"Frankly, with the latest series of indiscriminate attacks it's starting to look less like griefers run amok and more like false-flag psyops run to reduce support for hacktivism through guilt-by-association and create fertile grounds for some new draconian legislation."
Actually, your post is more of a false-flag psyops designed to discredit the fact that they are petty dickhead hackers with too much time and lulz. Jeebus, the government does some pretty bad shit, but pissing off gamers and hitting a few minor govt sites isn't going to have the same effect as say...hitting the stock market servers.
So if you're going to engage in paranoid delusion, at least ramp it up 9/11 truther style to something that causes FEAR. Take it to an 11 man.
"Rail against it if you like, but you'll have to shout: Nintendo are way down there at the deep end of their Olympic sized pool full of cash, blow and hookers."
Actually, the pool has sprung a leak and they're trying to desperately have the Wii U fill the pool again before the hookers get bored and they have no more money for blow.
The most drastic change occurs by revolution, but I'd say the best change occurs by evolution. And good outcomes certainly don't come from idealists without a real plan for replacing the establishment. Crap, that's just asking for the guillotine.
You underestimate the laziness of the public. How many logged back onto the PSN and saw the requirement to change their password as a chore? And if they somehow miraculously stop trusting the company, then how many will assume that the lax PSN security was just a fluke? Nah, if anything the benefit is to prod companies into bolstering their defenses to shield their own asses -- for a time at least.
As for releasing the data publicly I think that would have been as well received as the RIAA lawsuits. Besides, if you want to think evil then realize that *not* knowing what criminals have their hands on is far worse mentally.
Actually let us consider the Lord of the Rings and fiction in general. They also involve both the psychology of the reader and writer. I remember reading a short story by Terry Brooks in the Shanarra universe and remembering why I dislike it. For his stories with magic or technology, it matters not which, is only useful when used to oppose a great evil and then it's best never used again because, y'know, moderation is impossible in life. For all the books he's written that world has not improved much -- that might be an equally valuable lesson to observe.
The problem with paranoia either real, or written into fiction, is that quite often the methods of mass killing aren't that new or exotic. Death, like electricity, usually chooses the path of least resistance. And that doesn't usually involve an expensive version of a known virus when ordinary bullets will do. And if that's thinking too small then bombs, and then bigger bombs with chemical or nuclear payloads (more hardy then biological vectors and nominally controllable). Anyway the point is that the smallpox stockpile story comes up like a weed, and the paranoid theories follow. It's possible that we're going to all die via Stephen King's super-flu (pox?), but it's highly unlikely unless you can stop by the 7-11 and purchase a strain.
The FBI could have planted bugs in my apartment. They could bug my landline telephone. They could point a laser device at my window and pick up voice via the vibrations. They could be following me. They could have planted a tracking device on my car.
All of those except the landline require actions in the physical world, where resources are limited and distances are real. Those natural limitations will prevent large-scale invisible abuse. You can do it on a limited scale, or you can do it big scale but then the country turns visibly into a police state.
Bugging your landline or your phone, or reading your GPS coordinates remotely requires a computer and being the FBI so you can tell the telco to go and do it. Running it on 1000 people is only marginally more troublesome than running it on 100 people. And that's a very important difference.
I ran Google Latitude for several months. Most of the time it reported me several states away in the default location it stores. We'll probably get to the level of accuracy required for 1984 level monitoring, but for now all these paranoid cases generally are best case implementations of common GPS/Cellphone tech. So join me in the countryside if you want to be safer from monitoring.
Stallman has a good point, but there is a point where Ben Franklin's quote about safety for security becomes ridiculous. The internet can be used as a means of control, as well as a source of free speech and democracy. It's really all in the safeguards and culture that surround the new technology. You can abuse GPS, but it also gets my directionally challenged arse to the proper destination 9 times out of 10.
I support him trying to change the culture surrounding technology, but closed source has its place too. Actually, I kinda like the competition between the two philosophies.
