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My point was that the presence of the bacterium is not the cause of ulcers, but simply an effect, a symptom indicative of some deeper problem. "The fact that treatment now is becoming more and more ineffective" simply indicates that the treatment does not address the cause.

From the fine article: The alarming statistic that nearly 60 per cent of patients remain hypertensive, even though they are taking drugs to alleviate the condition, emphasises the urgency of looking for new mechanisms by which the body controls blood pressure, and finding new therapeutic targets to drive fresh drug development. (emphasis added)

While the connection between this protein and hypertension might be interesting, it is mostly irrelevant to successful treatment of the condition. Teach a person with high blood pressure how to fully relax their body, take care of the acid/base imbalance, perhaps address other nutritional deficiencies [Omega 3 intake?] and functional problems, and the need for constant dosages of antihypertensive drugs of any sort will usually go away. But such an approach can't be patented and sold in a bottle, so society's health is compromised to protect the profits of our medical-industrial complex.

Achieving good health is simple; the medical system we have today makes staying/becoming vibrantly healthy difficult, because it can't see the forest for the trees.

"You'll find that today this is less common with large retailers like Amazon, who have some sort of office or warehouse in most, if not all, states"

Although you're correct about companies having to collect applicable sales tax from sales within states in which they have a physical presence, you are incorrect that Amazon has some sort of office or warehouse in most, if not all, states:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.htm l?ie=UTF8&nodeId=468512

Also, if you're going to attempt to post AC, you should probably turn off the signature :)

Seriously, Bond with no gadgets and a lack of innuendo? What were they thinking?

They were thinking, "Hey, let's actually make a movie according to Ian Fleming's original vision for once." Because you know that Casino Royale was originally a book, right?

If you want to see gadgets and innuendo, you've got umpteen films to watch again and again. Some of us are quite content that finally Fleming's character has made it to the big screen as the author intended.

http://www.amazon.com/Nikola-Teslas-Earthquake-Mac hine-Blueprints/dp/157282008X

Win2k SP1, WinXP, Win2k SP2, WinXP sp1, Win2k SP3, Win2k3, WinXP SP2, Win2k3 sp1, Win2k SP4, win2k3 sp2, WinVista etc.

Most, if not all, of that was purchased or demo'ed to keep customers from going to someone elses technology.
Read "Startup" by Jerry Kaplan( http://www.amazon.com/Startup-Silicon-Adventure-Je rry-Kaplan/dp/0735101418 )
for an early example of how this works/worked for Microsoft.

And look up DimensionX for a Java based company that had Microsoft in a bidding war with Sun Microsystems. Microsoft won and that was the end of the DimensionX productline. Coopers & Peters was another Java based company purchased and technologically discarded.

Microsoft is a marketing company who's sole tool is to use anti-competitive techniques to protect the supply chain it has pumping Microsoft Windows and Microsoft software out to OEMs and onto desktops. It's a sewer pipe IMO. ;-/

LoB

case in point: http://www.amazon.com/South-Right-James-Ronald-Ken nedy/dp/1565540247

Personally, I like some of what the libertarians say ... but I think they put too much faith in their brand of free-market capitalism. I don't think their ideas, once implemented, will transform society into a wondrous capitalist utopia.
I love the libertarian thought process and I personally am moved ethically to believe in their ideals. But I don't believe it will work either. Libertarianism depends greatly on people informing themselves, taking accountability for their actions, and thinking on their own. The people of this (the U.S.) and other nations want to do none of these things, and are happy with not getting involved - or questioning their leadership. We as a people so desperately need more books like the one Iacocca just wrote called Where have all the Leaders Gone?

Indeed. This has been a particular fascination of mine. In essence, we're not the ones calling the shots, but are along for the ride. It's remarkable how often we experience or witness others doing things they didn't want to do, yet fail to appreciate what exactly that portends. For anyone else interested, this is a good book to start with.

That's not such a crazy idea. Roger Penrose discusses it in his book The Large, the Small and the Human Mind. It's a fascinating read. (At least I thought so.)

http://www.amazon.com/Emperors-New-Mind-Roger-Penr ose/dp/0140145346

I don't know about consciousness, but in his novel Blue Mars (last book of the Mars trilogy), published a decade ago already, Kim Stanley Robinson made use of research that suggests that memory relies on a quantum effect.

The compression/tension/shear forces on the leg are roughly proportional to the weight (i.e. proportional to L^3) of the animal, and the strength of the leg against those stresses is only proportional to the cross sectional area (L^2). Legs can only get so thick, proportionately, and at some point they will break too easily.

