He is trying to strengthen americans' civil liberties and such, but the fact remains that he did vote for it.
He also supports the DMCA.
I kind of like the guy, too. The most depressing thing about this election is getting excited about a candidate only to learn enough about them to get turned off.
>>But of course, we are all supposed to believe that he is not just another politician, and he is somehow fantastic and different.
He is, on the other hand, still human. I think that seeing a candidates faults is more revealing than seeing his or her strengths. He is essentially a third-party candidate with virtually no chance of winning. He takes attention where he can get it, probably with every intention of using any elected power for good. I'm not going to pick political sides here, but I think we should all step back every now and then and view these candidates as people instead of talking heads. It's important to view them as flesh and blood with cousins and funny stories and bad moments and dry skin and teenage romances and successes and failures. Put yourself in their shoes once in a while, if for no other reason than to make the political system more real to yourself.
I have carried my Lexar JumpDrive (1GB) in the right cargo pocket of my BDU pants for at least five years now. That entailed: multiple 'vacations' in Iraq, Nevada, Arizona, Qatar, Hawaii, Iceland, France, etc. etc. Where I live, the temp ranges from 100F to -50F. I've worn out 4 sets of BDU pants in the same time that I've owned the jumpdrive. I've had to change the 'unclassified' sticker on it 3 times, but the red plastic underneath is still shiny.
I work with lots of chemicals at work (Paint, MEK, acetone, trichlorethane, naptha, ass't other solvents, jet fuel, hydraulic oil, etc). I've come close to throwing out pairs of pants because of spills, but the jumpdrive stills works great. I still have files on it that I put there the day I bought it.
Can someone please explain to me why it is such an awful crime to change one's mind?
Why can't a candidate change their mind if the information they are provided changes?
Most of this country supported the war in Iraq when it began; now, hardly anyone does. They are all flip-floppers, right? Or could it be that they:
-Identified a problem -hypothesized a solution or explanation -tested their hypothesis against reality -repeat
I don't support Romney (just for one example), but I think the criticism about his 'flip-flopping' regarding abortion is outrageous. The man has never been pregnant. He has ostensibly never been party to an abortion (with his wife, for example). Most people, I should hope, also never go through this experience. And then when he is faced with legislation regarding it, he looks within himself and changes his mind about it? Why wouldn't you want someone who is capable of absorbing new information, synthesizing new ideas, and acting on them?
Many of you use 'flip-flopper' as an epithet, yet Hate bush for running the country into this war. He was wrong in the first place. If he changed his mind, would you call him a flip-flopper? Or would you 'stay the course' in the interest of ego and stability? Would you rather be right or consistent?
I would like to know. I've changed my mind on many things over the course of my life. I'd hate to think that I'm less of a person because I can approach issues from new angles and change my way of thinking about them (hopefully for the better).
1- You don't see how the next U.S. president will affect the entire world?
2- A great deal of research is paid for by the U.S. gov't. In addition, new research (and new laws regarding that research) will be affected by the next president.
You might as well say, "Why are all these linux articles on slashdot? I thought this was a tech website, and only 3% of people use linux anyways.)
More that 3% of slashdotters live in the U.S. I'm sorry if you are offended by that.
AH HA! I have discovered why scientists have a hard time getting funding. It should be:
1. Define the question 2. Gather information and resources (observe) 3. Form hypothesis 4. Perform experiment and collect data 5. Analyze data 6. Interpret data and draw conclusions that serve as a starting point for new hypothesis 7. Publish results 8. Retest (frequently done by other scientists) 9. ???? 10. Profit!
We can finally start getting some real science done!
>>It's similar to the refounding of japan that kept the emperor: it was reconized that it simply would not be doable without that because there was universal opposition.
Although it did help to prove your point in this context, I think you might be a little wrong on this point. The U.S. originally DID want a purely democratic gov't in japan (at least as democratic as our own). The conditions of the surrender treaty were changed to allow some aspects of the traditional japanese ruling class; without those concessions, there was a very good chance that the surrender treaty would have been refused by the japanese.
