fund
    • It tracks a well known benchmark, the SP500
    • It invests in about 500 stocks, so you get a lot of diversification
    • The expense ratio is only 0.17%, so for every $100 you invest they only take $0.17/year to run it

    Disclaimer, I am still trying to get out of debt myself, so I don’t have any money invested in this, nor do I have any interest in this or any other mutual fund.

    Disclaimer #2, Jack Bogle who founded the Vanguard group when to the same high school I did, many years before me, I shook his hand once. You probably don’t care about this

    in reply to: Marrying for Kiruv #963264
    ZachKessin
    Member

    NO, NO, NO

    Really bad Idea. never marry someone under the hope that you can “Change” them or “fix” them. Really don’t do it. Even if they become somewhat more frum for a while the first sign of trouble and the resentment will pile on. Really bad idea.

    in reply to: Baking in the Desert #962809
    ZachKessin
    Member

    If you are in the desert, in Israel or elsewhere please drink LOTS of water, at least 2x what you think you need. You can get really sick in the heat really quickly if you don’t.

    –Zach

    in reply to: Investing for dummies #962504
    ZachKessin
    Member

    A few tips:

    1) Read a lot, from lots of different people

    2) Pay off debt first, making 9% on a mutual fund makes no sense if you are paying 18% on your credit cards.

    3) Look at the fees, every fun charges fees to manage the money, lower fees are better

    4) If you don’t understand it, walk away

    5) If it sounds too good to be true, it is, walk away

    6) Check out index funds, they tend to be dull but have low fees and work well over the long term

    7) Don’t do #6 because I said so, but because you have done the reading and understand it

    8) If you are asking for help, make sure you understand who you are asking

    9) “Free” advice often is a sales pitch, and may not be so free.

    in reply to: Sundays in Israel #961845
    ZachKessin
    Member

    Speaking as someone who lives in Israel, a normal work week here is Sunday – Thursday (some people do work on Friday of course, but not all).

    Having Sunday off would be nice, but it would just shift my life around so I would be doing the work on a different day. And in winter rushing to get home for Shabbat.

    There was a proposal floating around a while ago to have Rosh Hodesh off when it fell on a weekday. I don’t think it really got very far 🙁

    in reply to: 8 BILLION dollars spent on nothing every year! #960441
    ZachKessin
    Member

    Did you know that the digital cameras that are now everywhere came out of that self same research that you are saying is a waste of money? Actually the project to which you are referring is at CERN which is outside Geneva, and is sponsored by the USA and many other countries.

    For what its worth the wars in Iraq and Afganistan cost orders of magnitude more than everything being done at CERN, and every other physics lab in the world.

    As for the Higgs boson, which is sometimes called “The God Particle”, the reason its called that was some one was talking about how hard it is to find, and when he was quoted an expletive was dropped out.

    in reply to: BBQ Food #1020789
    ZachKessin
    Member

    Last BBQ we did we took some apples put brown sugar on them and put them on the grill at the end, was really very good. Lots of fruits come out nicely on the grill actually.

    in reply to: Vaccines in the frum community #962940
    ZachKessin
    Member

    Tzaddiq, the thing is that it is know what the risk factors are for vaccinations, and more importantly what they are for not vaccinating. and let me be very clear, by not vaccinating your children you are putting them, and others around them at great risk for a number of diseases some of which can maim or kill a child.

    By not giving a child vaccinations you are avoiding a totally imaginary risk at the cost of a very real one. in the days before vacines it was common for a family to have 6 kids and bury 5 of them!

    There are sources that are are agreed on to be true, its called peer reviewed medical literature. We have people who are well trained to understand this stuff and to this for a living (Including our own Charlie Hall)

    in reply to: Using DavkaWriter on Ubuntu #959883
    ZachKessin
    Member

    I am pretty sure that OpenOffice supports hebrew, and it will run native on linux, So if you can’t get Davka to work that is another option for getting done whatever you need.

    in reply to: Vaccines in the frum community #962913
    ZachKessin
    Member

    <b>”The greatest threat of childhood diseases lies in the dangerous and ineffectual efforts made to prevent them through mass immunization…..There is no convincing scientific evidence that mass inoculations can be credited with eliminating any childhood disease.”–Dr Robert Mendelsohn</b>

    That statement is flat out wrong, and anyone who says that is either grossly mis informed or is flat out lying. First of all there is overwhelming evidence that immunisation has eliminated Smallpox from the world, and has brought levels of Polio, Diphtheria, Pertussis, Rubella, Tetanus and others down in the USA between 90% and 99%.

    For example the average pre immunisation anual morbidity (IE people who got sick) of Rubella was around 47,000, last year it was 4. (not 4,000 but 4). My father tells me that when he was a boy people were terrified of Polio, it could paralyse or kill you, and infected about 16,000 people annually, it has not been seen in the USA in years and is now restricted to a few corners of India, Pakistan, and Nigeria. Due to the hard work of the Gates foundation and others it is expected it will be gone from the world by 2020. [numbers are from the CDC]

    in reply to: Which Non-Jewish personality inspires you? #960713
    ZachKessin
    Member

    Right now Bill Gates inspires me, he is using his huge wealth to try to wipe out a number of diseases from the world. Threw the efforts of his foundation and those around him he has greatly reduced human suffering around the world.

    in reply to: Sodastream #959362
    ZachKessin
    Member

    You can also use fruit juice instead of the syrups. If you want. I have done that from time to time. Mostly ours is just used by my wife for Seltzer.

    in reply to: Software to Slow Down Shiur Speed #959415
    ZachKessin
    Member

    I use Audacity to edit my podcasts, but I would not suggest it unless you are willing to spend several hours figuring out how to use it. (its not really hard, but it does take a little getting used to).

