First, let me say that I agree that our response to the truly cowardly act of war today needs to be measured, precise, and only after we're SURE about the culprits. Nothing the US has done deserves the killing of 10's of thousands of innocent civilians.
On the other hand, the US's policy towards the Middle East has been exactly what it should be for at least the last 6 months or so. FIX IT YOUR DAMN SELF!!!. We have scolded both the Palestinians and the Isralis recently and they BOTH deserve scolding. It is not the responsibility to fix the crap going on in the middle east. Both sides need to realize that nothing is going to change unless THEY change it. BOTH sides are behaving like barbarians. If a faction of a people perpetrates a wrong against you, you go after that faction, not an entire people. I say let them fight it out until they realize this or they've killed each other.
For future reference, the quote in your tagline, "It's not my Goddamned planet, understand, Monkeyboy?!?!" should be attributed to John Bigboote, not Dr. Emelio Lizardo.:)
-Sam Dunham
"Character... is-a what you are-a in-a the dark."
-Dr. Emelio Lizardo (John Whorfin)
Which would also lead you to the reason for a God to have existed. The question of complexity is not a proof for the existence of God. It's a logically flawed argument. In order for a structure as complex as the universe to exist, it must have been created by a more complex being, ie. God. But, if that's the case, then a being even more complex than God must have preceeded God to have created him. If, on the other hand, God needed no more complex being to have created him, then the same must logically apply to the universe. You can't have it both ways.
How's about a new version of the classic Amiga OS running natively on PPC? That's exactly what they announced at St. Louis. According to Bill M., Amiga OS 4.0 will be out by Summer native on PPC. 4.2 will follow shortly followed by 4.5 and 5.0 next year. The AmigaDE will be folded into OS 4.5 or 5.0 (I forget which exactly). Check out this link for a breakdown of what the plans are (posted by Fleecy Moss).
I also am in the Charleston, SC area. I have DSL. My dad has Cable, and I have a neighbor that has cable. They both get about the same transfer rates that I get. It all depends on traffic and the such. I've gotten better rates than they on some DLs and vice verca. What cable supplier do you have? They both have Comcast. I have Bellsouth DSL.
-Sam
Actually, I've read that in the real world, DSL is between 50-100% faster than cable. Personally, I get around 1MBs over DSL with peaks and valleys depending on traffic at a particular site. The best I've seen that I'd feel comfortable giving as a real speed is 1.9MBs. As far as the sharing thing goes, don't cable users have to share local bandwidth and then have it shared again at the switch? Sure DSL users share bandwidth at the switch, but it doesn't get shared as many times. Kind of like having several hubs connecting computers in an office building all going to central hubs in the wiring closet. Just the way I've thought about it.
This argument always reminds me of an anecdote that I read a few years ago from an attorney in California. I still have it printed out somewhere. Basically, and this was several years ago, in the days of DOS, he was put in charge of upgrading the computer systems in his firm. He did a pile of research and found that DR-DOS was a far superior product to MS-DOS. Having made his decision to purchase DR-DOS, he headed out to the software stores. At store after store, he was unable to find DR-DOS. Eventually, he asked the propriator of one of the stores where on the shelves they kept DR-DOS. The store guy said that they didn't - nay, COULDN'T - sell DR-DOS. The reason he gave was that Microsoft had told the company that if they were to stock and sell DR-DOS, they would not be allowed to sell any Microsoft products. Since the company could clearly not afford that, the pulled DR-DOS from the shelves. THAT is an example of an anti-competitive, illegal business practice.
Secondly, before you believe the rhetoric from either side involved in the courtroom statements, you should pick up the book, Pride Before The Fall. It is an exhaustive accounting of the entire process that lead up to the decision by Judge Jackson written by someone that had reasonably unfetteref access to everyone involved including Gates and Balmer.
