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Even China's "avant garde" attack on formats which don't fill China's mafia government Treasury is behind the vanguard of the Internet. The way to do half of what China is trying is to just release the DRM-free EVD format on the Web. Codec plugins, players, and encoded content (all open source so we can tell the Chinese haven't included any trojans). Even dual DVD/EVD-R HW, so we can backup our DVDs to EVDs, with PC connections so we can move our content across the Net. EVD would quickly dilute DVD, especially if cheap Chinese HW preferred EVD for features like sharing.

The other half, which that strategy wouldn't do, is lock us into some Chinese format instead of DVD. We might not pay Chinese crony corps royalties this generation, but there's no way to stop them from using some lockin on the next gen, like when they increase density for HD-EVD, or some other creepy strategy they learned from the current Euramerican masters of the game. Releasing the format as a data format in open source rather than a HW format (ie. discs only) means that their attempt to upsell would be just another fork, which the rest of the world could ignore in favor of anyone's alternative upgrades.

I think DVD Jon should start giving code to some real "maverick" Chinese manufacturers right away.

Mute = myoot. As in unable to speak.

Moot = moot. Little practical value or meaning.

It's one of those things like "another words" / "in other words".

Mute = myoot. As in unable to speak.

Moot = moot. Little practical value or meaning.

It's one of those things like "another words" / "in other words".

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/recall

A recall actually requires the old product to be returned. They are simply providing replacement straps, they don't want the originals back. It's a replacement.

Compare:

Compare:

You can't have faith in something that you've seen, or that is absolute.

I wish I knew what idiot modded you up. Apparently he doesn't own a dictionary either.

This is NOT what faith means. The first definition of faith in any dictionary, including a late 1800s bible dictionary, says nothing about that.

2. a person or thing that is a representative, advocate, type, or symbol of something

1. Exclusive control by one group of the means of producing or selling a commodity or service: "Monopoly frequently ... arises from government support or from collusive agreements among individuals" (Milton Friedman).
2. Law A right granted by a government giving exclusive control over a specified commercial activity to a single party.
3. 1. A company or group having exclusive control over a commercial activity.
   2. A commodity or service so controlled.
   3. Exclusive possession or control: arrogantly claims to have a monopoly on the truth.
   4. Something that is exclusively possessed or controlled: showed that scientific achievement is not a male monopoly.
4. 1. Exclusive possession or control: arrogantly claims to have a monopoly on the truth.
   2. Something that is exclusively possessed or controlled: showed that scientific achievement is not a male monopoly.

but the problem with de jure...

The phrase is "du jour", literally translated it means "Of the day".

LK

...If you are arrogant enough to not want his forgiveness...

This one caused me to do a double-take. Are we using the same word?

Arrogant: making claims or pretensions to superior importance or rights; overbearingly assuming; insolently proud 1

Have I mocked YOU for your religious beliefs? Have you mocked ME for my (lack of?) religious beliefs? Who is being arrogant here?

The 1st Amendment of the U.S. Constitution clearly says that I am free to worship in any manner I please. So are you. Respect is recursive; I have several Christian neighbors, some are even "fundies". We get along just fine. We rely on MUTUAL respect to do so.

Or, as my Grandma once explained it: do unto others as you would have them do on to you. Not for want of heaven, nor fear of hell, but out of simple human decency.

So a fact is, by your definition, something that is universally true and doesnt change?

By most other peoples definitions a fact is just a peice of information.

so when you argue that facts dont change, you are just using a circular argument based on your own incrorrect definition. Facts change, deal with it.

Honour is English, baka. Why should the rest of the world have to compensate for lazy Americans who drop letters from words just for the sake of convenience. (Colour is another of my favourite annoyances, too.)

Satire.

Try aurally.

When's the last time you referred to memory as Double Data Rate Random Access Memory rather than DDR RAM? If you work with something every day, you tend to shorten things. You also define terms more specifically than general usage (RAM vs memory).

This is true. However, in the case of IED vs. booby trap; both terms have the same number of syllables (unless someone has figured out a way to pronounce IED as a word on its own without sounding like a complete idiot). Double Data Rate Random Access Memory has 12 syllables, DDR-RAM has four when pronounced D-D-R-RAM. It is often shortened even further to RAM, which has only one syllable. IED doesn't even have the excuse of having a more concise pronunciation. When it takes you the same amount of time to say the acronym rather than the actual term, it's a useless bloody acronym. Granted, it's still quicker to write than "booby trap," but still.

Not that the term "booby trap" doesn't sound silly enough in its own right, even if you take the word "booby" in its original context to mean "a stupid person; dunce" and not the part of Janet Jackson's anatomy that was exposed on television. The English language definitely needs some refinement.

1. exclusive control of a commodity or service in a particular market, or a control that makes possible the manipulation of prices.
2. an exclusive privilege to carry on a business, traffic, or service, granted by a government.
3. the exclusive possession or control of something.

That'll teach me to use the preview!

Wealthy: having great wealth; rich; affluent:

Rich: having wealth or great possessions; abundantly supplied with resources, means, or funds; wealthy

Your earned/inherited distinction isn't supported by evidence.