    I would suggest that VLC would be a good choice. If you look in the “Playback” menu there is a playback speed. It can go from 0.25x to 4.00x. It works for both audio and video.

    Warning if you play audio slowly it sounds a little funny.

    in reply to: Should I Go To Medical School? #958349
    ZachKessin
    Member

    You should know going in that Med school is hard, being a good doctor is probably harder. That is not to say you should not do it, but that you should make sure that you *REALLY* want it.

    If you do really want it go for it, will it be a lot of work, Yes, will it be worth it. Well from I have heard and read from my doctor friends very much so.

    Good luck with whatever you choose to do.

    in reply to: American appliances in Israel #957226
    ZachKessin
    Member

    The problem is not the plug, its that the USA uses 115v/60HZ and Israel uses 220v/50hz. You can change the plug but it won’t work in the USA as it will be getting about half the voltage.

    What you want is something that can take 115v. It is possible that you can find such an urn in the USA if you look hard enough (though I don’t know where)

    in reply to: Thoughts on Someone Selling His Olam Habah on Ebay #971223
    ZachKessin
    Member

    I would think it would violate the EBay terms of service. What the ethical implications of that are I will leave to someone wiser than I am.

    ZachKessin
    Member

    Yea, you never want to try to lowball price, because there is someone out there who will do it for $2/hr. You can’t do that. You can however compete on quality and the like. I tried doing something similar years ago and it went no where.

    I won’t say it will be easy, but it is possible. Tip, go find the podcast “The Freelancer’s Show” and listen to that. It might have some good stuff for you. I actually know the guy who runs it.

    ZachKessin
    Member

    Without a BA you are going to find it harder. In general there is a direct correlation between level of education and ability to find work, and the quality of that work.

    You might want to start as a Virtual Assistant. You can probably charge $30/hr for that once you get going and if you can find a few good clients it will keep you going quite well. You will just need a phone and a computer.

    ZachKessin
    Member

    First of all good luck. I remember about 3 down turns ago when I was looking for my first job, it took a long time (and the job I ended up getting was lousy)

    Second figure out what you want to do/be and make a plan. Don’t just send out thousands of Resumes and hope one of them hits. It might work but the odds are against you. What you want to do is network. Figure out where the people you want to work with meetup and go there. (meetup.com is your friend here) Get to know them, sooner or later with luck someone will know someone who needs whatever it is you can do.

    Yea, its not easy at first but its the way it is. And be working on new skills constantly!

    ZachKessin
    Member

    What type of skills do you have?

    You have every right to get paid for the work you do! if you want to take an unpaid internship somewhere that is fine, but it should be your choice and it should be with the expectation that you will get some skills of value out of it.

    Expecting to get paid on time is not unreasonable. (and paying people on time is required by the Torah!)

    in reply to: Small Business or Career #953764
    ZachKessin
    Member

    This can not be boiled down to a formula, because there is a huge factor in terms of what do you want to do. DO you want to be a doctor? If not don’t go to medical school, its expensive and a huge amount of work. If you think you could be a good doctor and would like the work think about it.

    The most important thing is to try and figure out what you want. Don’t go into a job, no matter how good the money might be that you will hate. You will not do well if you hate your job, it will show and you won’t last long.

    You can do well in many things on paper but it really depends on what types of things do you want to spend 40+ hours a week on.

    I am in software and love it, but it will not be a good fit for everyone.

    in reply to: Chassidush school in Brooklyn bans thick glasses #953289
    ZachKessin
    Member

    It is good to know that the wrong style of glasses is the biggest problem that a community is facing.

    in reply to: Writing and Sniut #953119
    ZachKessin
    Member

    Congratulations!

    Maybe it is the way you are supposed to get over your low self esteem?

    And to put my writer’s hat on for a second, always remember when you write something and you don’t like how it came out just put it aside and try again. Trust me, on the way to writing both of my books there were entire chapters that got deleted! And for that matter there was a book that got half written before I stopped because I was not happy with the result, I may come back to it some day, or maybe not.

    in reply to: Why did they wear robes in the olden times? #951600
    ZachKessin
    Member

    There are probably a few reasons. The hot climate of the middle east would probably be part of it. I would think another issue would be that cloth was expensive! Robes and Tunics if done right waste very little cloth. It does take more sewing, but while hand sewing is time consuming it is nothing compared to spinning and weaving by hand.

    Remember today cloth comes from huge factories using state of the art equipment, in the time of the Gemara state of the art was a drop spindle and a warp weighted loom, bot of which are very labor intensive to use.

    Of course there could be a lot of other factors too.

    in reply to: How to Choose a Proper Screen Name #950064
    ZachKessin
    Member

    Actually I love the Discworld books.

    in reply to: How to Choose a Proper Screen Name #950062
    ZachKessin
    Member

    I don’t speek Yiddish, Kessin is what the family name became when my grandfather was in the US Navy in WWII. It used to be something in Russian. My Legal name is Zachary or Zachariah depending on which country and language I am in.

Viewing 50 posts - 1 through 50 (of 439 total)