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Don't forget the Hippocratic oath.

> Y: Democratically endorsed theft at implied gunpoint.

By the way, let's not confuse hyperbole with reality. Hyperbole is "implied."

"Implied" gunpoint would be better (more realistically) described as "at the threat of gunpoint", or, better yet, "at the threat of physical harm, or, resisting sufficiently, death."

So, taxation is democratically endorsed theft, which is to say, taking something that doesn't belong to you by action or threat of action, and "democratically endorsed" means "lots of people". And, of course, it isn't any old theft, it is "larceny from the person or presence of another by violence or threat", or robbery.


So, taxation boils down to "lots of people robbing you of your money."


(You wish you could reverse engineer stuff, too, don't you? I'll bet you really do, don't you?)"

> Y: Democratically endorsed theft at implied gunpoint.

By the way, let's not confuse hyperbole with reality. Hyperbole is "implied."

"Implied" gunpoint would be better (more realistically) described as "at the threat of gunpoint", or, better yet, "at the threat of physical harm, or, resisting sufficiently, death."

So, taxation is democratically endorsed theft, which is to say, taking something that doesn't belong to you by action or threat of action, and "democratically endorsed" means "lots of people". And, of course, it isn't any old theft, it is "larceny from the person or presence of another by violence or threat", or robbery.


So, taxation boils down to "lots of people robbing you of your money."


(You wish you could reverse engineer stuff, too, don't you? I'll bet you really do, don't you?)"

> Y: Democratically endorsed theft at implied gunpoint.

By the way, let's not confuse hyperbole with reality. Hyperbole is "implied."

"Implied" gunpoint would be better (more realistically) described as "at the threat of gunpoint", or, better yet, "at the threat of physical harm, or, resisting sufficiently, death."

So, taxation is democratically endorsed theft, which is to say, taking something that doesn't belong to you by action or threat of action, and "democratically endorsed" means "lots of people". And, of course, it isn't any old theft, it is "larceny from the person or presence of another by violence or threat", or robbery.


So, taxation boils down to "lots of people robbing you of your money."


(You wish you could reverse engineer stuff, too, don't you? I'll bet you really do, don't you?)"

I already use manual smart tags when browsing the web. Using a combination of lynx, gpm, and Surfraw, I can highlight any word or phrase, switch to another virtual console, type in either "webster" (for a dictionary lookup) or "google" (for a google lookup), then paste in the term I'm interested in. I then hit return, and *BAM* I've got my results. I do this a lot. I would jump at the chance of having a one or two click process to do this for me. I might be willing to switch to IE as my Windows GUI browser for this functionality. I would be willing to start trying Mozilla if it added this feature. I would definitely be willing to install a proxy to filter out the META disabling tag, if it seems necessary. Any web authors out there who have pages that already provide Merriam-Webster and Google search links for all possible terms and phrases in the page can feel free to ignore me. The rest should get off this moral high horse of "I don't want them changing my web page."

Pooh-Bah or Poo-Bah

Um, first, that would be "asynchronous", and second, the word you're looking for is probably asymmetric(al)". Mmkay? ;^)

Um, first, that would be "asynchronous", and second, the word you're looking for is probably asymmetric(al)". Mmkay? ;^)

See "sarcasm"...

Merriam-Webster defines fraud as this--

Main Entry: fraud
Pronunciation: 'frod
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English fraude, from Middle French, from Latin fraud-, fraus Date: 14th century
1 a : DECEIT, TRICKERY; specifically : intentional perversion of truth in order to induce another to part with something of value or to surrender a legal right b : an act of deceiving or misrepresenting : TRICK
2 a : a person who is not what he or she pretends to be : IMPOSTOR; also : one who defrauds : CHEAT b : one that is not what it seems or is represented to be
synonym see DECEPTION, IMPOSTURE

Now, reading the link in the story (the ruling), it appears this guy was putting false return addresses (this falls under the definition of "fraud"), listing false subject lines in his messages (also "fraud"), and when he DID list valid e-mail addresses, they were usually shut down within 1-2 days because the hoster realized it was a spam account.. he knew this happened, and he never checked the accounts or removed people from his listing (since I'm assuming he made some offer to remove people, that would be "fraud" too).