Speaking of science fiction, as the OP mentioned Jurassic Park this reminds me of the giant Baldanders in Gene Wolfe's The Book of the New Sun . Baldanders, a mad scientist who keeps finding ways to grow ever larger, is hinted to ultimately be forced to give himself the ability to breathe underwater and go live in the ocean once his body is too large to support itself on land. He goes hard of hearing, too, since his eardrums grow too large.

And it's not only enterprise-quality, but since it essentially is RHEL without the branding, all documentation for RHEL works for CentOS as well. Though the Cent OS user can't depend on support from Red Hat, he could still use something like Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 Administration Unleashed or whatever. If only all enterprise-level software was both well-documented in the public sphere and had Free versions out there.

I've heard every obscure theory under the sun as to why the Amiga failed. Folks, it's simple really. Commodore went bankrupt because the ran a bad business. No fundamental change to the technology of the platform, nor a sweeping OSS movement of the operating system was needed. Jezz, they sold millions of A1200's and the 1200 was long after Amiga's heyday. I don't think beige cases, 15Khz video signals or the lack of business applications killed the golden goose that was the Amiga platform. The potato headed management and idiots in marketing at Commodore killed it. Much as a cunning CEO named Bill Gates has ruled the software business for decades. Read this sometime.

...and for $20 all the NWN packs on one DVD offer a hell of a lot of game, not mentioning all of the good stuff you can download and add to it...

Ah yes. If only our youth would concern themselves not with creativity, non-conformity, and critical thinking, but instead the Virtues and Values befitting a Christian Nation. Instead of wasting their minds upon the disspative slanders of a crypto-communist like Vonnegut, it would behoove them to instead read a Great Book by an Excellent Mind.

On July 19, 1951, in the Tribune under the title "Rhodes' Wards Hawk Global Scheme In U.S.," subtitled "Peddle Propaganda for 'One World," by William Fulton, we quote:

        "New York, July l9 - Rhodes scholars, returning from schooling and indoctrination at Oxford university, England, are the principal hawkers of globalist propaganda in the United States. The American scholars obtain their education abroad through terms of the will left by the late Cecil Rhodes, British empire builder and South African despot. Rhodes aimed at the return of the United States to the British empire and a world federation dominated by Anglo-Saxons. He hoped his scholars would be instilled with 'political bias' toward these ends, according to his intimate friends.

        "Previous articles in this series have disclosed that many of the 1,185 living American Rhodes scholars have obtained key positions in the state department, the United Nations, the economic cooperation administration, the mutual defense assistance program, and other government agencies where they have worked toward fulfillment of the schemes of their imperial patron." End quote.

THE RHODES ~ MILNER ROUND TABLE (result of a quick search... Seems like a good piece, but I haven't read it all. ?)

Are you referring to this item: http://www.amazon.com/JL421-Badonkadonk-Land-Cruis er-Tank/dp/B00067F1CE ?

Details are in this book: http://www.amazon.com/Homemade-Lightning-Creative- Experiments-Electricity/dp/0071373233

Power, Faith, and Fantasy: America in the Middle East: 1776 to the Present There's also his Charlie Rose interview on Google video.

For me Slaughterhouse-Five , with its basis in Vonnegut's actual experiences in the horrific firebombing of Dresden, had a much bigger impact on my beliefs about politics and society. One might not become a total pacifist after reading it, but it certainly makes one want to object to a war where the plans of leaders are so poorly thought out and the lives of individuals are allowed to become mere statistics, and ignored ones at that.

check it out.

One of the books you may like to read is this one.

Knightmare's "Secrets of the Superhacker"...
http://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Super-Hacker-Knightm are/dp/1559501065
Who's afraid of a little social engineering?

Evidence? Yeah.

http://www.amazon.com/Game-Over-Press-Start-Contin ue/dp/0966961706/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-1676673-52286 18?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1176322150&sr=8-1

Artificial shortages have been a Nintendo tactic for years now, and that book documents it in great detail. I can't prove that they're doing it *now*, but I really can't imagine Nintendo's CEO saying "Hey, guys. Remember that tactic that's worked like crazy for 20 years? Let's stop doing that and try something completely new." Nintendo doesn't care more about buzz than profits but they *do* know that buzz is a critical marketing tool, especially when it comes to a product that's talked about on a zillion reader-interest-driven blogs and sites and boards and such.

the simple fact is that most people don't watch videos on their PDAs. All treos (650 and later) have MP3 and/or video programs built in. If not, go download some freeware.