Actually, NexGen is a great magazine for hard-core gamers and the Official Dreamcast Magazine is the only DC magazine that's even worth the paper it's printed on. I'm also pretty fond of MacAddict. The single thing that binds all the Imagine mags that I've read is a sense of irreverance in a good way. They really haven't sold out, in general. They tell you when crap is crap (even ODCM) and when good stuff is good. It's refreshing. Oh, and they are fun as well.
Actually, I couldn't disagree more. I will miss Maximum Linux. How are product reviews bad again? I personally like having a review section so that I don't have to go through a bunch of crap with downloading, installing, and checking out a piece of software just to find out it's a pile and then have to purge it from my machine. So, reviews are good. As far as technical detail, I picked up the first issue when it came out and it explained, in real English, how to set up Internet sharing on a Linux box, step by step. I had to change some of the technical aspects of it because it was for modem access and I have DSL, but it was an excellent place to start and I knew enough to make the necessary changes. So, does it cover technical issues, sure. Does it cover them catering to the code-head? Not always, but not everyone is a code-head. The first issue also had an excellent walk through for rebuilding a kernel. With this mag gone, I don't know of another that speaks to the same audience. People that are not necessarily spanking newbies, but not experts either. There are a lot of us out there and more on the way. THis may perturb you, but it's the only thing that'll keep Linux growing. The column by Mae Ling is for people considering changing from the M$ field of poo to the more enlightened Linux realm. That, too, is a group that must grow for Linux to get anywhere. So, while you may prefer Linux Journal, that doesn't make Maximum Linux bad, just wrong for you.
I was hired by a biggish computer sales/services company almost two years ago. I was working for a high-tech temp agency and this company wanted to hire me full time. I told them up front that they had me for a year and that was it. After a year I planned on starting my own consulting/services firm. They agreed and I did. While I was at the company, my consultant responsibilities were stunted by the corporate beuracracy. If the head office said we were pushing Compaq or Microsoft or Cisco, that's what we had to reccommend. Whether it was what the client needed or not. I decided that when I went out on my own, I would reccommend ONLY what the client needed. Nothing more, nothing less. This has allowed me to establish a thriving business that has been built completely via word of mouth. I've only had one complaint about my pricing ($150.00/hr) and this came from a client that used my proposal to have a friend install their network for a boat ride and a six pack (they ended up calling me in later when things didn't go exactly as they expected - no price complaints). In short, I'm aware of the climate and the market. There IS good money to be made out there. On the other hand, I'd rather make less money on a client if it means doing what's right for THEM. This has paid off long term more than any amount of stickin' it to 'em could have ever.
-Sam Dunham
http://www.ronintech.com/
Actually, it's the Clinton Administration that's attempting to override states rights' to allow the distribution of medical marijuana. Which, I think, is incredibly ironic and hypocritical considering Clinton's background.
Having worked for Blackbaud, the largest supplier of fund-raising management software, I can attest to the fact that Non-Profits generally do not have more than a few networked computers and rarely have in-house IT staff. Often, they have no one on staff that is more than rudamentarily computer literate. One of my job functions was to restore databases for examination by the programming and QA staff and I can't count the number of times that I received a tape from a client that was marked "return ASAP" because it was their only backup tape. It was infuriating. Now I'm a private consultant and I don't LET my clients get into such a situation.:)
Did anyone take the time to look at the Honda version of the bipedal robot (requires M$ Media player). It totally kicks ass. It's as tall as a human, can walk up and down stairs and within 10 years will have all the range of motion of humans. I can see this thing on a space mission or doing hazardous duty work sometime soon. VERY cool.
Before I say whether or not I agree with the review of the film, I'd just like to say this to everyone who has commented with something to the effect of, "It's an action/sci-fi movie, don't expect it to actually be good. Live with it." This is about the piss poorest attitude I've heard in a while (well, outside of Florida:) If we expect less, we'll keep getting less.
