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http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Augustine_of_Hippo

Unfortunately, Anonymous Cowards are treated with prejudice, and yes, even here at Slashdot. Those of us that can, upon occaison, contribute informative, insightful or just plain funny comments are far too often outweighed by the memories of the inconsiderate, rude and vindicative Anonymous Cowards. With even a tiny bit of prejudice it becomes easy to call someone a Troll or to call them Flamebait. This translates into face to face conversations too of course, where people form prejudice on race, religion, politics, point of origin, job classification, wealth, etc or assumed versions there of. It can be very difficult to keep our hearts and minds open, but we should strive for that, as did Will Rogers.

When I die, my epitaph or whatever you call those signs on gravestones is going to read: "I joked about every prominent man of my time, but I never met a man I didn't like." I am so proud of that I can hardly wait to die so it can be carved. And when you come to my grave you will find me sitting there, proudly reading it. Will Rogers

Anonymous postings were of great importance to the USA in the beginnings, as they were to many other places. Any attempt to ban them can only be attributed to ignorance of history or to desire of tyranny. Unfortunately it would take someone with more real world karma then this AC to ask Tim Couch whether he is just ignorant or desires to be a tyrant. Appropriate Kentuckians should do so.

I've probably saved hundreds of dollars just by sitting and reading Wikipedia, instead of going out to restaurants and the cinema!

Funny, that reminds me of an old Groucho quote:

"I find television very educational. Every time someone switches it on I go into another room and read a good book."

http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Groucho_Marx

"Soldiers are murderers" - Kurt Tucholsky (Source)

Disclaimer: Of course this does not apply to our brave freedom fighters :-/

here, wikiquote.

An ISP in Pakistan tried to re-route all YouTube requests in Pakistan somewhere else (to its own "censored" page, probably), but thanks to an error in the implementation, it resulted in all YouTube requests *world-wide* being delivered to it. More details at the BBC news article. Youch. A good slashdotting will hurt a server, but YouTube's traffic? That must have been the nuclear version of a denial-of-service!

I'm trying to come up with a proper permutation of the classic Internet "censorship/damage/re-route" quote:

Pakistan decided the Internet was damaged because of YouTube and re-routed all of YouTube's traffic to itself, thus censoring Pakistan.

Hmmm... not succinct enough.

Today, a young man on acid realized that all matter is merely energy condensed to a slow vibration... that we are all one consciousness experiencing itself subjectively. There's no such thing as death, life is only a dream, and we're the imagination of ourselves. Here's Tom with the weather.

They should have worked on a button instead.

If one would give me six lines written by the hand of the most honest man, I would find something in them to have him hanged.

Cardinal et Duc de Richelieu

He also said Secrecy is the first essential in affairs of state. and Deception is the knowledge of kings.

Man, I hope you wake up in 40 years, look around and see that America is still a free democracy, and look back on this time and laugh.

I don't have to wake up in 40 years, I've already lived through 40 years and things are worse now than then. About the only thing that's better now, which if some so called Christians get their way things will get worse again, is freedom of religion. I recall seeing and experiencing rulers forcibly applied to children's hands when I was in a public elementary school because the pledge of allegiance wasn't said with "under God". Now we have members of congress sworn in with the Koran instead of the Bible. But in other aspects things are worse than before.

Ignore what? The fact that we are headed into a totalitarian dictatorship? That we are going to need to rise up, as our forefathers did, and defend the constitution by force if necessary?

Totalitarian yes. And don't think a democracy can't become a dictatorship, Germany was a democracy when the NAZIs came to power, they were one of a number of political parties. As was El Duce, Benito Mussolini's National Fascist Party. Other examples exist as well. As for the US population raising up, that's hardly likely to happen. Half the US was against war in Iraq yet we're there. Many protested against the Bush admin spying on citizens yet Bush wants to continue spying on Americans, without a warrant. Fact is is too many people in the US don't think it affects them, and won't until it bites them in the ass. But as Benjamin Franklin said "Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase temporary safety deserve neither safety nor liberty."

When there is a REAL threat to my ability to publish anonymously, wake me up because I will fight that battle with you at your side to the end. But right now there is no such battle.