Core Media Player (TCMP) for PalmOS Supports: AVI (*.avi), Matroska (*.mkv, *.mka), MP4 (*.mp4, *.m4a), Ogg Media (*.ogg, *.ogm), ASF (*.asf), Mpeg 1 Layer III, Ogg Vorbis, Musepack, AC-3, AMR, Adpcm, uLaw, DivX, XviD, MPEG4-SP (plus B-frame support), MPEG1, M-JPEG. And

Palms support, and have supported, keyboards for years using the synch port, IR, or Bluetooth.

Depending on the Treo you have a built-in keyboard, on screen keyboard, and Grafitti. I actually have Grafitti 1 and 2 on mine if I want it. I prefer Graf1.

Comparing an older Palm with newer Windows Mobile isn't quite fair since it ignores the competition of the day. I started with a Hitachi H/PC with Windows CE1. Handwriting recognition was comically slow and the keyboard was too small. Grafitti may have required practice but it was about as fast as typing on the H/PC and it could be done without a desk (the H/PC was too big and the wrong shape to thumb-type).

Synch software from microsoft is just as buggy as anything from Palm. I've had to support everything from the Pilot & WinCE 1 to recent Axims, Jornadas and Treos. The same synch software, installed from the same CD, talking to the same PDA will may run stably on one just-unboxed-from-dell PC and not another. Drives me insane. On the whole, I've had more trouble with getting ActiveSync to work at all but probably more trouble getting HotSync to do something non-standard (like sync a 3rd party app).

I don't know what you mean by "customize the desktop" but you can acquire alternate launcher programs if you like that completely change the UI of the "OS" (meaning when no program is active.)

I'd like to mount my palm as a USB device without needing a 3rd party app (Missing Synch, CardExport, etc) too. I'd much prefer a mini-USB port.

You can get custom ROMs for Palms now; numerous homebrew ROMs exist to add/remove various applications and features. I would like that to continue. I want anything that must be GPLd to have its source properly released but I'm not so much of a info-anarchist to have a problem with closed source applications.

Tom-Tom has had PalmOS support for several years. I'm too lazy to figure out just how many years.

the simple fact is that most people don't watch videos on their PDAs. All treos (650 and later) have MP3 and/or video programs built in. If not, go download some freeware.

Core Media Player (TCMP) for PalmOS Supports: AVI (*.avi), Matroska (*.mkv, *.mka), MP4 (*.mp4, *.m4a), Ogg Media (*.ogg, *.ogm), ASF (*.asf), Mpeg 1 Layer III, Ogg Vorbis, Musepack, AC-3, AMR, Adpcm, uLaw, DivX, XviD, MPEG4-SP (plus B-frame support), MPEG1, M-JPEG. And

Palms support, and have supported, keyboards for years using the synch port, IR, or Bluetooth.

Depending on the Treo you have a built-in keyboard, on screen keyboard, and Grafitti. I actually have Grafitti 1 and 2 on mine if I want it. I prefer Graf1.

Comparing an older Palm with newer Windows Mobile isn't quite fair since it ignores the competition of the day. I started with a Hitachi H/PC with Windows CE1. Handwriting recognition was comically slow and the keyboard was too small. Grafitti may have required practice but it was about as fast as typing on the H/PC and it could be done without a desk (the H/PC was too big and the wrong shape to thumb-type).

Synch software from microsoft is just as buggy as anything from Palm. I've had to support everything from the Pilot & WinCE 1 to recent Axims, Jornadas and Treos. The same synch software, installed from the same CD, talking to the same PDA will may run stably on one just-unboxed-from-dell PC and not another. Drives me insane. On the whole, I've had more trouble with getting ActiveSync to work at all but probably more trouble getting HotSync to do something non-standard (like sync a 3rd party app).

I don't know what you mean by "customize the desktop" but you can acquire alternate launcher programs if you like that completely change the UI of the "OS" (meaning when no program is active.)

I'd like to mount my palm as a USB device without needing a 3rd party app (Missing Synch, CardExport, etc) too. I'd much prefer a mini-USB port.

You can get custom ROMs for Palms now; numerous homebrew ROMs exist to add/remove various applications and features. I would like that to continue. I want anything that must be GPLd to have its source properly released but I'm not so much of a info-anarchist to have a problem with closed source applications.

Tom-Tom has had PalmOS support for several years. I'm too lazy to figure out just how many years.

the simple fact is that most people don't watch videos on their PDAs. All treos (650 and later) have MP3 and/or video programs built in. If not, go download some freeware.