Let's see when was the last time I saw a sci-fi movie with good characterization, a good plot, a cohesive story, and that was directed well? I think the last one was the Iron Giant. GREAT movie, but it tanked at the box office. We HAVE to support better movies better.
Now, on to Red Planet. This was NOT a good movie. The rocot cat thing was the best part of the movie but, oddly enough didn't play a very integral role in the film, and had its own problems as well. I would rather have seen a short CG animation of the robot (AMEE) being put through its paces than this piece of drek. Let's see, where do I start... There was NO characterization. The reviewer is correct in stating that the audience can't care about the fate of the characters, because we are never truly shown what they are. About twenty minutes into the film I turned to my wife to ask if it was directed by a music video director. The reason I asked was that the pacing was horrible. It was extremely choppy. The story, while having an interesting opening premise, was terrible. Suspension of disbelief is one thing, but the idea that NASA would have done NO research before sending humans out to "check on the situation on Mars" is ludicrous. They weren't being sent to find out what happened to the algea, they were being sent to find out why the oxygen was depleted. Which means that somehow we knew that it was depleted, when in fact it wasn't. When the crew arrives, they don't do any sort of atmospheric analysis. Even if they were dispatched to look into the disappearance of the algae, they should have known about the insects due to the knowledge that the algae was disappearing. The ship had no warning at all about the "solar flare" that crippled it. At the very least, the onboard systems should have seen the anomaly. (This is a pet peave of mine) The computer engaged in niceties. I HATE that. I hate the wasted processor cycles that Windows has now with the silly animations of files flying from one folder to another now, I certainly don't want a computer that my life depends on wasting CPU cycles telling me "Thank You" and "Your Welcome." The robot. Ahhhhh, the robot. There is NO WAY IN HELL that the military would lend a, for all intents and purposes, civilian organization a piece of hardware, have the time to reprogram it for a scientific mission and LEAVE THE MILITARY PROGRAM INTACT AT ALL!!! Not to mention the fact that it was a crappy design in the first place to be so easily knocked off of mission by a shock impact. No remote kill switch. Inefficient military tactics (WHY would the military program it to slowly kill a group of the enemy one by one)? Again, AMEE was not a pivotal character in the movie. In fact, none of the characters were. I don't think I've ever seen a movie so filled with such unimportant characters and events. It seemed that nothing that happened was, I don't know, big enough. Lots of little things happened (too many, in my opinion), but if you had removed any of them (at least after the crash), it would not have altered the "story" much at all. AMEE, the guy dying of internal bleeding, the guy being thrown off the cliff, the ice storm, none of it really mattered. In addition, none of the (surviving) characters were in any way altered by the end of the film. I could go on with scientific faults (many others have already done so), but they all seem to pale in comparison with the truly awful writing and directing. In the end, this movie looked good visually, and the sound was pretty good, but we deserve more than that. It's about time to send a message to Hollywood that we won't put up with this crap anymore.
FWIW, I don't think this was as bad as Mission to Mars and was MUCH better than Supernova, but then, some crap doesn't stick as bad as other crap, but it's still crap.
Actually, Bush favors letting parents parent. He only wants filters on computers that are supplied USING public (tax payer) money. FOr instance, computers in libraries.
GORE is the one who's taking it to the home level. He wants to spend tax payer money on computers that parents should be monitoring themselves with their own time and money.
It is not the job of the government, nor should it be to take care of us. Should the government help out temporarily in dire situations, sure. But why should I give the government my money for them to choose my health care and education when I can do that myself and make these decisions myself? When was the last time the government was better able to spend money than the people that earned it? Not that it's relevant, if I make the money, I should be able to spend it however I want to. Income taxes were instituted as a TEMPORARY measure to fund a war. That war is over. Income taxes should go away. I think there should be a law (and I'm not a fan of new laws either) that states that any new tax must be earmarked for a specific purpose. Also, once that purpose has been fulfilled, the tax should have to go away. Then we don't have things like the phone tax that helped to fund the Spanish American War hanging around until the year 2000.
