I have several NCR 3125 NotePad computers that originally ran PenPoint OS. These devices were what Microsoft now calls "Tablet PCs".
When they first came to market, Microsoft panicked and announced "Pen Extensions for Windows" (which added very little to Windows 3.1) and claimed that a buch of new systems were coming out to use it. Typical Microsoft vaporware tactics... everyone decided to wait for the wonderful new MS product instead of buying the PenPoint devices, and the market for them collapsed.
Considering that it took them this long to actually produce a product, they obviously only made the annoucement to kill any potential competitor from gaining a foothold. Call it a conspiracy theory if you wish, but it's a court-proven tactic that MS loves to (ab)use and is quite famous for.
The handwriting recognition in PenPoint was actually very impressive, by the way.
They're overlooking another major problem: genetics
My family noticed decades ago that the veins in the back of my hand have the exact same pattern as my mother's. My sister's is the same, although shifted up, and my brothers shifted down (same branch layout, just moved closer to the wrist).
If the back of the hand can be identical, why not the palm?
What mine came with was a pamphlet, no manual of any kind was enclosed in the box. The included CD had only outdated drivers that I was told not to use (we had to download new drivers from the website). I looked around on their website a bit, and asked our resident blackberry specialist - he said they don't have anything more than what's in the box online.
If you had actually read the article you would know that roughly half of it details RIMs plans to do just that.
I did read the article after I wrote that, and even posted a reply long before yours acknowledging that fact.
The end result is the same - the devices I mentioned have a much better user-interface and do not support the blackberry protocol. Nokia licensed the tech years ago, and has released multiple models in the Communicator series, yet none support the blackberry protocol.
The 9500 came out last year, and the 9300 came out this year... neither support the blackberry protocol, so neither can steal any market from the blackberry.
Remember, the whole reason companies use the blackberry is for encrypted over-the-air pushed email.
That said... I would LOVE to see the 9x00 support the blackberry protocol (as mentioned here, but for unknown reasons moderated "Troll") and would buy one in a second (with my own money) to get rid of the awkward blackberry my company gave me.
So if Nokia has already licensed the tech (years ago), where the heck are the devices? As far as I've read, none of the Nokia 9x00 Communicator series (9210, 9290, 9500, 9300) support the blackberry protocol... if they did I would already own one. (clue to Nokia)
If anyone at Danger is reading this: Please take your form-factor and license the blackberry communication protocol... expand your target market beyond teenagers (you'll find a tremendous number of people in the IT field already are customers that you are neglecting/annoying). You have the best human-interface of any of these devices I've used, but I can't use it for work.
It's too bad they have such an unbalanced feel, and such a PITA keyboard. Yes, I have one for work (for several months now), and I absolutely hate it.
The user interface needs a lot of work.
The balance is very top-heavy, making it very awkward to type on and hold at the same time. For a comparison, the way you hold a Sidekick/HipTop is extremely comfortable due to the overhang beside the keyboard and the c/g near the center of the keyboard - they're a breeze to type on very quickly and you can perform any function without altering the way you're holding the device.
Using the scroll-wheel requires you to shift the way you're holding it 100% from the typing position, unlike the Sidekick/HipTop. You have to go from balancing it on your fingertips (to type with your thumbs) to holding it in your right hand with your fingers on the left and your thumb on the right.
They don't come with manuals of any kind, not even downloadable! No, I don't consider the intro pamphlet a manual. I am constantly asking the extremely experienced blackberry users at work "what's this for" and "how do you do this" and half of the time they can't even answer my questions!
Overall, I consider the blackberry to be a royal PITA. It sucks that they have a lock on the technology and are so closed-minded about the user-experience, as I would love to see either the T-Mobile Sidekick/Danger HipTop or the Nokia 9x00 Communicator series support the encrypted protocols so I can dump this awkward POS.