Core Media Player (TCMP) for PalmOS Supports: AVI (*.avi), Matroska (*.mkv, *.mka), MP4 (*.mp4, *.m4a), Ogg Media (*.ogg, *.ogm), ASF (*.asf), Mpeg 1 Layer III, Ogg Vorbis, Musepack, AC-3, AMR, Adpcm, uLaw, DivX, XviD, MPEG4-SP (plus B-frame support), MPEG1, M-JPEG. And

Palms support, and have supported, keyboards for years using the synch port, IR, or Bluetooth.

Depending on the Treo you have a built-in keyboard, on screen keyboard, and Grafitti. I actually have Grafitti 1 and 2 on mine if I want it. I prefer Graf1.

Comparing an older Palm with newer Windows Mobile isn't quite fair since it ignores the competition of the day. I started with a Hitachi H/PC with Windows CE1. Handwriting recognition was comically slow and the keyboard was too small. Grafitti may have required practice but it was about as fast as typing on the H/PC and it could be done without a desk (the H/PC was too big and the wrong shape to thumb-type).

Synch software from microsoft is just as buggy as anything from Palm. I've had to support everything from the Pilot & WinCE 1 to recent Axims, Jornadas and Treos. The same synch software, installed from the same CD, talking to the same PDA will may run stably on one just-unboxed-from-dell PC and not another. Drives me insane. On the whole, I've had more trouble with getting ActiveSync to work at all but probably more trouble getting HotSync to do something non-standard (like sync a 3rd party app).

I don't know what you mean by "customize the desktop" but you can acquire alternate launcher programs if you like that completely change the UI of the "OS" (meaning when no program is active.)

I'd like to mount my palm as a USB device without needing a 3rd party app (Missing Synch, CardExport, etc) too. I'd much prefer a mini-USB port.

You can get custom ROMs for Palms now; numerous homebrew ROMs exist to add/remove various applications and features. I would like that to continue. I want anything that must be GPLd to have its source properly released but I'm not so much of a info-anarchist to have a problem with closed source applications.

Tom-Tom has had PalmOS support for several years. I'm too lazy to figure out just how many years.

We are not "helping" to maintain bad work conditions , we (and indeed the entire global market, smug Europeans take note) are benefitting from China's own lack of regulatory oversight. It is ultimately the responsibility of a self sufficient nation, like China, to ensure the welfare of its own citizens (recognizing that there are places, like the Sudan where the government is not capable of this level of control).

There is a great book that anyone interested in this question should read: Rare Earth.

It is a very well-researched book that goes into great detail on all the different terms of the drake equation (and a few extra terms) and shows what the best scientific evidence suggests are the actual values for those terms. The bottom line of the book is that single-celled life is probably incredibly common, it's probably everywhere. Life that's big enough for you to actually see is probably pretty rare. Intelligent life is very rare, and technological civilizations are practically a miracle.

Wal*Mart does not have a line of DVD's. They retail DVD's manufactured by studios. Other retailers also have bargin bins. They are the same DVD's currently being sold in Blockbuster and Hollywood Video.

A prime example.. Ice Age or Ever After.. New $5.99. or Used at Blockbuster.. $12.95 & 14.95 respectively. (or 2 for $20.00) I got Ice Age and Ever After at the grocery store new. I got Open Season and Flushed Away used at 2 for $20. When the product is exactly the same, the low price is not and indicator of low quality.

I understand all that. Nevertheless, a great many DVD's have poor quality transfers. That's a fact. So, when I pay $9.99 for one of them, I'm not getting a good deal. That would be the equivalent of purchasing a $4.99 LP that was scratched all to hell. Many films are being remastered and re-released, at a higher price than they were originally released. Some films had sorry transfers. Some were widescreen, but not anamorphic. Compare the two releases of The Great Escape --- Cheapo non-anamorphic version vs. double cost anamorphic re-release (with extras disc).

Anyway, to make a long story short, I don't think DVD's are necessarily a terrific value when compared to CD's. Some are (James Bond Ultimate Edition comes to mind). But the movie studios need to get on the ball and have some uniform standards for releasing a film onto DVD --- anamorphic with a new hi def transfer is preferable.

This is also the subset of evangelicals who repudiate evolution, the age of the earth, and pretty much empirical, factual reality itself. They dismiss the findings of science as "materialism" and they hold that the conclusions they derive from their interpretation of the Bible (which they don't think is interpretation, even though it changes over the decades) have more value and authenticity than the findings of conventional science.

Reason magazine speaks to a different part of the Republican party. The libertarian-leaning Ron Paul faction has little in common with the Christian Dominionist faction, other than that they are both trying to steer the party towards their own political philosophy.

I know I've already linked to it, but please read Kingdom Coming. It may not be a perfect book, but it clarifies a lot of nagging issues that you see in the news. It's fascinating, and of course a bit frightening, to read that a sizeable number of people in the USA live by not just different beliefs, but by a different epistemology altogether. There is no common ground between them, and, well, Reason.