Giving the government more money does NOT mean better services, it usually means more waste. Look at the educational system. We spend significantly more per student on education now than we EVER have and most would agree that the educational system is in the toilet right now (especially here in SC). The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. It is, therefore, insane to continue spending more money on education.
If you really think taxes should be raised, why not just go the whole way down that road and send the government your entire check and let them take care of you. It worked so well in the SOviet Union.
I got curious after reading the statement that the Texas Constitution disallows athiests from being citizens of the state. I couldn't find anything specifically to that effect (no more than on the Federal level), but did find this:
The Texas Constitution
Article 1 - BILL OF RIGHTS
Section 4 - RELIGIOUS TESTS
No religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office, or public trust, in this State; nor shall any one be excluded from holding office on account of his religious sentiments, provided he acknowledge the existence of a Supreme Being.
HOW is this even close to being legal?!?!?!?!?!?
Yes, I'm an Athiest. No, I don't live in Texas. (SC, smack dab in the middle of the Bible Belt).
Do you support hate crime legislation? If so, how do you defend such an openly racist policy? Explain how you can put the value of one person's life over that of another's based solely upon the color of the attacker and the victim.
1. Do you think it's about time to have the budget poured over by an unbiased third party that can REALLY cut out all the fat so that a tax cut (which is deserved) can be had by all without any debate?
2. There is abundant evidence that supports that the founding fathers wished to create a religion free government, knowing the damage that a theocracy can have. What will you do to maintain the current seperation of church and state?
First, let me say that I'm no big fan of the MPAA's stand on this issue. I think it'll come back and bite them in the ass. Kind of like IBM and DOS. But, I digress... Consider this. If, as some in this forum have expressed a desire for, the MPAA and the conglomerates were to disappear tomorrow. Yes, there would be some interesting and good things to come from that. On the other hand, who would make the big movies that we all love (at least on occassion). What independant out there would have the money to make a 100 million dollar Terminator or a 75 million dollar X-Men, or even a 25 million dollar "independant" film? Blair Witch you say? Sure, they shot it for almost nothing. If the big boys weren't there to shell out millions for distribution and advertising, who would have seen it? Sanchez's homies, yo, that's who. I for one don't want to be stuck watching crappily made home movies shot with handicams on my 19" computer screen forever. The theatre experience is worth the price of admission (pardon the pun). Home theatre can only go so far. It's the MPAA and the studios that keep the theatres in business. Does the system need examined and changed? Yes. Is the MPAA shortsighted and totally off base with the DeCSS case? Absolutely. Is the solution to just throw out the MPAA and the studios? I think not. There must be a better solution.
Slashdot Mirror
-Sam
For future reference, the quote in your tagline, "It's not my Goddamned planet, understand, Monkeyboy?!?!" should be attributed to John Bigboote, not Dr. Emelio Lizardo. :)
-Sam Dunham
"Character... is-a what you are-a in-a the dark."
-Dr. Emelio Lizardo (John Whorfin)
Which would also lead you to the reason for a God to have existed. The question of complexity is not a proof for the existence of God. It's a logically flawed argument. In order for a structure as complex as the universe to exist, it must have been created by a more complex being, ie. God. But, if that's the case, then a being even more complex than God must have preceeded God to have created him. If, on the other hand, God needed no more complex being to have created him, then the same must logically apply to the universe. You can't have it both ways.