If anyone of any importance at RIM is reading this: Please license the tech for a reasonable cost to companies who make similar devices so the human interface can be improved on. You'll get money from each device sold as well as 100% of the back-end servers/services with none of the handheld development costs! ("win/win/win")
Don't get me wrong, I love Codeweavers... I'm not only a customer, but I've recommended their products to some people who were very satisfied with the results.
I just don't see the point of Crossover Office for a platform on which MS-Office is already available. Granted, the current MacOS version of MS-Office is compiled for ppc, but since it is a current product, is obvious they'd recompile it under x86 to sell it for MacOS on the new intel Macs.
(before you flame me or mod this a troll, make sure you know what Crossover Office really _is_ - it is NOT an Office suite, it lets you run MS-Office via a modified WINE)
You could always become a machinist. Lots of standing and moderate lifting on a regular basis (loading and unloading) and you get to program a 5-axis CNC mill. What could be more fun than that?
You have now stooped down to exactly what I was describing. Equating Christian with Good in the sense that Good also means Christian (to the exclusion of all else) is abhorable. There are many good people and societies in the world that are not Christian.
To force your religious views on others is unacceptable. I couldn't care less if someone prays in a restaurant near me as I can just ignore them, but when you bring your beliefs to mandatory schools, that is crossing the line in a VERY big way.
Schools are for learning established facts, formulas, and reason.
Churches are for learning religion.
If you try to tell me they are one and the same, you are insulting every other religion in the world! All you have to do is look at history to see what I mean: Newton, Galileo, and many others were all persecuted and/or imprisoned by the church for teaching their blasphemy which is now accepted as proven fact. According to the church over the centuries, the earth is flat, the center of the universe, the only planet in existence, the center of our solar system, only 4000 years old, dinosaurs never existed, etc. They were just as certain as you are that everything they believe is 100% right, and that they are doing the right thing. This includes, by the way, The Spanish Inquisition. Again, Christians are NOT persecuted, they are DOMINANT, enough with the everyone's-out-to-get-us complex - it's ridiculous and embarrasing, like a schoolyard bully whining that everyone picks on him. (phoniness, my pet-peeve again)
My point is: if you want to teach your kids religion, that is perfectly fine - do it in your home and at your church or even in a library... but don't force it down the throats of every person going to public schools, that's not what they're there for.
I have not mentioned my religion, and I won't - because unlike most Christians, I believe it to be a private issue, not something to try and shove down other people's throats. I believe Jesus taught this, that it is something personal and private.
Just to keep you scratching your head, keep in mind that there are _many_ Christians that believe in science, including evolution. You don't have to be one extreme or the other. Another unattributable quote: Who says God didn't invent evolution?
I can't help but notice that you're hiding behind a handle and not using your real name. More of the false persecution complex?
I also can't help but notice that you haven't responded to a single point that I've made about Bush, yet you keep trying to redirect the conversation (which was about voting manipulation & the rampant corruption in the Bush administration, NOT religion or "only Christian right-wingers can be good").
I am no longer interested in continuing this conversation, since it has stooped to this highly insulting level.
I didn't make that up... I really never have met him.
You also have a passion for politics.
Actually, I despise politics... I'm just a passionate person in general. When politics get as bad as they have in the last 4.5 years, I get a bit worked up. Prior to that I was just disgusted - I didn't even vote because I didn't believe in voting _against_ someone, only _for_ someone I believed in (and no-one fit that description). Bush changed that. I actually wanted to vote for someone else during the last election, simply because I believed in him, but I ended up voting for John Kerry due to the fact that he had the strongest chance of beating Bush and I wanted to help that cause (beating Bush).
So you want some specific about the President that I like? Let me pick a big one - his constant articulation of the ideal that everyone should live in freedom.
OK, this is a big example of why I _don't_ like Bush. He gives these speeches that are obviously written by someone else (he doesn't have the needed language skills), but his ACTIONS show he believes in quite the opposite! I'm sure you've heard of Bush's War on the Bill of Rights. Bush believes that Corporations, not people, should have all of the rights and power.