And before the "You hate all Christians! How sad." posters jump on me, don't. Just don't. I didn't say that, you know I didn't say that, and you can read my post to see that I didn't say that. Christian Dominionism exists, they (like Rushdoony) have written books, given speeches, and so on, and we can easily find out about them and their beliefs. They reject pluralistic society, reject science, and reject rationality. All while enjoying the fruits of pluralistic society and the scientific method. They don't represent all Christians, and I never said they did. Even the book I've linked repeatedly points out that they don't typify all Christians, or even all evangelicals. But they are quite prominent, and in fact finance the Creationist movement, the abstinence-only movement, and so on. So a lot of people who wouldn't agree with Rushdoony's more draconian ideas are still on board with them, meaning they have influence beyond their ostensible numbers.

This is also the subset of evangelicals who repudiate evolution, the age of the earth, and pretty much empirical, factual reality itself. They dismiss the findings of science as "materialism" and they hold that the conclusions they derive from their interpretation of the Bible (which they don't think is interpretation, even though it changes over the decades) have more value and authenticity than the findings of conventional science.

Reason magazine speaks to a different part of the Republican party. The libertarian-leaning Ron Paul faction has little in common with the Christian Dominionist faction, other than that they are both trying to steer the party towards their own political philosophy.

I know I've already linked to it, but please read Kingdom Coming. It may not be a perfect book, but it clarifies a lot of nagging issues that you see in the news. It's fascinating, and of course a bit frightening, to read that a sizeable number of people in the USA live by not just different beliefs, but by a different epistemology altogether. There is no common ground between them, and, well, Reason.

And before the "You hate all Christians! How sad." posters jump on me, don't. Just don't. I didn't say that, you know I didn't say that, and you can read my post to see that I didn't say that. Christian Dominionism exists, they (like Rushdoony) have written books, given speeches, and so on, and we can easily find out about them and their beliefs. They reject pluralistic society, reject science, and reject rationality. All while enjoying the fruits of pluralistic society and the scientific method. They don't represent all Christians, and I never said they did. Even the book I've linked repeatedly points out that they don't typify all Christians, or even all evangelicals. But they are quite prominent, and in fact finance the Creationist movement, the abstinence-only movement, and so on. So a lot of people who wouldn't agree with Rushdoony's more draconian ideas are still on board with them, meaning they have influence beyond their ostensible numbers.

A good many of those have poor transfers also

I've notice that for older films. This is especialy true for DVD's under $2. As a collector of the cartoons I grew up with, 2 hours of early animation at $99cents a copy is a much better value to me than 1950's rock and roll at $12.95 for 48 minutes of stuff.

Let's face it. I can buy a fairly recent (less than 5 years old) DVD for less than $6 new. Ice age and Ever After I just picked up at the grocery store for 5.95 each. Have you checked the price on 20 year old music on CD's? The RIAA hasn't got a clue. I do buy something other than overpriced CD's.

http://www.shop.com/op/~Dark_Side_of_the_Moon_SACD _CD_(Pink_Floyd)-prod-29774059-38976525?sourceid=2 98 Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. Now $32.99 was $47.38

http://www.towerrecords.com/product.aspx?pfid=1015 357 Beatles White Album Your Price: $28.99

http://www.amazon.com/Night-at-Opera-Queen/dp/B000 000OAN Queen Night at the Opera Price: $10.47 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25.

Now some older classis movies for comparison;

http://www.amazon.com/Fiddler-Roof-Special-Topol/d p/B00005N7YZ Fiddler on the Roof 17 used & new available from $16.95

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/search-ng.gsp?searc h_constraint=0&search_query=star%20wars%20dvds&adi d=0100000031361378202498 Star Wars trilogy 3 movies for about $10 each. List Price: $49.98
Our Price: $33.88

The RIAA can't figure out why I don't buy CD's..

More hints.. here is a list of DVD's at 5.99 Page 1 of 756 titles.
http://www.jr.com/JRSectionView.process?N=13326+16 5&Ne=160#Budget+DVD's

Of course, nearly any DVD from Criterion will be around $30. So, the price isn't that big of an issue for me.

There are people who do pay premium prices for premium content. There is a market for Cadilacs and Mercedez Benz, but the real money is in Wal * Mart. Trying to make a Mercedes the standard car of choice is going to have a tough run against the Toyota's.

The HD DVD manufactures are seeing this right now. Hummers were a hot item as was the Escalade. Casino Royale is a hot item, but it's not overtaking conventional DVD's anytime soon much like Hummers and Escalades are not overtaking Accords and Camerys. This is reflected in the number of unsold high priced titles.