I use Libre Office quite a bit too, but it's not necessarily easier to use -- even with a cold start and no prior training in MS Word. If you are advising students of the limitations of Word vs Libre Office then you are interjecting as much personal belief as fact I think. I prefer Libre Office because it's free, and absent student discounts I do not use Word Processing software often enough to justify paying for Office.
Just to flip this around a bit Anon, shouldn't we also assume the alleged victims are innocent until proven guilty? From your later posts I can understand why you are bitter on this point. However, consider that there are plenty of men who are willing to presume that rape claims are false until proven otherwise without your history. And even if we go with the worst case there is still a majority of claims which are accurate.
The Assange case exists in a charged atmosphere. I'd be wary of pre-judging anyone involved (I have to fight my own bias too). There are reasons that all these charges might be trumped up and there is certainly a possibility that Assange is a misogynist prick who did what he was alleged to have done.
Y'know while I am normally a supporter of the establishment I really just can't rationalize this one. Apple bans erotic content, so at least they're even handed about it. But why target one specific fantasy for its analogies to sick actions in the real world? To me that partisanship it what is going to bite them in the ass later. Even if there was a specific complaint that forced them to this action it would have been wise to hide the target better.
There are likely books that put Saw to shame with enough imagination. Sheesh, this is just all kinds of stupid. I'd like to know what prompted this action.
While I agree that a public figure's sexual preferences are irrelevant, there are bits in there that I think are legitimate fodder for his professional motivations. You focus on the irrelevance to his ability to run a website which leaks government information; I focus on the relevance to his motivation.
Does wikileaks simply want to be an anti-western tool, or does it have ambitions to be an international investigative force for transparency? One doesn't have to be a basement nerd envious of kinky sex with exotic women to be critical of Assange. Casting every critic in that light is just as wrong as simply labeling Assange a douche and leaving the commentary at that.
Information leaks in the USA can't be stopped, except by regaining the respect and trust of the American people.
I do not think there is a government in operation since three burly cavemen got together and beat the others of the tribe into line that had "the respect and trust" of the people. And the more educated, rich, and free a nation is, the more that suspicion is widespread. Come to think of it, I'd rather never have the government of the US gain the respect and trust of the people -- that means all divisions have been erased; all debate has ended. Possibly because people are just too poor, ill-educated, and scared to object.
The second thrust of your argument, that "almost nothing can be hidden anymore" hints at a future where it is impossible to hide nearly anything. That hints at a culture that seeks to expose everything, public or private. An informer society is bad; a society that thrills on voyeurism is even worse.
Well, he was motivated by "patriotism" fueled by the FUD spread by government(s)... is it them doing it if they influence people without giving direct instructions? Philosoraptor knows...
The dude was motivated by the same vigilante spark countless others have been motivated by. The court of public opinion is largely against Wikileaks and Mr. l33t jester thought he'd be applauded for taking the site down. And some will applaud him for it. But he'll still go to court because he hijacked a ton of computers and sent them at a site.
But if anything it is the common citizenry, not "government FUD" that influenced him I'll wager. I'm consistently surprised that people look too deeply into simple motivations. He patriotism might very well be limited to selecting US rather than the Taliban in the latest CoD game. But that's a lot less exotic than a government plot to DDoS wikileaks. So fsck it, maybe the dude is a CIA plant.
Stuff gets scratched when you use it, DEAL WITH IT.
Heh, I feel the sentiment since I never get a case. I try and treat my phone right and if stuff happens, well it is my fault.
The only flaw here is that when you brag about glass you can stab, beat, smack, taunt, flay, or bake you get a reaction when something minor breaks it sometimes. And that's even before you tie that problem to Apple. I'd still buy an iPhone 4 if it were offered for Sprint, but you can't brag about everything down to the type of glass used and expect even fringe problems to be ignored.
Steve's probably curled up with his copy of "Atlas Shrugged" right now mumbling something about looters.
This is speculation right now, where are the pictures of phones with scratched or broken glass?