That'll teach me to use the preview!

Wealthy: having great wealth; rich; affluent:

Rich: having wealth or great possessions; abundantly supplied with resources, means, or funds; wealthy

Your earned/inherited distinction isn't supported by evidence.

having wealth or great possessions; abundantly supplied with resources, means, or funds; wealthy" No mention of when or how said money was acquired. having great wealth; rich; affluent: a wealthy person; a wealthy nation. . The only forign dictionary I have to hand is Dutch, and they translate both as rijk.

Property:
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/property

Not all definitions of property is a tengible thing.

Of course there is "intellectual property". It is defined, written into law, and used in course.

Flame: to insult or criticize angrily

Well in British english that means a child molestor

The actual meaning of nonce: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/nonce
The jargon used in Cryptography: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryptographic_nonce

"Censorship" means literally "evaluation"; Roman Censors [wikipedia.org] used to watch over the Republic's morals and had a few other duties (including the census).

Censor

intolerance /ntlrns/ -noun
1. lack of toleration; unwillingness or refusal to tolerate or respect contrary opinions or beliefs , persons of different races or backgrounds, etc.

Here are some helpful links for both of you responders:

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=exposing
http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=pseudosci ence

And most importantly:

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=bias (specifically "favouring of one or other (side in an argument etc) rather than remaining neutral")

By definition, "exposing creationist pseudoscience" is a biased statement, even though it's not a bad thing and in fact can be said to be an accurate description of the site.

Here are some helpful links for both of you responders:

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=exposing
http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=pseudosci ence

And most importantly:

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=bias (specifically "favouring of one or other (side in an argument etc) rather than remaining neutral")

By definition, "exposing creationist pseudoscience" is a biased statement, even though it's not a bad thing and in fact can be said to be an accurate description of the site.

Here are some helpful links for both of you responders:

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=exposing
http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=pseudosci ence

And most importantly:

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=bias (specifically "favouring of one or other (side in an argument etc) rather than remaining neutral")

By definition, "exposing creationist pseudoscience" is a biased statement, even though it's not a bad thing and in fact can be said to be an accurate description of the site.

De-indexes? That word "de-indexes" does not exist! Not from any English dictionary! The word that captures the meaning of the heading should be "deindexes" that comes from the word "deindex" as defined over here: http://dictionary.reference.com/search?r=2&q=deind ex. Note the absence of that little dash.

The fact that "some of her favorites" included Dan Brown novels points to an obvious character flaw (well..at LEAST one) and a serious lack of intelligence. He made an accurate judgement call based upon the fact that he had never met someone previously who enjoyed a Dan Brown that didn't occasionally have fits of chest slapping/attempts to bite their own ear. While this may be a stereotype, and you are OBVIOUSLY the self-righteous asshole who says "Stereotypes are bad!! You should judge every person you meet for the person they are INSIDE!!!!!1!", I and 95% of the rest of humanity couldn't give a fuck. Stereotypes exist because they work. For example:

Man sees bear.
Man recognizes that bear could possibly maul and/or kill man.
Man finds ways to avoid or escape an encounter with said bear.

Stereotype is defined as: 4. Sociology. a simplified and standardized conception or image invested with special meaning and held in common by members of a group.

Just because 1 in 1000 bears may be cuddly and playful rather than deadly and violent does not make the stereotype incorrect.

Also, by ending things at this point and not "taking a chance" as you would likely put it, he is saving time and possible heartache for her rather than taking advantage of her and presenting himself as a pseudo-cultured, pompous, self-important cock, then using this false image of himself to take advantage of her and use her until he is done with her and kicking her to the curb.

Did I sum up your method of preying on women correctly or did I miss something?

Instead of being a prickface about his comment, you could have decided to take it for face value, in the manner that he intended it...in other words, to be humorous.

Below me.

I agree, confuse more than amuse, but also "amaze,..., stun" which is the way I read it. (remember to cite your sources) http://thesaurus.reference.com/browse/bemuse

You keep using that word. I do not think it means what I think it means...

(Just hoping you didn't get that from a Word of the Day or similar ;)

In the words of Inigo Montoya, "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."

Pun is different from taking a popular-culture reference, such as The Lord of the Rings, and using a slant rhyme to make a humorous approximation of words that is relevant to the conversation at hand.

...you might even call your mistake ironic, no?

[and the correct answer is no, it is not ironic]

/EnglishMajorRant

In the words of Inigo Montoya, "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."

Pun is different from taking a popular-culture reference, such as The Lord of the Rings, and using a slant rhyme to make a humorous approximation of words that is relevant to the conversation at hand.

...you might even call your mistake ironic, no?

[and the correct answer is no, it is not ironic]

/EnglishMajorRant

What, free rein? I do not think you should be correcting people when you do not know what it is that you are saying.

An economic doctrine that opposes governmental regulation of or interference in commerce beyond the minimum necessary for a free-enterprise system to operate according to its own economic laws. ...
Noninterference in the affairs of others. ...
An economic theory from the 18th century that is strongly opposed to any government intervention in business affairs. Sometimes referred to as "Let it be economics." ...
People who support a laissez faire system are against minimum wages, duties, and any other trade restrictions. ...
French for "leave alone." ...
Of, relating to, or being an economy devoid of government interference. ...
With minimally restricted freedom in commerce.