A good many of those have poor transfers also

I've notice that for older films. This is especialy true for DVD's under $2. As a collector of the cartoons I grew up with, 2 hours of early animation at $99cents a copy is a much better value to me than 1950's rock and roll at $12.95 for 48 minutes of stuff.

Let's face it. I can buy a fairly recent (less than 5 years old) DVD for less than $6 new. Ice age and Ever After I just picked up at the grocery store for 5.95 each. Have you checked the price on 20 year old music on CD's? The RIAA hasn't got a clue. I do buy something other than overpriced CD's.

http://www.shop.com/op/~Dark_Side_of_the_Moon_SACD _CD_(Pink_Floyd)-prod-29774059-38976525?sourceid=2 98 Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. Now $32.99 was $47.38

http://www.towerrecords.com/product.aspx?pfid=1015 357 Beatles White Album Your Price: $28.99

http://www.amazon.com/Night-at-Opera-Queen/dp/B000 000OAN Queen Night at the Opera Price: $10.47 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25.

Now some older classis movies for comparison;

http://www.amazon.com/Fiddler-Roof-Special-Topol/d p/B00005N7YZ Fiddler on the Roof 17 used & new available from $16.95

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/search-ng.gsp?searc h_constraint=0&search_query=star%20wars%20dvds&adi d=0100000031361378202498 Star Wars trilogy 3 movies for about $10 each. List Price: $49.98
Our Price: $33.88

The RIAA can't figure out why I don't buy CD's..

More hints.. here is a list of DVD's at 5.99 Page 1 of 756 titles.
http://www.jr.com/JRSectionView.process?N=13326+16 5&Ne=160#Budget+DVD's

Of course, nearly any DVD from Criterion will be around $30. So, the price isn't that big of an issue for me.

There are people who do pay premium prices for premium content. There is a market for Cadilacs and Mercedez Benz, but the real money is in Wal * Mart. Trying to make a Mercedes the standard car of choice is going to have a tough run against the Toyota's.

The HD DVD manufactures are seeing this right now. Hummers were a hot item as was the Escalade. Casino Royale is a hot item, but it's not overtaking conventional DVD's anytime soon much like Hummers and Escalades are not overtaking Accords and Camerys. This is reflected in the number of unsold high priced titles.

I've read ChickenHawk. In that he describes "chopping" his way out of jungle clearings using the rotors on a huey. So rotors can certainly take some damage. However it is still a relative weak point (weaker relative to other parts).

Actually, Rome has been in a constant state of urban renewal for thousands of years -many buildinngs that would probably be considered architecturally and historically important were torn down and recycled

the coliseum like many other buildings that were no longer in use (abandoned temples etc) provided building materials for new churches and other buldings.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Coliseum

there's a pretty good book about michaelangelo and the sistine chapel which gives a good account of the terrible condition that many of Rome's buildings were in at that time -many of the buildings were just allowed to fall apart because they were considered to have been profane, etc and due to lack of civic government, etc

http://www.amazon.com/Michelangelo-Popes-Ceiling-R oss-King/dp/0142003697

It also has a good mixture of history and politics of the time as well as the technologies used to paint the symbol and how frescoes are made (way different than regular painting by the way, due to the fact that the color is applied to moist plaster)

-I'm just sayin'

No, that was Richard Brodie, who had a hand in WinWord. Charles is the guy who did Word for DOS (that I still use primarily, with WinWord only for gui formatting). At least that is what books at the time say.

I never heard of Richard Brodie until he started promoting himself at the World Series of Poker, main event.

What about when you're coding without Internet access? O'Reilly's Python Pocket Reference has served me well on many a long flight. It's also light reading for the cafeteria when I'm at work.

I think the positive effects of video games are always ignored.

Think about what you do at work all day. You must make quick decisions based on imperfect information and limited resources. You don't know how clients/bosses will react, and you never have all of the information necessary. You have to use limited resources (ie time and $$$) to complete the task, and any actions you take will have an effect on the future.

Now think about video games, even one as "mindless" as Doom. Do you use the Shotgun now, or save the bullets for a possible upcoming Boss battle? Do you use your health pack now or save it for later? Do you spend time searching for bullets or push forth low on ammo?

Video games literally train your brain to consider future possibilities (risk/reward) and use your resources in the most efficient manner to maximize your success. Even if you aren't consciously doing these tasks, your brain is making these "connections".

Stephen Johnson has a great read on subjects like this.