The damn phone has been out for months and Gawker, Powerpage or any of the Apple fanboy sites have no photos of this "issue".
You do have a point. However, I'll play devil's advocate and posit that fans tend to play down problems that aren't so blindingly obvious and frequent they cannot be denied. Red Ring of Death, the Antenna problem, Galaxy GPS are all examples where defenders flocked and attackers swarmed to the message boards. Sometimes the reports are pure fiction, sometimes it's denial, and hell sometimes it's just a minor problem that both sides are invested in distorting.
It doesn't help that Apple's cult of personality and success promote such disproportionate reports. No one gave such a damn about the Galaxy GPS problem except tech blogs, owners and a few anti-android people. It's the price you pay for no longer being a niche company or brand.
*Shrug* My gut feeling is that it is a fringe case which can happen to that type of glass. But it happened to Apple in numbers large enough to be verified, so it's big news.
Or it could be that the announcement of a "form factor" isn't the most exciting and debatable topic. All you really need is one post, bubbling to the top, explaining that it means the drive can go into standard laptops. Someone already did that bit, so what's left?
Arguing the merits of 7mm vs 9mm sizes? Yeah that's a real hot button issue.
"I wonder what the peaceful applications of this could be? It bothers me that so much money is spent on military technology having so many other issues that could be addressed"
A wonderful sentiment, but do you realize just how many technologies have arisen from military spending? We're not just talking about the transfer of killing from soldiers to civilians. Like it or not, most societies will spend money on the military. And if you don't innovate in that arena, you're stuck buying tech from those who do.
The upshot is that we tend to get quite a few "peaceful" uses of this tech later down the line. Or it provides the genesis for a peaceful idea. At the very least, it improves the pool of knowledge from which all discoveries spring.
One day at Six Flags, some jerk in front of me has a hunting knife. Six Flags just dealt with it sedately. They didn't call the cops, they just made the guy give it up before entering the park.
Did he actually brandish the knife or make use of it in any way? I'll wager that if this lady had a camcorder straped to her side, they would have just held it until the end of the movie.
Sadly, it was their right to call the cops rather than toss her out of the theater. I'll wager they took the step because they didn't know if she did this sort of thing often.
"And, by that token, every 15 year old girl taking nude pictures of herself SHOULD at least be TRIED for child pornography."
I get your point sparky, but in this case she would only be in trouble if she tried to post the pictures to myspace or sent them to CVS to be developed. And really, as the victim and the perpetrator, she'd probably be let off at any rate.
A victim has the right to redress. And a defendant has the right to contest that charge. Yes, if she goes to jail with no prior history for a minor crime...then justice is not served. But thus far the justice system has functioned properly.
If it bothers you enough, then you switch to a wired connection. Likewise you switch to wired peripherals. Wireless is a convenience technology for the most part. I speak of wireless in the sense of short range wi-fi products like a wireless g router.
But if it becomes a necessary on a large scale, then methods will be developed to deal with it just like they were with UHF, VHF, FM, AM, and so on. Cell Phones are still prone to glitches, but they are so widespread in use that growth forced changes that could accommodate a large number of users in close proximity.
If wi-fi and related peripherals become so popular that even country villages are crowding the spectrum, then the pressure will force an evolution in those products. Until that happens, I suggest you reacquaint yourself with technology that is not limited to 11 open slots.
Heck, if you still feel frisky for cable-free sexy technology you can see if that powerline crap will work for you. Or, if you fear not the FCC, overpower everyone else with your own pimped out 2.4Ghz wi-fi transmitter.
For myself, my approach to Hybrids is the same as my approach to CF bulbs. I view them as a benefit to me on a selfish level. A CF bulb uses 1/3 to 1/4 the power and provides the same amount of Lumens. I don't have to bestir my ass for 5-7 years to change them unless there is a manufacturing flaw.