If you don't like the Iraq war then that's just fine by me, but does then mean that you think that it's perfectly fine for people to live in fear of their government and their lives? Can you agree with Bush that Saddam Hussein was a tryant? I'm not looking for you to say that you thought that he had to be removed from power, but can't we at least agree that it's a really bad thing when hundreds or thousands of people are getting killed on a regular basis by their government? If we can agree on this then we can at least start looking for a solution to the problem.
This is another excuse I've heard more times than I can count. Why _Iraq_ and NOT the dozens of other countries in the world that are going through the same sort of thing? Yes, I agree completely that Saddam is a horrible person, and his reign was one of terror, but that doesn't mean we should go bomb the crap out of their entire country and torture and murder prisoners. The connection? The camps were run very smoothly until the infamous person running Guantanamo was moved over there to do the same things he made it famous for.
It seems to me that by saying that you can't find one good thing about Bush then what you're really saying is that you believe in the exact opposite of what he does.
As I stated above, what Bush says he believes in, and what he DOES are two very different things. Don't judge someone by what they say, judge them by their actions.
You believe in government sanctioned torture.
No, I believe in the Bill of Rights - something the Bush administration abhors. BUSH believes in government sanctioned torture. If he didn't, it would not have gotten as bad as it did, and the people who were responsible would be in prison instead of just a clerk who happened to get her picture taken.
You do not believe in freedom of worship.
I believe in freedom of religion, as well as freedom FROM religion. I believe you have the right to worship, but you do NOT have the right to force others to, nor do you have the right to choose their religion. This country was founded by people trying to ESCAPE government enforced religion.
You believe that the US is a terrible country.
Not at all. I believe this is a great country because of its foundations - specifically our constitution and its amendments. Something Bush and his administration show total disregard for.
This would be the exact opposite of what George Bush says he believes in. I really don't believe that's what you intend.
Again, don't judge him by what he SAYS, judge him by what he DOES.
Oh, I can think of lots of reasons to like him. I was looking for just one thing that you might agree with. I'd love to hear you say "I like President Bush because..." Is that really so hard to do?
Well, so far the only positive thing you've said about him is that he's married. I had a similar conversation with the one Bush supporter at work, and all he could come up with is "he's a christian" (as if no member of any other party can be called a christian!). All another person I know could come up with is "he has values". My response to that was "what values?!"... he couldn't give a single example. I have to wonder if most republicans are only defending him because he's a member of the republican party. Seems to me that he displays the opposite of what being a republican used to stand for - so the whole situation has me baffled.
OK, so you're looking for me to come up with something I like about someone (personally, not professionally) whom I've never met. Sorry, but based on what I've seen of him in action, he's not the kind of person I'd tolerate being around, much less "like". Like most geeks, I despise phoney people, it's about my only pet-peeve.
If you actually are trying to get me to admit to liking something about him on a professional basis, I've already given you plenty of answers. I can't think of a single decision he's made that I agree with. This is why I asked if you could give me an example of what you like about him (to see if it's something I might not have thought of), and your example was about as personal and unrelated to his profession as you could get.
I'm a troll for trying to find something nice about someone?
Re-read the line you quoted.
Um, where? I reread all of your previous posts and didn't see a single pro-US statement. Did I miss something?
The exact phrase was: "our great country" Sorry if it was too subtle. Note that everything I said was in reference to Bush and his administration - not to USA.
Now who has no sense of humor?;) (the accent thing was a bit of a joke, although I have a problem with people who pretend they are something else to get support - he is NOT a Texan or a "good ole boy")
As far as the EU thing goes, I am well aware that the French rejected it and multiple countries to the north (not just the Dutch) were waiting for France's response before making their decision. This does not mean it's not going to happen - it only means that they're working to alter it to make everyone happy (rather than our current administration's method of making the power-hungry happy).
Well, so far... even a Bush supporter as yourself has only come up with "he's been married for all these years" as a reason to like him. Sorry, but that's absolutely ridiculous! I know lots of people I like that have been divorced, and I know people I don't like who are married... how in the world does that have anything to do with how well this person can run our country?