Not to side track your argument, but both Animal Farm and 1984 actually happened in an actual country between 1917 and 1937.

It struck me odd after reading Edvard Radzinsky's book on Stalin how Stalin's life really mirrored Orwell's stories.

The point of the Television devices in 1984 weren't actually that technology controls society, but to rather to show the prevalence of informants amount the people. During the "Great Purges" of the 1930's everyone turned in everyone to the state for thought crimes. There was a statue built for a young boy who turned his parents in for plotting against Stalin.

Not to mention Stalin actually had government apartments for government officials with built in audio devices to listen for treason.

There were accounts of people on trial that confessed with tears they loved Stalin and admitted to every insane crime they were accused of and begged to be punished for their crimes.

So it is safe to say 1984 did happen and it wasn't about the CCTV issue but rather an allegory to that era.

Better read this:

http://www.amazon.com/QoS-MPLS-Networks-Networking -Technology/dp/1587052334

Well, there has been much sci-fi written about how changing technology or the difficulties of human space colonization could make a Marxist revolution more likely or more succesfully. Probably the best example I could think of is Kim Stanley Robinson's trilogy beginning with Red Mars , where the author has the revolutionaries who seek to break free from Earth speak at length about how certain Communist concepts may be applicable to their situation.

Just a month ago I agreed that there wouldn't be much demand for HD DVD/Blu-Ray since few people have HDTVs. But I've been noticing more and more television programming being broadcast in high-definition and got interested in two particular types of show: sports and nature documentaries. The series Planet Earth looks particularly cool so I checked into HDTV prices.

I found a nice 32" LCD 720p set for $904, having fallen from around $1200 a few months ago to below the magic $1000 mark. I've always thought that $1000 for a TV is really expensive but then realized that I just spent $2000 on a MacBook Pro in November. Maybe it's not so crazy to spend that much on a nice 32" display with at least the same resolution as my computer.

I was about to buy that set, but then saw a newer 32" LCD 1080p set for $1100. So I'm selling my old Powerbook and 25" conventional TV to buy a cool new HDTV.

I'm missing the airing of Planet Earth in the meantime and I'd like to buy it on disc, but DVDs would miss tons of resolution. So I'll likely be in the market for a high-definition player within a year. HD DVD and Blu-Ray discs might not be selling much yet, but I bet sales will grow tremendously as more affordable sets become popular and one of the discs wins the format war.

AlpineR

Just a month ago I agreed that there wouldn't be much demand for HD DVD/Blu-Ray since few people have HDTVs. But I've been noticing more and more television programming being broadcast in high-definition and got interested in two particular types of show: sports and nature documentaries. The series Planet Earth looks particularly cool so I checked into HDTV prices.

I found a nice 32" LCD 720p set for $904, having fallen from around $1200 a few months ago to below the magic $1000 mark. I've always thought that $1000 for a TV is really expensive but then realized that I just spent $2000 on a MacBook Pro in November. Maybe it's not so crazy to spend that much on a nice 32" display with at least the same resolution as my computer.

I was about to buy that set, but then saw a newer 32" LCD 1080p set for $1100. So I'm selling my old Powerbook and 25" conventional TV to buy a cool new HDTV.

I'm missing the airing of Planet Earth in the meantime and I'd like to buy it on disc, but DVDs would miss tons of resolution. So I'll likely be in the market for a high-definition player within a year. HD DVD and Blu-Ray discs might not be selling much yet, but I bet sales will grow tremendously as more affordable sets become popular and one of the discs wins the format war.

AlpineR

Young programmers, here is how to be better than 99% of your competition: buy and read "Code Complete" http://www.amazon.com/Code-Complete-Second-Steve-M cConnell/dp/0735619670/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-2943223 -4107013?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1176100440&sr=8-1.

So it's no wonder that corporations will be providing funding to universities. It's just a continuation of the trend that has been followed for around the past 1000 years, or longer if you want to go back to ancient Rome, Greece, Egypt and Sumer.

It is the distaste of every single human being that is not a paeodphile.

Incorrect. I can cite a number of examples from Judith Levine to Dr Fred Berlin, to my uncle (who told me in confidence, of a fond friendship he had for his neighbor when hew as kid). There are entire cultures that are permissive of this group. There have been entire cultures in the past that encouraged this.

The REAL fact is that most people in our culture agree with you. Stating more than that is simply a bald faced exageration.

Because genetically, memetically and instinctively human beings are coded to be disgusted by paedophilia

Incorrect. No less than two dozen cultures in recorded human history took a neutral view of the act of adults having sex with children. No less than four cultures in recorded human history (several quite long lasting) took a positive view of it. It is very difficult to argue for a genetic aversion with these facts in mind.