Maybe your version of "fraud" is different from mine, but I wouldn't say it's an awfully strong word for the situation.

Yes! For example, it's not unusual for me to highlight a word on a page and then copy-and-paste it into Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary. You've already mentioned Google (another one that I use a lot). I could also see everything2.com being a popular destination -- no longer would we have to rely on Slashdot editors placing those E2 "[?]" links on stories.

Also nice would be the ability to turn on an auto-URL parser for those cases where people fail to provide anchors on their URLs (for example, certain Slashdot posters are guilty of this, and FAQs that were published on the web as straight .txt files generally have the same problem).

http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?va=fatuous

i've found my new word for the day.

Excellent. Reminds me of the Windows/Office XP registration bogosity, where you have to get permission from MSFT to continue running the software you (most likely) paid for if you ever upgrade your motherboard or hard drive, or if BillG just feels like making you say "Uncle."

This momentous event has inspired me to coin a neologism (note 1) describing software or hardware products whose vendors exercise an inappropriate, unwarranted, and unsolicited degree of remote control over its post-purchase operation:

Tetherware.

Google doesn't find any occurrences of the term on either WWW or Usenet, so I hereby claim all proprietary IP rights to the word "tetherware" and all variants thereof on an exclusive worldwide basis.

Happily, a license to propagate this meme is available for only $1 per use, payable via PayPal to jmiles@pop.net. Use of the term "tetherware," in public or private, without remittance of the license fee will result in the remote disabling of your personal communications apparatus via techniques previously employed by Vader et al., Imperial Business Software Alliance, c. 1977.

I've even come up with a tres trendy slogan for my new invention:

"Tetherware: Where do you want to be dragged kicking and screaming today?"

(Note 1: If you don't know what a "neologism" is, see http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?neologism and choose the meaning that most clearly applies.)

" Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

And you are incorrect in your definition of federalism. Federalism is: "The distribution of power in an organization (as a government) between a central authority and the constituent units". It is established in the 10th Amendment by saying "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people." And it is exactly the ideas of federalism that caused the 1st Amendment to be written as it is.

Try reading it sometime. You would be suprised how few people have.

Just my two cents.

Hi Alex -
You were on The Daily Show awhile back, weren't you? If I'm recalling right, you were very entertaining on the show :)

However, I wanted to know that your rings provide imortality, right? Well.... all debates about the scientific properties aside, exactly 'how immortal' do your rings make their wearers?

Merriam-Webster defines immortality as an unending existence, being exempt from death, or being exempt from oblivion . If your rings provided that quality - how do you postulate the future conditions of the earth, and your ring-wearers' ability to survive in less-than-ideal conditions? Extreme cold? Lack of food? Toxic atmosphere? By Webster's definition of immortality, I would imagine being able to do all the things Superman does - tunnel through the earth, fly around the sun, hang out in the Fortress of Solitude... well, maybe not that last one, but you get what I'm saying.

How do your rings account for these extreme conditions, assuming that they will 'prevent death'?

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Of course, again, we don't know what's in a declaration of goodwill. If we're going to guess, let's use the most accurate definitions: according to the Lectric Law Library definition of "declaration":

A declaration is a written statement submitted to a court in which the writer swears 'under penalty of perjury' that the contents are true. That is, the writer acknowledges that if he is lying, he may be prosecuted for perjury. Declarations are normally used in place of live testimony when the court is asked to rule on a motion.

A typical declaration sets forth the factual assertions of the person signing it (called the declarant) and ends with a statement worded like this one: 'I declare under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true and correct, and would be my testimony if I were in a court of law.' The date and place of signing are usually included.