I just got a chance to tour pretty much every WWII monument on Oahu... As a soldier, it was touching; as a citizen it was amazing to me after seeing it all that we let japan off (and helped rebuild their country).
I think war should say something about the U.S. I think it should say, "Hey, when we go into battle we do take prisoners, we do treat them humanely, we do follow geneva conventions, we don't torture people, we don't burn and rape entire cities, etc. etc."
Unfortunately for us, many of the above points- points that we should be proud of- have been tarnished or completely contaminated by our president and his cronies. It makes me sad. I think that we can still rise to the ideal that we used to look up to. The happy part is that I think McCain, Obama, and Hill-Dog would all make good presidents. We'll see.
For better or worse, the Iraqi parliament has begun allowing Baath party loyalists to reapply for their old jobs. AFAIK, the only people who will be turned away based on their Baath affiliation will be Saddam's innermost circle, etc.
Of course, the only reason this happened was to help quiet the increasingly violent and vocal Baathists. It remains in my mind a step forward from killing them all instead. Progress is being made, but slowly, just like American democracy.
I am no fan of this war, but I honestly see growing pains where some see utter failure. Only time will tell.
That is ridiculous. Think about what you are saying. Each flush costs a few mWh's of electricity and a pint of disinfectant. If the airlines didn't want you to flush, then why on earth do they serve free beverages?
For crying out loud, every flight I've taken must have cost the airlines the price of my ticket plus a few hundred dollars.
Just join a Unitarian church. They have the best pot-lucks, and are filled with people are afraid or unwilling to give up their faith, yet do not want to be associated with people who embrace their superstition. It's like a recovery group for former catholics/baptists/etc who want to reconcile reality with god. I haven't been there for quite a while, though- things may have changed.
If mainstream press did not cover these 'museums,' the target market would still hear about them through their usual channels. Having an open and frank discussion about these people should be considered a good thing- we should examine these superstitions in the light of day, rather than unknowingly elect leaders who believe that Israel's fall will signal the coming apocalypse or some other nonsense.
Nowadays the book nuts write reviews for Amazon, and that is how I narrow down my searches for new books. I learned a while ago to listen to the reviews when I disregarded a few negative comments and bought the book anyways (it was "Basic electronics theory"). It turns out that everything in the review section was right, and I've since bought several books recommended by those reviewers.
The people who take the time to write out a good review on amazon are usually people who are well-informed about a topic in the first place. Essentially all non-fiction books that I have looked for on amazon have had a wealth of reviews by people who knew the subject and therefore how well the book covered it. The reviews also often suggest better or equally good books to consider. This is true for everything from cook books to astronomy.
While the olde-timey good book stores from the before-time may have had a few really bright employees, I think you'd be hard pressed to find a book nut who could write 5-10 pages of insightful reviews on almost every book in stock.
Some of us really enjoy our work. Some of us have jobs with interesting problems that we would be happy to try to solve on our own time, and we do. Maybe it's because I'm on salary, but I do bring my work home with me some times, and I think that it enriches my work and home life. If you do something for half of your waking hours, I think that it SHOULD be important to you. I'm sorry that you have a crappy job that you don't care about. I've had jobs like that, too. The good news for me is that my hobby extends into my job (and not the other way around).
So the new Chevy ThunderCatEagleBird just came out... After I thought about it, I realized that it's just not my thing:
-70 MPG: yeah, but the fuel tank isn't replaceable. Plus, with my personal biodiesel still in my mom's garage, I can just make my own gas.
-Night-vision HUD: Great. Now old ladies can terrorize the roads at NIGHT as well as 11 a.m.
-Auto steering and trip planning: I enjoy poring over old topo maps and planning my next trip to Spockland. Maybe SOME people are willing to pay extra $$$ to have their CAR figure out the quickest route, but I am not that easy to fool, Chevy!
Why can't people just say, "Hey. I guess I'm not in the market for this device. Kudos to Apple/Toshiba/Sony, but I'll stick to what I already have."
I'd understand if you were an exec and you already had a toshiba portege (and money was no object), and you were saying, "Hey this thing doesn't match my mistress's favorite pantyhose." OK then, you have a point.