My next car will be a hybrid. Not because I think the change will save the Earth, but because I don't have to fuel up as often. Like CFs, the cost premium for this choice is decreasing over time. But I'm not going back to a lawn mower on wheels ('89 Tercel) like my last car before my Civic. I want my hybrid to provide the same experience, but use less gas.
There are reasons for people to avoid CF bulbs: Some feel headaches or see flicker. Those reasons I accept. But I think it's perfectly fine to evangelize to people that couldn't tell the difference. I think eschewing equal benefits for less cost is silly and I'll probably say so in a conversation about it.
But zealots of any stripe have to learn that civilization entails waste. And unless you want to employ violence, you probably will not get someone to change by personal insults. Just because Hummer drivers have small dicks, doesn't mean they will respond favorably to that observation. Go for the "what's in it for me" angle, if you actually wish to change minds. Unless your cause is retarded, there usually is a benefit to following it. Failing that, get Congress to pass a law raising the CAFE standard and loop SUVs in with cars.
Hard as that might sound, it's infinitely easier than spouting high minded ideals and expecting people to follow them.
You don't need to trust authorities to know when evacuating is a good idea.
In an immediate crisis you do have to have trust. It's not exactly a bright idea to verify that a gunman exists nor that a bomb exists before you follow instructions. There are instances where you have time to verify instructions (hurricane evacs) and make your own choice based on that information. But independent investigation is not a luxury in many crisis situations.
When an adult does it, it's "poor judgment;" when a student does it, it's "a potential threat that must be dealt with seriously."
The adult usually represents an organization that is now in severe damage control. And perhaps it is also the result of someone higher up that approved of the original plan. They're stalling for time while they hammer out who they can discipline and how far in order to put out the flames.
When a student commits the crime, the only party they have to worry about is the parents. And usually they can count on the enthusiastic support of the other parents and the community at large. The disparity sucks, but that's life.
But it's also why some people act like Yorkshire terriers when this shit happens. To make an example out of the organization.
Slashdot Mirror
"Frankly, with the latest series of indiscriminate attacks it's starting to look less like griefers run amok and more like false-flag psyops run to reduce support for hacktivism through guilt-by-association and create fertile grounds for some new draconian legislation."
Actually, your post is more of a false-flag psyops designed to discredit the fact that they are petty dickhead hackers with too much time and lulz. Jeebus, the government does some pretty bad shit, but pissing off gamers and hitting a few minor govt sites isn't going to have the same effect as say...hitting the stock market servers.
So if you're going to engage in paranoid delusion, at least ramp it up 9/11 truther style to something that causes FEAR. Take it to an 11 man.
"Rail against it if you like, but you'll have to shout: Nintendo are way down there at the deep end of their Olympic sized pool full of cash, blow and hookers."
Actually, the pool has sprung a leak and they're trying to desperately have the Wii U fill the pool again before the hookers get bored and they have no more money for blow.
The most drastic change occurs by revolution, but I'd say the best change occurs by evolution. And good outcomes certainly don't come from idealists without a real plan for replacing the establishment. Crap, that's just asking for the guillotine.
You underestimate the laziness of the public. How many logged back onto the PSN and saw the requirement to change their password as a chore? And if they somehow miraculously stop trusting the company, then how many will assume that the lax PSN security was just a fluke? Nah, if anything the benefit is to prod companies into bolstering their defenses to shield their own asses -- for a time at least.
As for releasing the data publicly I think that would have been as well received as the RIAA lawsuits. Besides, if you want to think evil then realize that *not* knowing what criminals have their hands on is far worse mentally.
Such bland classifications are only useful in fantasy where you can pigeonhole intentions so clearly. Or if you're just doing that for the lulz.
I'm pretty sure that Lulzsec qualifies for Chaotic Neutral at this point.
Actually let us consider the Lord of the Rings and fiction in general. They also involve both the psychology of the reader and writer. I remember reading a short story by Terry Brooks in the Shanarra universe and remembering why I dislike it. For his stories with magic or technology, it matters not which, is only useful when used to oppose a great evil and then it's best never used again because, y'know, moderation is impossible in life. For all the books he's written that world has not improved much -- that might be an equally valuable lesson to observe.