-Sam
I also am in the Charleston, SC area. I have DSL. My dad has Cable, and I have a neighbor that has cable. They both get about the same transfer rates that I get. It all depends on traffic and the such. I've gotten better rates than they on some DLs and vice verca. What cable supplier do you have? They both have Comcast. I have Bellsouth DSL. -Sam
Actually, I've read that in the real world, DSL is between 50-100% faster than cable. Personally, I get around 1MBs over DSL with peaks and valleys depending on traffic at a particular site. The best I've seen that I'd feel comfortable giving as a real speed is 1.9MBs. As far as the sharing thing goes, don't cable users have to share local bandwidth and then have it shared again at the switch? Sure DSL users share bandwidth at the switch, but it doesn't get shared as many times. Kind of like having several hubs connecting computers in an office building all going to central hubs in the wiring closet. Just the way I've thought about it.
Secondly, before you believe the rhetoric from either side involved in the courtroom statements, you should pick up the book, Pride Before The Fall . It is an exhaustive accounting of the entire process that lead up to the decision by Judge Jackson written by someone that had reasonably unfetteref access to everyone involved including Gates and Balmer.
Actually, NexGen is a great magazine for hard-core gamers and the Official Dreamcast Magazine is the only DC magazine that's even worth the paper it's printed on. I'm also pretty fond of MacAddict. The single thing that binds all the Imagine mags that I've read is a sense of irreverance in a good way. They really haven't sold out, in general. They tell you when crap is crap (even ODCM) and when good stuff is good. It's refreshing. Oh, and they are fun as well.
Actually, I couldn't disagree more. I will miss Maximum Linux. How are product reviews bad again? I personally like having a review section so that I don't have to go through a bunch of crap with downloading, installing, and checking out a piece of software just to find out it's a pile and then have to purge it from my machine. So, reviews are good. As far as technical detail, I picked up the first issue when it came out and it explained, in real English, how to set up Internet sharing on a Linux box, step by step. I had to change some of the technical aspects of it because it was for modem access and I have DSL, but it was an excellent place to start and I knew enough to make the necessary changes. So, does it cover technical issues, sure. Does it cover them catering to the code-head? Not always, but not everyone is a code-head. The first issue also had an excellent walk through for rebuilding a kernel. With this mag gone, I don't know of another that speaks to the same audience. People that are not necessarily spanking newbies, but not experts either. There are a lot of us out there and more on the way. THis may perturb you, but it's the only thing that'll keep Linux growing. The column by Mae Ling is for people considering changing from the M$ field of poo to the more enlightened Linux realm. That, too, is a group that must grow for Linux to get anywhere. So, while you may prefer Linux Journal, that doesn't make Maximum Linux bad, just wrong for you.
I was hired by a biggish computer sales/services company almost two years ago. I was working for a high-tech temp agency and this company wanted to hire me full time. I told them up front that they had me for a year and that was it. After a year I planned on starting my own consulting/services firm. They agreed and I did. While I was at the company, my consultant responsibilities were stunted by the corporate beuracracy. If the head office said we were pushing Compaq or Microsoft or Cisco, that's what we had to reccommend. Whether it was what the client needed or not. I decided that when I went out on my own, I would reccommend ONLY what the client needed. Nothing more, nothing less. This has allowed me to establish a thriving business that has been built completely via word of mouth. I've only had one complaint about my pricing ($150.00/hr) and this came from a client that used my proposal to have a friend install their network for a boat ride and a six pack (they ended up calling me in later when things didn't go exactly as they expected - no price complaints). In short, I'm aware of the climate and the market. There IS good money to be made out there. On the other hand, I'd rather make less money on a client if it means doing what's right for THEM. This has paid off long term more than any amount of stickin' it to 'em could have ever. -Sam Dunham http://www.ronintech.com/
Yup, Total Recall could have been really good if the lead had been played by someone like Woody Allen like the book called for.
Actually, it's the Clinton Administration that's attempting to override states rights' to allow the distribution of medical marijuana. Which, I think, is incredibly ironic and hypocritical considering Clinton's background.