If people aren't willing to fight to guaranty the right now it will be too late later. You only enjoy the right now because others are willing to fight to make sure those rights aren't taken away from you. And if you don't think a battle hasn't been fought you either must be too young or don't recall Nixon, J Edgar Hoover, or COINTELPRO.

>> "Ben Franklin said that those who trade liberty for safety deserve neither."

"Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety" This statement was used as a motto on the title page of the book "An Historical Review of the Constitution and Government of Pennsylvania" (1759) of which Richard Jackson is believed to be the primary author. It was very likely Franklin, who in the Poor Richard's Almanack of 1738 wrote a similar proverb: "Sell not virtue to purchase wealth, nor Liberty to purchase power."

Details: http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Benjamin_Franklin

FYI. See the context in which he told. From wikiquote http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Mahatma_Gandhi

Statement in May of 1940; for proper context it should be noted that at this time the battles of World War II were just beginning, with Germany's blitzkrieg indeed swift and relatively bloodless compared to the trench battles of the First World War, and the persecution of the Jews in the eyes of the world was limited to lowered civil rights, concentration camps and ghettos. Just a few years before even so notable an opponent to Hitler (and Gandhi himself) as Winston Churchill, in his book Great Contemporaries (1937) had declared: "One may dislike Hitler's system and yet admire his patriotic achievement. If our country were defeated, I hope we should find a champion as admirable to restore our courage and lead us back to our place among the nations."

The actual quote is Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety. But according to wikipedia, he didn't write it.

At any rate, the Coward has his interpretation all wrong. It is not trading all security for all freedom, it is trading essential liberty for temporary security. Only morons don't understand that. Only morons go out of their way to interpret it as backwards as possible.

Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.

Those things you mention are a form of safety. You make no sense to me whatever.

One wonders what Dave Cutler thinks of all the Vista bloat.

They refused to speak English except with the professors and had posters of Mao along with his poetry all over the half of the graduate-student office that they dominated. I don't want to sound xenophobic, but it was very strange.

Those Who Sacrifice Liberty For Security Deserve Neither http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Benjamin_Franklin

If someone escalates to lethal force with me...

Someone ever tries to kill you, you try to kill 'em right back.

It is NEVER too late for a Bea Arthur Joke!

Wikiquote to the rescue!

And seeing as how Thomas Jefferson distrusted government I seriously doubt he'd agree either.

The Founder Fathers' actual views rarely align with the views of those that most often and loudly invoke their memory.

Would some of Thomas Jefferson's quotes convince you?

Thomas Jefferson on Politics & Government'. Quoted from the Founding Fathers. "When the government fears the people, you have liberty. When the people fear the government, you have tyranny."

That was just a couple of minutes, given more tyme I best I can find more quotes not just from Thomas Jefferson but several others of the Founding Fathers.

I'm not sure if many folks noticed your reference to the quote attributed to Bill Gates (usually stating that it occurred in 1981) about 640KB being enough. I've heard this quote off and on ever since taking an interest in computers almost 20 years ago. Your post reminded me of it and I decided to try to find an informative link that would cite an authoritative source and discovered that I couldn't. In fact I found that it may have been a mis-quote or simply an urban legend.

Check out: http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Bill_Gates#Misattributed

Even though in the coxtext of the time it was allegedly said it isn't such a ridiculous statment I find it strange that it is so widely accepted without an original source such as a magazine interview.

Homer: Not a bear in sight. The Bear Patrol must be working like a charm!
Lisa: That's specious reasoning, dad.
Homer: Why thank you, honey.
Lisa: By your logic, I could claim that this rock keeps tigers away.
Homer: Hmm. How does it work?
Lisa: It doesn't work; it's just a stupid rock!
Homer: Uh-huh.
Lisa: But I don't see any tigers around, do you?
Homer: Hmm... Lisa, I want to buy your rock.
Much Apu About Nothing

The only candidate who understands if you give up liberty for security you have neither..

So he understands a fallacy?

Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.

Oh, I think the answer is quite clear what happened here.

[The crew is sitting around a campfire and Bender is at the end of telling his scary story.]
        Bender: ...and even though the computer was off and unplugged, an image stayed on the screen... it was... THE WINDOWS LOGO!
        Fry: Pssh! That's not scary.
        Bender: It is if you're a laser printer.