Next, let's look at the Merriam-Webster definition of "goodwill":

Main Entry: goodwill
Pronunciation: "gud-'wil
Function: noun
Date: before 12th century
1 a : a kindly feeling of approval and support : benevolent interest or concern b (1) : the favor or prestige that a business has acquired beyond the mere value of what it sells (2) : the value of projected earnings increases of a business especially as part of its purchase price (3) : the value of other intangible assets (as tax credits) of a business especially as part of its purchase price
2 a : cheerful consent b : willing effort
- goodwilled /-'wild/ adjective

We combine the two, and get, essentially, a document saying, under penalty of perjury, you're inclined to feel kindly toward this movie. (NOTE: IANAL, and that may not even be a correct guess.)

Of course, how can they tell if you're lying? Even if you're inclined to feel kindly toward a movie doesn't mean you necessarily have to like it. I felt kindly toward Soldier going into it, since I like Kurt Russel and I like action movies. But it was utterly awful!
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• QUIT CALLING IT PIRACY

From Merriam-Webster:

Piracy: 3: the unauthorized use of another's production, invention, or conception especially in infringement of a copyright

Sorry, we lost that hearts and minds battle a while ago. :( You're damn straight about the rest of it though, the RIAA couldn't care less about artists.

We don't even know what a spade *is*.

From Merriam-Webster Online:

Main Entry: spade
Pronunciation: 'spAd
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English spadu; akin to Greek spathE blade of a sword or oar
Date: before 12th century
1 : a digging implement adapted for being pushed into the ground with the foot
2 : a spade-shaped instrument

I'd say we're pretty clear on what a "spade" is, dude.

No need to go to a German translation; it's a word that appears in most good English dictionaries.

• copyright infringer (sometimes erroneously referred to as "thief")

No, but we are pirates. FYI, Merriam-Webster has expanded their definition of "piracy":

• 3 : the unauthorized use of another's production, invention, or conception especially in infringement of a copyright

And your counter argument iiiiiiiis?

Incidentally, I notice that Merriam-Webster has (genuinely) added this to their definition of piracy:

• 3 : the unauthorized use of another's production, invention, or conception especially in infringement of a copyright

So we can no longer claim accurately that "software piracy" is a misnomer because the owner isn't deprived of property. Theft however still requires deprivation of an object, so I'm a pirate, but not a thief. Hurrah.

Uh... "provides evidence for" != proof.

I mean no disrespect to you. I thought evidence means proof. I checked http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?evidence and found "b : something that furnishes proof". If the title of the story used another meaning, then I misread it and my comment was unwarrented..

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I have my data backed up on 3 sets of Cds that are enlosed in plastic box designed to keep static out (also good against water). Two are stored off site(e.g. my grandfathers house and my uncle's house). The third is stored in my basement. All three are placed in a protective environment. My uncle keeps it in his safe, my grandfather has it in a locked steel box and I keep mine in a firesafe box.

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A few words in defense of "I could care less."

www.m-w.com: According to one theory, it's because I could care less has an emphatically sarcastic ring to it when spoken. Since it's difficult to sound sarcastic in print, the older I couldn't care less continues to be used there. But that's pure conjecture.

AUE FAQ has some other opposite idioms and their etymology.

I have an intuition that bughunter's prosaic style mimics Jeter's. Given that, I had more than enough difficulty stomaching the review, let alone trying to dig through the novel in question!

'Dark speculation' is one thing, but from the sounds of it, and from the comments already posted, this book sounds like:

a) A load of tripe
b) A really poor attempt at winning the Bulwer-Lytton competition.
c) A late and poorly executed April Fool's joke.
d) A waste of good reading time.
e) All of the above.

I think I'll spend my book $$$ and reading time on something a little more interesting and culturally and historically significant.

-drin

I know a lot of so called "Uncle Toms" and they are just hard working americans trying to escape from the "African American" culture which breeds ignorance.