Having worked for Blackbaud, the largest supplier of fund-raising management software, I can attest to the fact that Non-Profits generally do not have more than a few networked computers and rarely have in-house IT staff. Often, they have no one on staff that is more than rudamentarily computer literate. One of my job functions was to restore databases for examination by the programming and QA staff and I can't count the number of times that I received a tape from a client that was marked "return ASAP" because it was their only backup tape. It was infuriating. Now I'm a private consultant and I don't LET my clients get into such a situation. :)
Did anyone take the time to look at the Honda version of the bipedal robot (requires M$ Media player). It totally kicks ass. It's as tall as a human, can walk up and down stairs and within 10 years will have all the range of motion of humans. I can see this thing on a space mission or doing hazardous duty work sometime soon. VERY cool.
There is an article in the current issue of Skeptic magazine that goes into the whole pyramid thing (it's available online, too).
Before I say whether or not I agree with the review of the film, I'd just like to say this to everyone who has commented with something to the effect of, "It's an action/sci-fi movie, don't expect it to actually be good. Live with it." This is about the piss poorest attitude I've heard in a while (well, outside of Florida :) If we expect less, we'll keep getting less.
Let's see when was the last time I saw a sci-fi movie with good characterization, a good plot, a cohesive story, and that was directed well? I think the last one was the Iron Giant. GREAT movie, but it tanked at the box office. We HAVE to support better movies better.
Now, on to Red Planet. This was NOT a good movie. The rocot cat thing was the best part of the movie but, oddly enough didn't play a very integral role in the film, and had its own problems as well. I would rather have seen a short CG animation of the robot (AMEE) being put through its paces than this piece of drek. Let's see, where do I start... There was NO characterization. The reviewer is correct in stating that the audience can't care about the fate of the characters, because we are never truly shown what they are. About twenty minutes into the film I turned to my wife to ask if it was directed by a music video director. The reason I asked was that the pacing was horrible. It was extremely choppy. The story, while having an interesting opening premise, was terrible. Suspension of disbelief is one thing, but the idea that NASA would have done NO research before sending humans out to "check on the situation on Mars" is ludicrous. They weren't being sent to find out what happened to the algea, they were being sent to find out why the oxygen was depleted. Which means that somehow we knew that it was depleted, when in fact it wasn't. When the crew arrives, they don't do any sort of atmospheric analysis. Even if they were dispatched to look into the disappearance of the algae, they should have known about the insects due to the knowledge that the algae was disappearing. The ship had no warning at all about the "solar flare" that crippled it. At the very least, the onboard systems should have seen the anomaly. (This is a pet peave of mine) The computer engaged in niceties. I HATE that. I hate the wasted processor cycles that Windows has now with the silly animations of files flying from one folder to another now, I certainly don't want a computer that my life depends on wasting CPU cycles telling me "Thank You" and "Your Welcome." The robot. Ahhhhh, the robot. There is NO WAY IN HELL that the military would lend a, for all intents and purposes, civilian organization a piece of hardware, have the time to reprogram it for a scientific mission and LEAVE THE MILITARY PROGRAM INTACT AT ALL!!! Not to mention the fact that it was a crappy design in the first place to be so easily knocked off of mission by a shock impact. No remote kill switch. Inefficient military tactics (WHY would the military program it to slowly kill a group of the enemy one by one)? Again, AMEE was not a pivotal character in the movie. In fact, none of the characters were. I don't think I've ever seen a movie so filled with such unimportant characters and events. It seemed that nothing that happened was, I don't know, big enough. Lots of little things happened (too many, in my opinion), but if you had removed any of them (at least after the crash), it would not have altered the "story" much at all. AMEE, the guy dying of internal bleeding, the guy being thrown off the cliff, the ice storm, none of it really mattered. In addition, none of the (surviving) characters were in any way altered by the end of the film. I could go on with scientific faults (many others have already done so), but they all seem to pale in comparison with the truly awful writing and directing. In the end, this movie looked good visually, and the sound was pretty good, but we deserve more than that. It's about time to send a message to Hollywood that we won't put up with this crap anymore.