The problem with paranoia either real, or written into fiction, is that quite often the methods of mass killing aren't that new or exotic. Death, like electricity, usually chooses the path of least resistance. And that doesn't usually involve an expensive version of a known virus when ordinary bullets will do. And if that's thinking too small then bombs, and then bigger bombs with chemical or nuclear payloads (more hardy then biological vectors and nominally controllable). Anyway the point is that the smallpox stockpile story comes up like a weed, and the paranoid theories follow. It's possible that we're going to all die via Stephen King's super-flu (pox?), but it's highly unlikely unless you can stop by the 7-11 and purchase a strain.
The FBI could have planted bugs in my apartment. They could bug my landline telephone. They could point a laser device at my window and pick up voice via the vibrations. They could be following me. They could have planted a tracking device on my car.
All of those except the landline require actions in the physical world, where resources are limited and distances are real. Those natural limitations will prevent large-scale invisible abuse. You can do it on a limited scale, or you can do it big scale but then the country turns visibly into a police state.
Bugging your landline or your phone, or reading your GPS coordinates remotely requires a computer and being the FBI so you can tell the telco to go and do it. Running it on 1000 people is only marginally more troublesome than running it on 100 people. And that's a very important difference.
I ran Google Latitude for several months. Most of the time it reported me several states away in the default location it stores. We'll probably get to the level of accuracy required for 1984 level monitoring, but for now all these paranoid cases generally are best case implementations of common GPS/Cellphone tech. So join me in the countryside if you want to be safer from monitoring.
Stallman has a good point, but there is a point where Ben Franklin's quote about safety for security becomes ridiculous. The internet can be used as a means of control, as well as a source of free speech and democracy. It's really all in the safeguards and culture that surround the new technology. You can abuse GPS, but it also gets my directionally challenged arse to the proper destination 9 times out of 10.
I support him trying to change the culture surrounding technology, but closed source has its place too. Actually, I kinda like the competition between the two philosophies.
I use Libre Office quite a bit too, but it's not necessarily easier to use -- even with a cold start and no prior training in MS Word. If you are advising students of the limitations of Word vs Libre Office then you are interjecting as much personal belief as fact I think. I prefer Libre Office because it's free, and absent student discounts I do not use Word Processing software often enough to justify paying for Office.
Just to flip this around a bit Anon, shouldn't we also assume the alleged victims are innocent until proven guilty? From your later posts I can understand why you are bitter on this point. However, consider that there are plenty of men who are willing to presume that rape claims are false until proven otherwise without your history. And even if we go with the worst case there is still a majority of claims which are accurate.
The Assange case exists in a charged atmosphere. I'd be wary of pre-judging anyone involved (I have to fight my own bias too). There are reasons that all these charges might be trumped up and there is certainly a possibility that Assange is a misogynist prick who did what he was alleged to have done.
Y'know while I am normally a supporter of the establishment I really just can't rationalize this one. Apple bans erotic content, so at least they're even handed about it. But why target one specific fantasy for its analogies to sick actions in the real world? To me that partisanship it what is going to bite them in the ass later. Even if there was a specific complaint that forced them to this action it would have been wise to hide the target better.
There are likely books that put Saw to shame with enough imagination. Sheesh, this is just all kinds of stupid. I'd like to know what prompted this action.
While I agree that a public figure's sexual preferences are irrelevant, there are bits in there that I think are legitimate fodder for his professional motivations. You focus on the irrelevance to his ability to run a website which leaks government information; I focus on the relevance to his motivation.
Does wikileaks simply want to be an anti-western tool, or does it have ambitions to be an international investigative force for transparency? One doesn't have to be a basement nerd envious of kinky sex with exotic women to be critical of Assange. Casting every critic in that light is just as wrong as simply labeling Assange a douche and leaving the commentary at that.
Information leaks in the USA can't be stopped, except by regaining the respect and trust of the American people.
