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User: Duffy13

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  1. Re:And Now, The Vocational Gudance Counselor Sketc on Student Sues University Because She's Unemployable · · Score: 3, Insightful

    So your complaint is that a system not originally designed for something is not quickly adapting to fulfill the role left vacant by the closure of most vocational schools? (In the US anyways.) Or that their is a trend of pushing any student through college even though their aren't enough jobs for all those students? Not to mention many of these students shouldn't have even gone to a college or university? Are you seriously complaining that they should change how they work because the "market" demands someone fulfill this role? It is being fulfilled, albeit imperfectly. If it's such an issue then more vocation style schools would appear, oh wait we have those too (ex: ITT Tech)! Plenty of us succeed by using the "old" college/university system, however passing through one of these establishments is by no means a guarantee of future success. To sum it up: most of the time, it's your own dam fault.

  2. Re:The cops that arrested him must be proud on California Student Arrested For Console Hacking · · Score: 1

    No. Our system is specifically designed so as not to put that much power in a single person. If you disagree with what you are asked, you do not "pick and choose" which laws to enforce (as an officer), you resign from your position as you are unable to enact the duties required of you. If enough officers "resign" they might just see a trend develop, and if the people who control the legislature (that would be us indirectly) disagree so much, do something to change it. Sitting back and claiming they are wrong is nice and all, but that's not how it works (in any system for that matter). They will not magically realize their mistake, we must, as citizens and people, insure that our values as both individual people and as a nation are represented. The "king" makes the rules, if you disagree, get a new "king".

  3. Re:MS CEO Steve Ballmer is a Liar on Ballmer Threatens To Pull Out of the US · · Score: 1

    That may be what each are attempting to do, but that's not the desired effect. Let's face it, the US is far from the ideal place for a corporation to setup shop. Especially for intangible products and intangible service based ones. How is making the corporations pay more taxes going to help the employee? It won't. They'll close some locations down, pay new employees less, and maybe even eventually up and move. Great, just lost large amounts of local, state, and federal taxes. Not to mention the economic trickle down effect in it's old location.

    What they should do, is make it easier and cheaper for a corporation to move here, attract foreign corporations to come here, and encourage new local corporations/businesses. Improve the quality of the local workforce (that implies education reform). Instead of grasping for more money to waste, spend what they have wisely and try to bring more money here, not to generate more money from the same people.

  4. Re:I can completely understand... on Why Programming Rituals Work · · Score: 1

    I don't think you are talking about the same thing as the poster. Syntax for a seasoned programmer is rarely an issue, its overall logic flow and efficiency that we care about. While we may not succeed all the time, we tend to aim for the elegant solution that covers all our needs and has room to grow or be adapted to other projects. It's not the individual parts, its how we put them together that we spend time on.

    A simple example: A bubble sort 'works', it's not the best solution but it's easy to implement and sometimes even programmers who know better inadvertently start coding something that turns into a one. However, with some thought I can determine a merge sort is better, and that I should writ it generically so I can add it to my library of handy functions.

    Usually you waste less time if you stop to think first instead of plugging through code only to rewrite it constantly through out the coding session. It really still depends on the person.

  5. Re:Time will tell on Is a $72.5m Opening Weekend Enough For Star Trek? · · Score: 1

    Sorry to be that guy that kills it for you, but that was the point. They wanted a reboot within the Trek continuity, they figured out a way to do it. They negated all existing Star Trek continuity after the arrival of Nero; with one relatively small action the time line was irrevocably changed. (More so later in the movie.)

    That whole policing time concept always struck me as pretty funny, the only time it's needed is if the time line is malleable. And if it is, you could pretty easily alter it in significant ways that could never be fixed by an observer unless they were somehow outside of the time line but could look inward. How would you know something was actually changed? From the future point of view that is "history".

    And this is why time travel is considered a horrible plot device by anyone significantly nerdy.

  6. Re:Let me be the first one to say it ... on Pirate Bay Trial Ends In Jail Sentences · · Score: 1

    You glossed over his point. True 100% freedom is freedom from all things, including your supposed "inherent" rights. In actuality, you do not have inherent rights as they are not some form of magical protection. They can be taken away at a moment's notice by almost anyone, they are only inherent so long as the majority of a culture agrees upon them. They are then protected by the force given to the government body those same people create. When a truly "free" person tries to kill you, do your inherent rights stop him? No, because your concept comes from a belief, a belief based upon historical cultural observation and logic; that we as individuals can benefit both our selves and our neighbors by working together instead of against one another. And while that belief is true, it does not hold any special power, no belief does. From a certain point of view, freedom can be just as scary as slavery.