FWIW, I don't think this was as bad as Mission to Mars and was MUCH better than Supernova, but then, some crap doesn't stick as bad as other crap, but it's still crap.
To see what Amiga is doing, check out http://www.amiga.com/
Actually, Bush favors letting parents parent. He only wants filters on computers that are supplied USING public (tax payer) money. FOr instance, computers in libraries. GORE is the one who's taking it to the home level. He wants to spend tax payer money on computers that parents should be monitoring themselves with their own time and money.
It is not the job of the government, nor should it be to take care of us. Should the government help out temporarily in dire situations, sure. But why should I give the government my money for them to choose my health care and education when I can do that myself and make these decisions myself? When was the last time the government was better able to spend money than the people that earned it? Not that it's relevant, if I make the money, I should be able to spend it however I want to. Income taxes were instituted as a TEMPORARY measure to fund a war. That war is over. Income taxes should go away. I think there should be a law (and I'm not a fan of new laws either) that states that any new tax must be earmarked for a specific purpose. Also, once that purpose has been fulfilled, the tax should have to go away. Then we don't have things like the phone tax that helped to fund the Spanish American War hanging around until the year 2000. Giving the government more money does NOT mean better services, it usually means more waste. Look at the educational system. We spend significantly more per student on education now than we EVER have and most would agree that the educational system is in the toilet right now (especially here in SC). The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. It is, therefore, insane to continue spending more money on education. If you really think taxes should be raised, why not just go the whole way down that road and send the government your entire check and let them take care of you. It worked so well in the SOviet Union.
I got curious after reading the statement that the Texas Constitution disallows athiests from being citizens of the state. I couldn't find anything specifically to that effect (no more than on the Federal level), but did find this: The Texas Constitution Article 1 - BILL OF RIGHTS Section 4 - RELIGIOUS TESTS No religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office, or public trust, in this State; nor shall any one be excluded from holding office on account of his religious sentiments, provided he acknowledge the existence of a Supreme Being. HOW is this even close to being legal?!?!?!?!?!? Yes, I'm an Athiest. No, I don't live in Texas. (SC, smack dab in the middle of the Bible Belt).
Do you support hate crime legislation? If so, how do you defend such an openly racist policy? Explain how you can put the value of one person's life over that of another's based solely upon the color of the attacker and the victim.
1. Do you think it's about time to have the budget poured over by an unbiased third party that can REALLY cut out all the fat so that a tax cut (which is deserved) can be had by all without any debate? 2. There is abundant evidence that supports that the founding fathers wished to create a religion free government, knowing the damage that a theocracy can have. What will you do to maintain the current seperation of church and state?
...box(?) out like this. Check it out: QBENET
First, let me say that I'm no big fan of the MPAA's stand on this issue. I think it'll come back and bite them in the ass. Kind of like IBM and DOS. But, I digress... Consider this. If, as some in this forum have expressed a desire for, the MPAA and the conglomerates were to disappear tomorrow. Yes, there would be some interesting and good things to come from that. On the other hand, who would make the big movies that we all love (at least on occassion). What independant out there would have the money to make a 100 million dollar Terminator or a 75 million dollar X-Men, or even a 25 million dollar "independant" film? Blair Witch you say? Sure, they shot it for almost nothing. If the big boys weren't there to shell out millions for distribution and advertising, who would have seen it? Sanchez's homies, yo, that's who. I for one don't want to be stuck watching crappily made home movies shot with handicams on my 19" computer screen forever. The theatre experience is worth the price of admission (pardon the pun). Home theatre can only go so far. It's the MPAA and the studios that keep the theatres in business. Does the system need examined and changed? Yes. Is the MPAA shortsighted and totally off base with the DeCSS case? Absolutely. Is the solution to just throw out the MPAA and the studios? I think not. There must be a better solution.
Real Estate agents have access to reverse phone number lookups online and in print via the Multiple Listing Service.