Applecare is great, but I have never used mine. My oldest Mac is a 2 year old iBook G4 that still uses the original battery. I still get more than 4-5 hours on it unless I'm running the optical drive or the HDD constantly.
Anecdotes prove nothing, of course. I'm just saying.
I'm not going to buy this Air either (at least not at this price), but I heard your argument a thousand times about the iPhone. People are NOT rational actors, economically speaking. I WANT this computer. Many people will want this computer. If you think that the "wow" factor doesn't sell, then I advise you to look in your phonebook for the porsche, BMW, and mercedes dealers in your area.
This computer is sexy as hell. Recession or not, people will buy it.
$3K for a comparable system with an optical drive, solid-state HDD, etc. No backlit keyboard, maybe, but still food for thought. And I AM a macbook pro, ibook, and mac mini owner.
Thanks for the info- I hadn't seen this line before. It's funny, ever since I sold my Apple stock, the Reality Distortion Field has grown weaker and weaker...
I always thought that it was called 'ethernet' because your packets go into the 'ether' without your NIC needing to worry much about what happens after the router. You know, the whole "cloud" picture that is the internet? The two end devices only need to know their neighbor. They can send packets to any other device connected to the ethernet without needing to know anything except the other device's address. Similar in many ways to the postal service.
Slashdot Mirror
>>we pay 1 half of 1 percent of our salary
>>$50 a month
You think we all make $120,000/year?
-b
>>I will be voting for whoever has the best chance of reversing the current trend of rights erosion
I'm sorry I'm so late to this thread, but you do know that Obama voted to reauthorize the PATRIOT act, right?
http://obama.senate.gov/speech/060216-floor_statement_2/
He is trying to strengthen americans' civil liberties and such, but the fact remains that he did vote for it.
He also supports the DMCA.
I kind of like the guy, too. The most depressing thing about this election is getting excited about a candidate only to learn enough about them to get turned off.
-b
>>But of course, we are all supposed to believe that he is not just another politician, and he is somehow fantastic and different.
He is, on the other hand, still human. I think that seeing a candidates faults is more revealing than seeing his or her strengths. He is essentially a third-party candidate with virtually no chance of winning. He takes attention where he can get it, probably with every intention of using any elected power for good. I'm not going to pick political sides here, but I think we should all step back every now and then and view these candidates as people instead of talking heads. It's important to view them as flesh and blood with cousins and funny stories and bad moments and dry skin and teenage romances and successes and failures. Put yourself in their shoes once in a while, if for no other reason than to make the political system more real to yourself.
-b
I have carried my Lexar JumpDrive (1GB) in the right cargo pocket of my BDU pants for at least five years now. That entailed: multiple 'vacations' in Iraq, Nevada, Arizona, Qatar, Hawaii, Iceland, France, etc. etc.
Where I live, the temp ranges from 100F to -50F. I've worn out 4 sets of BDU pants in the same time that I've owned the jumpdrive. I've had to change the 'unclassified' sticker on it 3 times, but the red plastic underneath is still shiny.
I work with lots of chemicals at work (Paint, MEK, acetone, trichlorethane, naptha, ass't other solvents, jet fuel, hydraulic oil, etc). I've come close to throwing out pairs of pants because of spills, but the jumpdrive stills works great. I still have files on it that I put there the day I bought it.
-b
Can someone please explain to me why it is such an awful crime to change one's mind?
Why can't a candidate change their mind if the information they are provided changes?
Most of this country supported the war in Iraq when it began; now, hardly anyone does. They are all flip-floppers, right? Or could it be that they:
-Identified a problem
-hypothesized a solution or explanation
-tested their hypothesis against reality
-repeat
I don't support Romney (just for one example), but I think the criticism about his 'flip-flopping' regarding abortion is outrageous. The man has never been pregnant. He has ostensibly never been party to an abortion (with his wife, for example). Most people, I should hope, also never go through this experience. And then when he is faced with legislation regarding it, he looks within himself and changes his mind about it? Why wouldn't you want someone who is capable of absorbing new information, synthesizing new ideas, and acting on them?