  7. Re:That is "Intelligent Design". on Battlestar Galactica Comes To an End · · Score: 1

    Actually according to "that story" they are. The characters specifically mention the odds of two identical/genetically compatible races evolving on separate planets.

    Believe it or not Roman Catholics actually support evolution (along with several other denominations). While they may still believe other less scientific ideas; at least they acknowledge ideas outside of their faith. You could argue that they essentially are no different from any other philosophical group, they just have a slightly different claim on why they are right. Stop focusing on the outlaying nut jobs; the same could be done for whatever groups you identify with.

    If you want to slam different ideals that's fine, but aim your arguments correctly and don't exclude/include groups indiscriminately.

  8. Re:Oh great, there goes slashdot on Wikileaks Pages Added To Australian Internet Blacklist · · Score: 1

    You realize that the last war to boost our economy was WW2 right? Ya know, when the entire country geared itself for wartime production. That doesn't happen anymore ya shmuck. And maybe, if people would stop treating each other like asshats we wouldn't need to ever leave our nice comfy borders. Way to pretend everyone in the world outside of the US is full of amazingly nice people that just want to be left alone.

  9. Re:I wish I got it. on New EVE Expansion Nears, Possible Mobile Plans · · Score: 1

    Never said it was the land of gankers. Just that anyone could come buy and kick it, nothing artificially prevents it. It comes down to civil behavior, which in turn brings about my previous point.

  10. Re:I wish I got it. on New EVE Expansion Nears, Possible Mobile Plans · · Score: 1

    Explain what part of Sandbox indicates to you complete and utter safety from "gankers"? There are areas of relative safety, of course you still have to know the rules of those places. If you want an honest descriptor, EVE is more of a social-economic simulation then an MMORPG. The power comes not from being able to gank someone, but from the massive amount of power that can be wielded through the market, industrial production, politics, and the ensuing wars these factors cause. Hell, it's technically possible for EVE to be one of the most peaceful games in existence, but the players don't choose to make it so.

  11. Re:I wish I got it. on New EVE Expansion Nears, Possible Mobile Plans · · Score: 1

    So are you often disappointed when you bite into an apple and it doesn't taste like steak?

  12. Re:Why? on Google Joins EU Antitrust Case Against Microsoft · · Score: 1

    They asked about standards and it turned into bundling all major browsers with Windows OSes? Explain the leap of logic that occurred here without prompting? Even assuming they didn't prompt it in anyway, and the EU Commission just came up with it, why aren't they opposing this current extension of logic? Because they aren't benevolent, they're just in it for themselves. They are just as guilty in principle as Microsoft.

  13. Re:Why? on Google Joins EU Antitrust Case Against Microsoft · · Score: 1

    That doesn't justify their reasons for doing the current actions they are seeking. If you can't narrow the driving cause of all of this, how can you decide upon the proper course of action?

  14. Re:Why? on Google Joins EU Antitrust Case Against Microsoft · · Score: 1

    The only reason that makes sense is too facilitate their normal internet based market model, namely insuring their browser is superior so that they can design sites and net apps to work with it. Sooo essentially they just wanna take IE's place? Otherwise they would just fight for standards, somewhat like they have been (that topic is it's own can of worms). My point in arguing against this is not that I support IE, I hate it and I hate developing for it, my point is that the way they are going about it is dishonest, underhanded, and hypocritical. The only reason everyone here goes along with it is out of hate or spite.

  15. Re:Why? on Google Joins EU Antitrust Case Against Microsoft · · Score: 1

    What market? Every browser is offered for free? Where is this mythical market we keep talking about?

  16. Re:interesting times on EU Says MS Must Offer Other Browsers; Now What? · · Score: 1

    Which conviction are we talking about? In the case of the US and the original EU convictions several years back they were fined and punished. The end. You cannot say: "well you did something back in the day and were punished for it with no future stipulations put on the punishment, but we decided today it wasn't enough so we're gonna impose some craptastic restriction on you because the small companies are crying 'we want some of the pie tooooo'".

    Now if there was a recent conviction I am not aware of that's another matter. But according to the articles being linked here there was no trial or convictions concerning the browser topic since it was brought up in January. It was a guideline/suggestion that if they do not do this they will then be tried and most likely found guilty of anti-competitive practices (again). And I'm saying that is bullshit. You want to attack them for distribution deals with hardware companies, go for it.