Does there truly exist an insuperable contradiction between religion and science? Can religion be superseded by science? The answers to these questions have, for centuries, given rise to considerable dispute and, indeed, bitter fighting. Yet, in my own mind there can be no doubt that in both cases a dispassionate consideration can only lead to a negative answer. What complicates the solution, however, is the fact that while most people readily agree on what is meant by "science," they are likely to differ on the meaning of "religion."

Does there truly exist an insuperable contradiction between religion and science? Can religion be superseded by science? The answers to these questions have, for centuries, given rise to considerable dispute and, indeed, bitter fighting. Yet, in my own mind there can be no doubt that in both cases a dispassionate consideration can only lead to a negative answer. What complicates the solution, however, is the fact that while most people readily agree on what is meant by "science," they are likely to differ on the meaning of "religion."

I learned it on MST3K during the movie Future War (which isn't set in the future and doesn't feature a war, natch.)

http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Mystery_Science_Theater_3000#Future_War

Thank you for not killing me.

I do see a problem with the OLPC process apparently not working out

It could not be working out for the same reasons, these guys failed — they are/were trying to work against a fundamental law of nature.

Steorn tried to violate the laws of Thermodynamics. OLPC is trying to compete for talent with the vibrant economy, that offers enormous rewards to hardworking smart people...

Yes, a project can capture such people's time and attention by appealing to their charitable side. And they will work for non-monetary rewards such as fame and/or pleasure derived from doing a (seemingly, at least) good deed.

But such interest can not be sustained for very long. The novelty wears off, and the internal conflicts cool people's enthusiasm and make them ask questions like: "Do I need this shit?"

The group of wild-eyed and bushy-tailed enthusiasts begins loosing members — including (possibly — beginning with) the brightest ones... And "cadres decide everything" — even more so today, than when the quote was uttered.

Nor is the stated goal of OLPC entirely convincing. Surely, the connectivity and the instant access to the vast amount of information are very appealing and should be very helpful. But wanting to learn, and knowing how to learn are even more important for a child (and an adult) than the actual knowledge of anything in particular. Plenty of kids, who already have computers, use them to exchange pictures/music, and chat with friends — not to learn anything...

At the same time plenty of people, who grew up without a computer (much less Internet), are happy and active users of them now.

If you wish to help the poor, take care of yourself first — and gain the life experience to understand, what kind of help helps, and what kind spoils. Warren Buffet, Bill Gates, and Muhammad Yunus can be your examples...

A society where I can be fired for expressing a political opinion is not a society where I would feel free to express ANY opinion.

You missed the point entirely... Let me rephrase it in your own terms:

A society, where I can not boycott a political opinion, is not a society where I want to live

If you expressed the "wrong" opinion to the wrong person, you may find your career ended, you housing yanked, or your child's chances of college vanish.

You forgot examples...

The fact that your corporations are "free" to subject me to this treatment

It is not just "my" corporations, darn it... The law applies/would apply to everyone, who has ever paid anybody. Get this through your thick bones — we are all employers to some degree. If you want to be able to legally hesitate in hiring a NAMBLA-activist (and I am not particularly against the organization, but most people are) as your babysitter, you must also allow those evil "corporations" to avoid people with opinions, they find disagreeable.

Those corporations may be sitting in their corporate buildings, they may be acting corporationy, and — heavens — they may even be making money. But they are still owned by real people, whose right to not associate with someone, they dislike, is no less sacred than your own.

No, I don't think the math can get any simpler than " Because God made it that way". I don't know what you mean my conception. take a look here to see how "easily" the leading scientific minds understood ( if thats what you mean by conception) quantum mechanics. I'm just saying we live in a complex world, where things aren't as simple as we sometimes would like them to be. And I think as you pointed out, we are all better off for it.

Some of my favorite quotes from Darl McBride: "And C++ programming languages, we own those, have licensed them out multiple times, obviously. We have a lot of royalties coming to us from C++." "Obviously Linux owes its heritage to UNIX, but not its code. We would not, nor will not, make such a claim." "We didn't start this, but we're going to finish it."

Be thankful we're not getting all the government we're paying for.

At least I still have my self-respect

I'm not sure whether you're aware of this -- but that quote is apparently from the turn-based strategy computer game Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri. I'll leave it to others to decide whether you using quotes from game characters to support your point is sane... ;-)

Ah! Your neo-atheist friends have been lying to you! (Or at least, omitting essential truth.)