You chastise me for making a "personal" comment about the front he puts forward, then you bring up something FAR MORE personal as a reason to like him? You're sounding like a troll again.
Oh, and I never said I didn't like the U.S. - in fact I said quite the opposite. (this is typical of Bush supporters I've spoken with - they equate dislike of the war or the current administration to dislike of the country) This is/was a very great country... I just hope we can survive the current administration.
Get the 1% after a certain date thing in writing, and make sure that it has a clause that if your time in that new task goes over 24 minutes in a week (1%), that it is counted as overtime (1.5x) pay.
Let's see: - He signs any bill that comes before him, especially if it stomps on the Bill of Rights (or any part of the Constitution, for that matter) and benefits huge corporations - He is the first president in our history to START a war and invade another country... a war that's undefined so there can be no "win" or "lose" or even "end" - He supports the super-rich at the expense of the entire remaining population (3 TIMES the money spent on the "war on terror" was given to the super-rich the first time, this time it's $109B, $19B more) - He supports corporate conglomerates above all else - He took the first government surplus we've seen in many decades and, in a single term, turned it into the biggest deficit we've ever seen - He has driven the US Dollar into the ground, our exchange rate is horrid now - He uses religion as a weapon, and chastises those of other religions who do the same, labeling anyone who doesn't follow his exact sect as "evil" (hint: freedom of religion means ANY religion) - His policies have made our great country into something the entire world despises (thankfully, many understand that it's our current administration, and not all of us) - He has absolutely no respect whatsoever of the American people (I'm sure you've seen the video clip where he flips-off the camera and says "that's my one-finger victory salute") - He manipulates his conferences (by extreme screening of all attendants) to the point where they're nothing more than an ass-kissing session, downright humiliating to our official values (have you seen the video where someone asked a question that wasn't approved, and was arrested? This is when he was only a Governor!) - He speaks with a cheesey western accent when he was born and raised in new-england (just to be seen as a good-ole-boy)... haven't you ever noticed he's the only one in his family that sounds like that? - He has ruined every business venture he has started, even with his daddy's funding (how can someone incapable of running a business run a country?)
Sorry, but maybe you can help me out here - just what is it that you find likable about him? Maybe the fact that he knows how to get away with military desertion? (I have no respect for that)
As far as Clinton goes... he did a few things I despised, like giving Groom Lake total exemption to EPA regulations, the fiasco with the powerplants in California (created by emissions loopholes), etc. Having said that - in general, I believe Clinton was probably the best president we've had in my lifetime. He eliminated the deficit, our foreign relations were phenomenal, our economy was the best I've ever seen, etc.
It's amazing how quickly and how drastically two presidents can change our country. One for far better, one for (by far) the worst
By the way, even NPR has talked about how we are heading into an irreversible aristocracy, and how we have the biggest separation of classes that we've had since immediately before the great depression. When less than 0.1% of the nation holds the vast majority of the money (what was the number? 70%? 80%?), it becomes entirely unsustainable.
Also look at Europe... they are working towards a common constitution. Once they sign this, we will no longer be the military or finanical superpower of the world, we will be a distant second in both. Do you really think that pissing off the entire world is a good idea under these circumstances?
Speaking of Europe, notice we have almost no tourism here from Europe recently? With the exchange rate as bad (for us) as it is, vacationing here is an absolute bargain! They're avoiding us as the thought of coming here turns their stomaches! This is a very sad state for us to be in.
I was going to reply with references to articles from major publications (like the New York Times) on things like some counties with 50,000 more votes than residents, Pittsburgh receiving voting machines that each had hundreds of votes preloaded, a massive lawsuit in Ohio over the handling of the election, lawsuits in California against Diebold for supplying voting machines with software that was different from the approved version, voting machines that would change votes when you hit the submit button (during public testing immediately before the election), the announcement that the CEO of Diebold made before the election that he was going to ensure Bush won, the fact that the CEOs of Diebold and it's main competitor (the other major supplier of voting machines during the election) are brothers, etc.