I do not think there is a government in operation since three burly cavemen got together and beat the others of the tribe into line that had "the respect and trust" of the people. And the more educated, rich, and free a nation is, the more that suspicion is widespread. Come to think of it, I'd rather never have the government of the US gain the respect and trust of the people -- that means all divisions have been erased; all debate has ended. Possibly because people are just too poor, ill-educated, and scared to object.
The second thrust of your argument, that "almost nothing can be hidden anymore" hints at a future where it is impossible to hide nearly anything. That hints at a culture that seeks to expose everything, public or private. An informer society is bad; a society that thrills on voyeurism is even worse.
Be careful of the utopia you wish for.
Well, he was motivated by "patriotism" fueled by the FUD spread by government(s)... is it them doing it if they influence people without giving direct instructions? Philosoraptor knows...
The dude was motivated by the same vigilante spark countless others have been motivated by. The court of public opinion is largely against Wikileaks and Mr. l33t jester thought he'd be applauded for taking the site down. And some will applaud him for it. But he'll still go to court because he hijacked a ton of computers and sent them at a site.
But if anything it is the common citizenry, not "government FUD" that influenced him I'll wager. I'm consistently surprised that people look too deeply into simple motivations. He patriotism might very well be limited to selecting US rather than the Taliban in the latest CoD game. But that's a lot less exotic than a government plot to DDoS wikileaks. So fsck it, maybe the dude is a CIA plant.
Stuff gets scratched when you use it, DEAL WITH IT.
Heh, I feel the sentiment since I never get a case. I try and treat my phone right and if stuff happens, well it is my fault.
The only flaw here is that when you brag about glass you can stab, beat, smack, taunt, flay, or bake you get a reaction when something minor breaks it sometimes. And that's even before you tie that problem to Apple. I'd still buy an iPhone 4 if it were offered for Sprint, but you can't brag about everything down to the type of glass used and expect even fringe problems to be ignored.
Steve's probably curled up with his copy of "Atlas Shrugged" right now mumbling something about looters.
This is speculation right now, where are the pictures of phones with scratched or broken glass?
The damn phone has been out for months and Gawker, Powerpage or any of the Apple fanboy sites have no photos of this "issue".
You do have a point. However, I'll play devil's advocate and posit that fans tend to play down problems that aren't so blindingly obvious and frequent they cannot be denied. Red Ring of Death, the Antenna problem, Galaxy GPS are all examples where defenders flocked and attackers swarmed to the message boards. Sometimes the reports are pure fiction, sometimes it's denial, and hell sometimes it's just a minor problem that both sides are invested in distorting.
It doesn't help that Apple's cult of personality and success promote such disproportionate reports. No one gave such a damn about the Galaxy GPS problem except tech blogs, owners and a few anti-android people. It's the price you pay for no longer being a niche company or brand.
*Shrug* My gut feeling is that it is a fringe case which can happen to that type of glass. But it happened to Apple in numbers large enough to be verified, so it's big news.
Or it could be that the announcement of a "form factor" isn't the most exciting and debatable topic. All you really need is one post, bubbling to the top, explaining that it means the drive can go into standard laptops. Someone already did that bit, so what's left?
Arguing the merits of 7mm vs 9mm sizes? Yeah that's a real hot button issue.
"I wonder what the peaceful applications of this could be? It bothers me that so much money is spent on military technology having so many other issues that could be addressed"
A wonderful sentiment, but do you realize just how many technologies have arisen from military spending? We're not just talking about the transfer of killing from soldiers to civilians. Like it or not, most societies will spend money on the military. And if you don't innovate in that arena, you're stuck buying tech from those who do.
The upshot is that we tend to get quite a few "peaceful" uses of this tech later down the line. Or it provides the genesis for a peaceful idea. At the very least, it improves the pool of knowledge from which all discoveries spring.
One day at Six Flags, some jerk in front of me has a hunting knife. Six Flags just dealt with it sedately. They didn't call the cops, they just made the guy give it up before entering the park.