Many of you use 'flip-flopper' as an epithet, yet Hate bush for running the country into this war. He was wrong in the first place. If he changed his mind, would you call him a flip-flopper? Or would you 'stay the course' in the interest of ego and stability? Would you rather be right or consistent?
I would like to know. I've changed my mind on many things over the course of my life. I'd hate to think that I'm less of a person because I can approach issues from new angles and change my way of thinking about them (hopefully for the better).
-b
1- You don't see how the next U.S. president will affect the entire world?
2- A great deal of research is paid for by the U.S. gov't. In addition, new research (and new laws regarding that research) will be affected by the next president.
You might as well say, "Why are all these linux articles on slashdot? I thought this was a tech website, and only 3% of people use linux anyways.)
More that 3% of slashdotters live in the U.S. I'm sorry if you are offended by that.
-b
AH HA! I have discovered why scientists have a hard time getting funding. It should be:
1. Define the question
2. Gather information and resources (observe)
3. Form hypothesis
4. Perform experiment and collect data
5. Analyze data
6. Interpret data and draw conclusions that serve as a starting point for new hypothesis
7. Publish results
8. Retest (frequently done by other scientists)
9. ????
10. Profit!
We can finally start getting some real science done!
-b
>>It's similar to the refounding of japan that kept the emperor: it was reconized that it simply would not be doable without that because there was universal opposition.
Although it did help to prove your point in this context, I think you might be a little wrong on this point. The U.S. originally DID want a purely democratic gov't in japan (at least as democratic as our own). The conditions of the surrender treaty were changed to allow some aspects of the traditional japanese ruling class; without those concessions, there was a very good chance that the surrender treaty would have been refused by the japanese.
I just got a chance to tour pretty much every WWII monument on Oahu... As a soldier, it was touching; as a citizen it was amazing to me after seeing it all that we let japan off (and helped rebuild their country).
I think war should say something about the U.S. I think it should say, "Hey, when we go into battle we do take prisoners, we do treat them humanely, we do follow geneva conventions, we don't torture people, we don't burn and rape entire cities, etc. etc."
Unfortunately for us, many of the above points- points that we should be proud of- have been tarnished or completely contaminated by our president and his cronies. It makes me sad. I think that we can still rise to the ideal that we used to look up to. The happy part is that I think McCain, Obama, and Hill-Dog would all make good presidents. We'll see.
-b
For better or worse, the Iraqi parliament has begun allowing Baath party loyalists to reapply for their old jobs. AFAIK, the only people who will be turned away based on their Baath affiliation will be Saddam's innermost circle, etc.
Of course, the only reason this happened was to help quiet the increasingly violent and vocal Baathists. It remains in my mind a step forward from killing them all instead. Progress is being made, but slowly, just like American democracy.
I am no fan of this war, but I honestly see growing pains where some see utter failure. Only time will tell.
-b
That is ridiculous. Think about what you are saying. Each flush costs a few mWh's of electricity and a pint of disinfectant.
If the airlines didn't want you to flush, then why on earth do they serve free beverages?
For crying out loud, every flight I've taken must have cost the airlines the price of my ticket plus a few hundred dollars.
How did this get modded informative?
I agree, but you have to admit that the humans often make the stupidest moves on those maps, too.
-b
The distant future.
The year 2000.
The world is very different ever since the robotic uprising of the late 90's. There have been some major changes.
We no longer say yes; instead, we say "Affirmative."
There are no more elephants.
There is only one sort of dance, "The Robot."
-No, "Robo-Boogie" as well
There are two dances now, yes.
The future is so different, it's crazy.
Oh yes, I just remembered- All human life has been eradicated.
Finally, robotic beings rule the world!
The humans are dead...
-flight of the conchords
Just join a Unitarian church. They have the best pot-lucks, and are filled with people are afraid or unwilling to give up their faith, yet do not want to be associated with people who embrace their superstition. It's like a recovery group for former catholics/baptists/etc who want to reconcile reality with god. I haven't been there for quite a while, though- things may have changed.