  17. Re:interesting times on EU Says MS Must Offer Other Browsers; Now What? · · Score: 1

    "The European Commission has concluded, after a five-year investigation, that Microsoft Corporation broke European Union competition law by leveraging its near monopoly in the market for PC operating systems (OS) onto the markets for work group server operating systems(1) and for media players(2). Because the illegal behaviour is still ongoing, the Commission has ordered Microsoft to disclose to competitors, within 120 days, the interfaces(3) required for their products to be able to 'talk' with the ubiquitous Windows OS. Microsoft is also required, within 90 days, to offer a version of its Windows OS without Windows Media Player to PC manufacturers (or when selling directly to end users). In addition, Microsoft is fined 497 million for abusing its market power in the EU. " from http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/04/382&format=HTML&aged=1&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

    You mean that? How about the part at the bottom where they were fined and forced to release APIs? The rest of the release mentions they must also offer a version of Windows without WMP. That was the punishment. It appears the EU took it one step farther then the US did by including fines. This decision does not stretch to the current dilemma.

    So, once more, how does this relate to the current topic? In fact, the wording specifically mentions "near monopoly" not an actual monopoly. What that means in the EU legal speak I do not know, but in the US that means you are not a monopoly and as such you will not be treated as one. (Which, usually means you are broken up into smaller companies or are under government control until you can be.)

    And since when does legal = fair? Have you seen some of the garbage that gets passed into law?

  18. Re:interesting times on EU Says MS Must Offer Other Browsers; Now What? · · Score: 2

    First, they were convicted in the US not the EU, and this decision only affects their OS distributions in the EU, therefore your "excuse" is flawed. Also, the majority of the case against them was dropped they were never declared a monopoly and broken up, they were merely-declared anti-competitive. The final ruling stated that all they had to do was release APIs for third party use. Explain how you extend that decision to the current topic.

    Second, every single business strives to be a monopoly, at which point they are then taken down by a government; pending local national laws. You only hate them because you don't recognize their right to do the same exact thing that every other business is trying to do. Now if the means to do so are illegal that's one thing, but unfair to bundle your own product with your own product? Come on.

    Third, just because they were convicted of something (relatively minor concerning weight used) does not mean that everything you make them do is "fair". In what other industry could you seriously, with a straight face, require a company to bundle it's major competitor's products with their own by law . Say that last sentence over and over again until the absurdity of it finally hits you.

    Oh, and I detest IE and all the curses it brings upon us in the software development community. Just because I hate them for philosophical reasons does not mean I cannot defend their basic rights as a business.

    You want to blame someone, blame the companies that sell all their computers pre-loaded with Windows.

  19. Re:One way to get more registered voters on Iowa Seeks To Remove Electoral College · · Score: 1

    Technically they can vote outside their party, but it's often viewed negatively when they do. However, the EC was originally setup to avoid exactly these sorts of situations. The original idea was the more educated people would talk to their constituent's members and then through civil debate decide which candidate to support with their Electoral Votes, however as with most political concepts it eventually got warped into what we currently have. At the time it was hard pressed to get information out to people. much less get useful input from a random non-professional person.

  20. Re:Missed one on Piracy and the Nintendo DS · · Score: 1

    Another way of looking at it is that you are stealing time from the developers. With most media you do not buy a product that has a higher inherent value then another product (after all most games are the same price for each particular system; a game's value is not proportional to it's quality) you are paying for the effort someone else put into it. Therefore using someone's hard work without repaying them for the effort they put forth is essentially stealing time. (Which is what most modern abstract monetary systems represent anyways)

  21. Re:Repeat it? on Can Static Electricity Generate Votes? · · Score: 1

    I kinda disagree. Seeing how the hand counts are actually done, and how often they still make mistakes implies to me that electronic counting is the solution. My big question is how the hell do they keep screwing electronic counting up? I mean, can it really be that hard to come up with a secure friggin counting system? It counts for crying out loud! Simple integer increases!!!!! I'm tempted to look at what they already have and try to come up with a solution in my spare time.

  22. Re:The projected costs are worthless. on The Facts & Fiction of Bandwidth Caps · · Score: 1

    So what you are trying to say is you are apathetic? It doesn't matter until it effects me? Not to pick on you specifically, but this line of reasoning is why we have so many of these problems in the first place.

  23. Re:Finances & Conflict on Blizzard Awarded $6M Damages From MMOGlider · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Actually, bots usually play much much worse then real players. However, they have the benefit of being able to run all the time. The trade off is it may take longer to accomplish a level, but you don't actually have to sit there for it.

  24. Re:oh goody. on C# In-Depth · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I'm sorry, gotta disagree right here. I absolutely hate Delphi, it feels like retarded VB compared to my work with C#. Granted this is opinion, but I know I'm not alone in this train of thought.

  25. Project on Re-purposing a Student Tech Service Group? · · Score: 1

    While the students may no longer need you, the same may not be true for the faculty.

    From your article you already appear to have the expertise to setup a mini Software Development group for the school. Which would also be a plus for any CS students to join and gain some hands on project work. The popularity of such a group would entirely depend on your school; it would be of more use to a business/engineering school then a liberal arts school.