What I find interesting is the idea of using that to make virtual worlds more lifelike. Sure, you wouldn't see an ad for Coca-Cola in Everquest or Asheron's Call without suffering a bit of disbelief--but imagine a futuristic cyberpunk virtual world project like Neocron, whose screenshots already reveal advertisements for fictitious in-game products like "Tyrell Bionic Implants". In fact, in the Miscellaneous section of their FAQ, they note:

Are there any plans on how to keep the cost of the game down?
There may be billboards around the city advertising "real" products, which will help to keep the cost down and give the game a more realistic touch. The billboard advertisements will fit in with the theme of Neocron.

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Um, "steeped"? He mentioned it, what, once? Or are you unhappy with "Apocalypse" in general? See etymology at http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?va=apocalyps e .

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Yes, I am quite aware that the German word for window is das Fenster (remember to capitalize nouns in German), but fenestration is the layout of windows and doors of a building, and from Merriam Webster:
One entry found for defenestration.

Main Entry: defenestration
Pronunciation: (")dE-"fe-n&-'strA-sh&n
Function: noun
Etymology: de- + Latin fenestra window
Date: 1620
: a throwing of a person or thing out of a window
- defenestrate /(")dE-'fe-n&-"strAt/ transitive verb

also see The Defenestration of Prague

defenestration = deforestation? GAH!

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My favorite quote:
"If CDs were as hard to copy as DVDs or VHS tapes or even books, we would not be going through anything like what we're going through now with Napster or Gnutella."

I find it funny that this guy does not know what he is talking about.

• Copying DVDs is easy. Rip, Divx and burn.
• I don't know about you but I've been copying VHS sence age 10.
• I have at least a dozen books(all computer related)downloaded off different sites.

And no. Even if the RIAA offered fair priced e-music they are to late. Most people are familiar with existing P2P and would not swich to a service that they have to start paying for.

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Main Entry: 3moot
Function: adjective
Date: circa 1587
1 a : open to question : DEBATABLE b : subjected to discussion : DISPUTED
2 : deprived of practical significance : made abstract or purely academic

Fuck off.

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I don't mean to split hairs, but the word "virii" makes my skin crawl, the same way "irregardless" or "it's" used possessively does...

I'll shut up now... :-)

-B

computer
Pronunciation: k&m-'pyü-t&r
Function: noun
Usage: often attributive
Date: 1646
: one that computes; specifically : a programmable electronic device that can store, retrieve, and process data
bold emphasis mine

How many 17th century computing machines are you familiar with?

Having trouble finding online dictionaries?
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Patrick Doyle

definition of can't from www.dictionary.com:

"can't \Can't\ A colloquial contraction for can not."

Colloquial means that it is used in conversation, but is not valid English.

Bad example, There's no such word as "can't".

Hmm. Webster's says that either rivalled or rivaled is correct. Bummer.

The rhyme came from one of Martin Gardner's most excellent Scientific American Books of Mathematical Puzzles and Diversions. I'll have to look and see what spelling he used. :-(

Congrats on your spelling. :-)

You know who to blame this on? Liberals.

Then there's the propogandists, your Al Sharptons and Jessie Jacksons, who make everything an issue of race.

It's funny how "neutral" has become a subjective word.

You know who to blame this on? Liberals.

Then there's the propogandists, your Al Sharptons and Jessie Jacksons, who make everything an issue of race.

It's funny how "neutral" has become a subjective word.

You know who to blame this on? Liberals.

Then there's the propogandists, your Al Sharptons and Jessie Jacksons, who make everything an issue of race.

It's funny how "neutral" has become a subjective word.

You know who to blame this on? Liberals.

Then there's the propogandists, your Al Sharptons and Jessie Jacksons, who make everything an issue of race.

It's funny how "neutral" has become a subjective word.

You know who to blame this on? Liberals.

Then there's the propogandists, your Al Sharptons and Jessie Jacksons, who make everything an issue of race.

It's funny how "neutral" has become a subjective word.

First attested in the mid-1800s, orientate is simply a longer way to say orient.