Did he actually brandish the knife or make use of it in any way? I'll wager that if this lady had a camcorder straped to her side, they would have just held it until the end of the movie.
Sadly, it was their right to call the cops rather than toss her out of the theater. I'll wager they took the step because they didn't know if she did this sort of thing often.
"And, by that token, every 15 year old girl taking nude pictures of herself SHOULD at least be TRIED for child pornography."
I get your point sparky, but in this case she would only be in trouble if she tried to post the pictures to myspace or sent them to CVS to be developed. And really, as the victim and the perpetrator, she'd probably be let off at any rate.
A victim has the right to redress. And a defendant has the right to contest that charge. Yes, if she goes to jail with no prior history for a minor crime...then justice is not served. But thus far the justice system has functioned properly.
If it bothers you enough, then you switch to a wired connection. Likewise you switch to wired peripherals. Wireless is a convenience technology for the most part. I speak of wireless in the sense of short range wi-fi products like a wireless g router.
But if it becomes a necessary on a large scale, then methods will be developed to deal with it just like they were with UHF, VHF, FM, AM, and so on. Cell Phones are still prone to glitches, but they are so widespread in use that growth forced changes that could accommodate a large number of users in close proximity.
If wi-fi and related peripherals become so popular that even country villages are crowding the spectrum, then the pressure will force an evolution in those products. Until that happens, I suggest you reacquaint yourself with technology that is not limited to 11 open slots.
Heck, if you still feel frisky for cable-free sexy technology you can see if that powerline crap will work for you. Or, if you fear not the FCC, overpower everyone else with your own pimped out 2.4Ghz wi-fi transmitter.
For myself, my approach to Hybrids is the same as my approach to CF bulbs. I view them as a benefit to me on a selfish level. A CF bulb uses 1/3 to 1/4 the power and provides the same amount of Lumens. I don't have to bestir my ass for 5-7 years to change them unless there is a manufacturing flaw.
My next car will be a hybrid. Not because I think the change will save the Earth, but because I don't have to fuel up as often. Like CFs, the cost premium for this choice is decreasing over time. But I'm not going back to a lawn mower on wheels ('89 Tercel) like my last car before my Civic. I want my hybrid to provide the same experience, but use less gas.
There are reasons for people to avoid CF bulbs: Some feel headaches or see flicker. Those reasons I accept. But I think it's perfectly fine to evangelize to people that couldn't tell the difference. I think eschewing equal benefits for less cost is silly and I'll probably say so in a conversation about it.
But zealots of any stripe have to learn that civilization entails waste. And unless you want to employ violence, you probably will not get someone to change by personal insults.
Just because Hummer drivers have small dicks, doesn't mean they will respond favorably to that observation. Go for the "what's in it for me" angle, if you actually wish to change minds. Unless your cause is retarded, there usually is a benefit to following it. Failing that, get Congress to pass a law raising the CAFE standard and loop SUVs in with cars.
Hard as that might sound, it's infinitely easier than spouting high minded ideals and expecting people to follow them.
You don't need to trust authorities to know when evacuating is a good idea.
In an immediate crisis you do have to have trust. It's not exactly a bright idea to verify that a gunman exists nor that a bomb exists before you follow instructions. There are instances where you have time to verify instructions (hurricane evacs) and make your own choice based on that information. But independent investigation is not a luxury in many crisis situations.
I get your point, but I don't think you get mine.
When an adult does it, it's "poor judgment;" when a student does it, it's "a potential threat that must be dealt with seriously."
The adult usually represents an organization that is now in severe damage control. And perhaps it is also the result of someone higher up that approved of the original plan. They're stalling for time while they hammer out who they can discipline and how far in order to put out the flames.
When a student commits the crime, the only party they have to worry about is the parents. And usually they can count on the enthusiastic support of the other parents and the community at large. The disparity sucks, but that's life.
But it's also why some people act like Yorkshire terriers when this shit happens. To make an example out of the organization.