A French phrase meaning "let do, let go, let pass." From the French diction first used by the eighteenth century Physiocrats as an injunction against government interference with trade, it became used as a synonym for strict free market economics during the early and mid-19th century. It is generally understood to be a doctrine that maintains that private initiative and production is best to roam free, opposing economic interventionism and taxation by the state beyond that which is perceived to be necessary to maintain peace, security, and property rights....

The term laissez-faire is often used interchangeably with the term "free market." Some may use the term laissez-faire to refer to "let do, let pass" attitude for concepts in areas outside of economics.

Hmm - dictionary.com says 'Origin unknown'. Merriam-Webster says 'Probably from Welsh'. I'm not sure you can unequivocally label this an ethnic slur - at worst, it was one in the distant past.

Asking Google to define:propaganda turns up:

• information that is spread for the purpose of promoting some cause
• Propaganda is a specific type of message presentation aimed at serving an agenda. At its root, the denotation of propaganda is 'to propagate (actively spread) a philosophy or point of view'. The most common use of the term (historically) is in political contexts; in particular to refer to certain efforts sponsored by governments or political groups.
• Any media text which seeks openly to persuade an audience of the validity of particular beliefs.
• The promotion of specific ideas or views, often political in nature.

And dictionary.com says that propaganda is:

1. information, ideas, or rumors deliberately spread widely to help or harm a person, group, movement, institution, nation, etc.
2. the deliberate spreading of such information, rumors, etc.
3. the particular doctrines or principles propagated by an organization or movement.

So, really, by definition, propaganda is any deliberate attempt at advocacy. The format and genre of "An Inconvenient Truth" may be that of a documentary, but it is definitely a piece of propaganda.

Remedial does not mean "basic" or "rudimentary"; just look at the root of the word, remedy. Not to overestimate my fellow Slashdotters, but I surmise that most of us have not had remedial education. Surely a fancy gentleman like yourself, with your very fine hat, should know the correct usage. :)

(Full disclosure: I had to be set straight on this misuse a couple of years ago. D'oh!)

... And Sam Walton is surely turning over in his grave. I found an article in my Grandmothers house where Walton played up buying "towels" from an American producer rather than one in Hong Kong. After he died, WalMart lost any semblance of principles the collective company once might have had.

See Patrick Buchanan's New Deal For U.S. Manufacturers for one take on how the "market" is rigged to screw american workers.

(I always thought cosmopolitan was just the name of a magazine, then I looked it up...)

"consume Internet BBC content"

The way it works, you just can't consume broadcast content. It's not a good, and does not get used up or destroyed by the act of viewing it.

I didn't realize we had tribes/cities named after the cell phone. :P

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/eponymous

Sorry, I don't find Wikipedia to be an authoritative source of definitions.

nation
n.
      1. A relatively large group of people organized under a single, usually independent government; a country.
      2. The territory occupied by such a group of people: All across the nation, people are voting their representatives out.

nation
1. a large body of people, associated with a particular territory, that is sufficiently conscious of its unity to seek or to possess a government peculiarly its own: The president spoke to the nation about the new tax.

Main Entry: nation
Function: noun
1 a (1) : NATIONALITY 5a (2) : a politically organized nationality (3) : a non-Jewish nationality b : a community of people composed of one or more nationalities and possessing a more or less defined territory and government c : a territorial division containing a body of people of one or more nationalities and usually characterized by relatively large size and independent status

"tested our metal"

metal -> mettle

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=mettle&x= 0&y=0

Interesting, I wouldn't consider it a proper noun myself since it isn't referring to the Nazi party. But I can understand it either way I guess.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/nazi

Tip: As soon as you mis-characterize the atheist position as "believing there is no god" then you're off in never-never land. Atheists are without belief.

Wrong, you've mixed up Atheists and Agnostics:
Atheism is the disbelief in the existence of God and other deities. According to dictionary.com an Atheist is a person who denies or disbelieves the existence of a supreme being or beings.. So the belief of Atheists is that there is no god, therefore they do have a belief.
It's Agnostics that have no belief in the existence of or nonexistence of a god. Agnostic: a person who holds that the existence of the ultimate cause, as God, and the essential nature of things are unknown and unknowable, or that human knowledge is limited to experience.

Tip: As soon as you mis-characterize the atheist position as "believing there is no god" then you're off in never-never land. Atheists are without belief.

Wrong, you've mixed up Atheists and Agnostics:
Atheism is the disbelief in the existence of God and other deities. According to dictionary.com an Atheist is a person who denies or disbelieves the existence of a supreme being or beings.. So the belief of Atheists is that there is no god, therefore they do have a belief.
It's Agnostics that have no belief in the existence of or nonexistence of a god. Agnostic: a person who holds that the existence of the ultimate cause, as God, and the essential nature of things are unknown and unknowable, or that human knowledge is limited to experience.