Einstein was something like a deist, but his thoughts on religion were sincere. The source of his quote was writing for the New York Times Magazine on the nature of science and religion, and you'll find many quotes there that you might think "mean nothing," or that you might think are "mere fancy words and puffery," or might just not be able to understand.

But if you read them and really get what he's saying, you'll find yourself in a place where it will be hard to keep with the Atheist flock. Einsteins concept goes beyond musings, into deep religious feeling and an opening of the heart to all of humanity, all of life, even.

Religion has been misunderstood by both scientists and religious alike.

It's question is not "How does the world work?", but "What opens the heart?"

Albert Einstein wrote, "How can cosmic religious feeling be communicated from one person to another, if it can give rise to no definite notion of a God and no theology? In my view, it is the most important function of art and science to awaken this feeling and keep it alive in those who are receptive to it."

See also: Spiritual Atheism, Evolutionary Spirituality, and maybe Happy Feet as well.

You can sue people in court after investigating them yourself, but if someone else pays you, you need a license. Think lawyers: you can always defend yourself, but you need a license to defend others.

Bad analogy. Lawyers are licensed to ensure quality representation to their clients. Whether they are licensed or not, is not the other side's business (and no, you don't need a license to represent anyone in a civil suit anyway)

The grandmother is not a MediaSentry's client.

And no, this is not a "bogus defense" and we should be cheering it.

Well, of course it is "wrangling" and thus bogus, no matter who — a corporation (acting corporationy) or a person — is doing it.

is exactly what the other side is doing

How is it the same? RIAA is trying to collect and present the proof, that the grandma has violated the licensing terms. The grandma is claiming, that the methods used to collect the evidence are somehow invalid. Regardless of who is "right", there is no similarity whatsoever...

I was gonna post just one, but just take your pick

Oh hey, someone else has already posted this -- that Napoleon uttered that quotation is likely apocryphal, the phrase is usually referred to as Hanlon's Razor and is more likely sourced as follows:

http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Robert_J._Hanlon

For the reason there are many people willing to post about this one line on Slashdot, see here:

http://www.ccil.org/jargon/jargon_23.html#TAG856

I.e., we're all nerds.

I just looked it up. My god, reading this, Bill Gates actually sounds like a great guy. I guess that's what's so evil about him :-) http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Bill_Gates

"Never ascribe to malice, that which can be explained by incompetence." -- Napoleon Bonaparte

"I have long felt that any reviewer who expresses rage and loathing for a novel is preposterous. He or she is like a person who has put on full armor and attacked a hot fudge sundae or a banana split."
Kurt Vonnegut quoted in "The War Between Writers and Reviewers," New York Times Book Review (6 January 1985).

Source: http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Kurt_Vonnegut

Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety. - Benjamin Franklin, An Historical Review of the Constitution and Government of Pennsylvania. (1759) [source: http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Benjamin_Franklin%5D

By the way, if anyone here is in advertising or marketing, kill yourself.

Just a little thought. I'm just trying to plant seeds. Maybe one day, they'll take root. I don't know. You try. You do what you can. Kill yourself.

Seriously, though. If you are, do. No, really. There's no rationalisation for what you do, and you are Satan's little helpers, okay? Kill yourself. Seriously. You are the ruiner of all things good, seriously. No, this is not a joke, if you're going: "There's going to be a joke coming." There's no fucking joke coming. You are Satan's spawn, filling the world with bile and garbage. You are fucked, and you are fucking us. Kill yourself, it's the only way to save your fucking soul. Kill yourself. Planting seeds.

See http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Bill_Hicks for more...

Wikipedia's page on Napoleon also contains this quotation: under the "Misattribution" section. I note that brainyquote.com offers no citation.

Asshole idiots like you aren't content with debating the merits of one's political opinions anymore. Instead you have to dream up bullshit of what you think your political opponents must actually be thinking, and worse, you then start to actually believe your own bullshit. Its pathetic, and it only undermines legitimate debate. America is worse off because of pussies like you. You should be ashamed of yourself.

Yea, he is just abusing his 1st amendment rights. Its worth giving up a few rights as long as we are secure, right? Thank god we have people like you to stand up loud and proud to set the record straight, Mr. Anonymous.