We don't even want you in our species so we're not likely to give a shit about your civil rights ever.

There is not much a point of the concept of "rights" unles they are accorded to everyone. If they are not, then they are, by definition, NOT "rights", but "conditional entitlements" or "likely situations" or somesuch nonsense.

No parent wants to even countenance the prospect of anyone that is "attracted to children" being anywhere near their kids.

This is patently false. Dutch researcher Theo Sandfort found that almost one quarter of parents knew of their child's interaction and relationship with a pedophile in his study Boys on their Contacts with Men. This was in 1970s Amsterdam, which was a very permissive culture. I think there is some truth to your statement in modern American culture, but it is not, as you so fervently claim, a biological imperative. It is simply your desire to believe it is so that your revulsion is more properly justified.

Furthermore we, and yes I do feel apt to speak on behalf of the entire human race, don't want anyone to get even the slightest impression that eroticising infants or engaging in sexual acts with minors is in any way acceptable or tolerable. Nor will it ever be.

I guess I may as well point out that throughout human history, it was more often than not common for a monther to masturbate or fellate their young boys to comfort them. It was actually reasonably common in SE Asian and South Pacific cultures until just a few years ago after the import of many customs and values of western countries. While this is not by my definition "sexualizing" them, it does fall into "sexual acts" as you mention and though I'm glad you purport to speak on behalf of the entire human race, I find it a bit of a *yawn* since you clearly have no context from which to speak, except your own.

Paedophiles are not 'a people'. They do not represent a body of individuals united by race, gender, religion or creed.

Even if you feel that pedophiles deserve no standing or special protections, it is hard to reconcile the message of your post with the wording of your post, because the two directly contradict eachother. You frequently refer to pedophiles as "a group" having special characteristics, but then lash out to claim that they are not a group, but merely a "collection" of sickos. Your indignation and distaste make your post almost patently absurd on face, except that you garner a degree of sympathy for the fact that most people will tend to agree with some of your assertions.

As long as there is a human race, those conducting acts of paedophilia or indeed confessing to be paedophiles will be persecuted and/or prosecuted.

I think "vast sums of money in government handouts" is a bit overblown. The entire budget for the U.S. National Institute of Science (NIST) is about $640 million for 2008. According to this summary, about $5 million of that was set aside for "Measurements and Standards for the Climate Change Science Program" (although NASA and NOAA probably spend a lot more). Exxon Mobil alone is making 10 billion dollars of profit (not revenue) every 3 months. Who is getting the "vast sums of money"?
 
I suspect this fear of environmentalists is mostly just a fear that someone will try to tell you what you should (or should not) do, and you might not like what they say. That is understandable. However, the mentaility of the lone rugged individualist "doin what I want with MY land" has always been a false abstraction even when people were spread thin, as no piece of land exists in isolation from the rest (unless you happen to live in the biosphere project ;-). It is suicidal when applied to a population approaching 7 billion armed with technology, a market-driven mythology of infinite growth, and 10 million gallons a minute of oil equivalent fossil energy (to put this number into perspective, one gallon of gasoline provides usable energy equivalent to about 2 months worth of human physical labor. Thus, every minute, fossil fuels provide the equivalent energy of over 200 billion extra humans working).
 
And why the hyperbole of "Gaia-worship-by-force"? Most enviromentalists I know are exquisitely practical in their thinking. They see systems in operation that SIMPLY CANNOT BE SUSTAINED OVER TIME and treat this as a problem to be solved. I suspect that you too would acknowledge, if asked in a respectful manner and encouraged to extrapolate things you already observe or believe, that things cannot go on this way much longer. Environmentalists look for workable solutions to this dilemma that can be applied early enough that there is some hope of having an effect before critical natural systems reach a point where they essentially fail to operate. Mostly they want to start by leveling the playing field for alternatives, or by giving them a minor start-up boost to help overcome the inertia of entrenched approaches.
 
As for Gaia worship, yes, environmentalists frequently look to biological systems for guidance. This is because they are the only systems known that can continue to operate successfully for extended time periods without catastrophic failure. Properly cared for farmland can be (and has been) productive for tens or hundreds of generations WITH NO EXTERNAL INPUTS except for the input of the sun and the natural distribution mechnisms of the water, carbon and other cycles. No technological solution ever devised can come close to doing this (the majority of farming done today is an industrial process for turning petroleum and natural gas into food--see The Omnivore's Dilemma for a good exploration of this).
 
Again, I ask, what is the program? Because one's personal unease with the consequences being a sprawling race on a fragile lifeboat is no substitute for a workable plan.