-b
If mainstream press did not cover these 'museums,' the target market would still hear about them through their usual channels. Having an open and frank discussion about these people should be considered a good thing- we should examine these superstitions in the light of day, rather than unknowingly elect leaders who believe that Israel's fall will signal the coming apocalypse or some other nonsense.
-b
Nowadays the book nuts write reviews for Amazon, and that is how I narrow down my searches for new books. I learned a while ago to listen to the reviews when I disregarded a few negative comments and bought the book anyways (it was "Basic electronics theory"). It turns out that everything in the review section was right, and I've since bought several books recommended by those reviewers.
The people who take the time to write out a good review on amazon are usually people who are well-informed about a topic in the first place. Essentially all non-fiction books that I have looked for on amazon have had a wealth of reviews by people who knew the subject and therefore how well the book covered it. The reviews also often suggest better or equally good books to consider. This is true for everything from cook books to astronomy.
While the olde-timey good book stores from the before-time may have had a few really bright employees, I think you'd be hard pressed to find a book nut who could write 5-10 pages of insightful reviews on almost every book in stock.
-b
You're loopy for supporting Ron Paul.
:)
See you on Digg.
(Mods, get a sense of humor
-b
No, but /. does conveniently hide +2 and lower posts. Sorry for inconveniencing you.
-b
As someone running AdBlock and FlashBlock, I was not aware that /. was running banner ads. I wish that there was a RL analog to these programs...
-b
Some of us really enjoy our work. Some of us have jobs with interesting problems that we would be happy to try to solve on our own time, and we do. Maybe it's because I'm on salary, but I do bring my work home with me some times, and I think that it enriches my work and home life. If you do something for half of your waking hours, I think that it SHOULD be important to you. I'm sorry that you have a crappy job that you don't care about. I've had jobs like that, too. The good news for me is that my hobby extends into my job (and not the other way around).
-b
So the new Chevy ThunderCatEagleBird just came out... After I thought about it, I realized that it's just not my thing:
-70 MPG: yeah, but the fuel tank isn't replaceable. Plus, with my personal biodiesel still in my mom's garage, I can just make my own gas.
-Night-vision HUD: Great. Now old ladies can terrorize the roads at NIGHT as well as 11 a.m.
-Auto steering and trip planning: I enjoy poring over old topo maps and planning my next trip to Spockland. Maybe SOME people are willing to pay extra $$$ to have their CAR figure out the quickest route, but I am not that easy to fool, Chevy!
Why can't people just say, "Hey. I guess I'm not in the market for this device. Kudos to Apple/Toshiba/Sony, but I'll stick to what I already have."
I'd understand if you were an exec and you already had a toshiba portege (and money was no object), and you were saying, "Hey this thing doesn't match my mistress's favorite pantyhose." OK then, you have a point.
I give up...
Applecare is great, but I have never used mine. My oldest Mac is a 2 year old iBook G4 that still uses the original battery. I still get more than 4-5 hours on it unless I'm running the optical drive or the HDD constantly.
Anecdotes prove nothing, of course. I'm just saying.
-b
I'm not going to buy this Air either (at least not at this price), but I heard your argument a thousand times about the iPhone. People are NOT rational actors, economically speaking. I WANT this computer. Many people will want this computer. If you think that the "wow" factor doesn't sell, then I advise you to look in your phonebook for the porsche, BMW, and mercedes dealers in your area.
This computer is sexy as hell. Recession or not, people will buy it.
-b
Please see the Toshiba Portege-
http://www.toshibadirect.com/td/b2c/cmod.to?coid=-33781
$3K for a comparable system with an optical drive, solid-state HDD, etc. No backlit keyboard, maybe, but still food for thought. And I AM a macbook pro, ibook, and mac mini owner.
I'm just saying.
-b
Thanks for the info- I hadn't seen this line before. It's funny, ever since I sold my Apple stock, the Reality Distortion Field has grown weaker and weaker...
-b
I always thought that it was called 'ethernet' because your packets go into the 'ether' without your NIC needing to worry much about what happens after the router. You know, the whole "cloud" picture that is the internet? The two end devices only need to know their neighbor. They can send packets to any other device connected to the ethernet without needing to know anything except the other device's address. Similar in many ways to the postal service.
-b