But then I realized you are either a troll or have a big "W" sticker on the back of your full-size 7MPG SUV - either way it's a waste of time.
If you really believe that the useless "news" sources that you mentioned would publicize something like this instead of Janet's breast or her brother's perversion, you really need to read http://opensecrets.org/ for a while and learn where the money comes from, and where it goes.
I suppose you also think that Bush supports our troops, eh? That's why they have to armor their vehicles with scrap metal they scavenge and steal, and their family members have to buy army/navy surplus flac-jackets for 'em, and why their pay AND their family's benefits got cut so horribly, etc. Where's the news publication of that?
Where's the news publication of Bush giving a $90 Billion tax break to the super-rich? Oh, sorry... this time around it's another $109 Billion (that's a "B", not an "M").
The media you mentioned is beyond useless for anything of this sort... especially Space.com - WTF?
Keep your head in the sand... it'll never effect YOU... really.
If, for some unknown reason, anyone thinks anything he said was made up, watch this video that includes a grandmother verbally walking a congresscritter through "hacking the vote database": http://votergate.tv/
It's pretty shocking just how easy it is, due to the total lack of authentication or encryption.
Irresponsible at a minimum, criminal neglect more likely.
Scooter? Chrysler made a minivan that used the exact same chemicals and principles 3 years ago.
The interesting part is, in all of the articles I've seen about the Chrysler implimentation, they state that the largest reserves are in the western US... removing our dependence on foreign oil. This is the first time I've seen Tibet mentioned as the primary source of the chemical.
Slashdot Mirror
This one is highly directional.
These might be easier to aim.
Linux System Security - The Administrator's Guide to Open Source Security Tools
I am very pleased with this book... and just check out the (5 star average) reviews on Amazon above.
http://www.animusic.com/
(it's actually quite impressive)
I have several NCR 3125 NotePad computers that originally ran PenPoint OS.
These devices were what Microsoft now calls "Tablet PCs".
When they first came to market, Microsoft panicked and announced "Pen Extensions for Windows" (which added very little to Windows 3.1) and claimed that a buch of new systems were coming out to use it. Typical Microsoft vaporware tactics... everyone decided to wait for the wonderful new MS product instead of buying the PenPoint devices, and the market for them collapsed.
Considering that it took them this long to actually produce a product, they obviously only made the annoucement to kill any potential competitor from gaining a foothold.
Call it a conspiracy theory if you wish, but it's a court-proven tactic that MS loves to (ab)use and is quite famous for.
The handwriting recognition in PenPoint was actually very impressive, by the way.
They're overlooking another major problem: genetics
My family noticed decades ago that the veins in the back of my hand have the exact same pattern as my mother's. My sister's is the same, although shifted up, and my brothers shifted down (same branch layout, just moved closer to the wrist).
If the back of the hand can be identical, why not the palm?
What mine came with was a pamphlet, no manual of any kind was enclosed in the box. The included CD had only outdated drivers that I was told not to use (we had to download new drivers from the website). I looked around on their website a bit, and asked our resident blackberry specialist - he said they don't have anything more than what's in the box online.
If you had actually read the article you would know that roughly half of it details RIMs plans to do just that.
I did read the article after I wrote that, and even posted a reply long before yours acknowledging that fact.
The end result is the same - the devices I mentioned have a much better user-interface and do not support the blackberry protocol. Nokia licensed the tech years ago, and has released multiple models in the Communicator series, yet none support the blackberry protocol.
That agreement was announced in 2002.
The 9500 came out last year, and the 9300 came out this year... neither support the blackberry protocol, so neither can steal any market from the blackberry.
Remember, the whole reason companies use the blackberry is for encrypted over-the-air pushed email.
That said... I would LOVE to see the 9x00 support the blackberry protocol (as mentioned here, but for unknown reasons moderated "Troll") and would buy one in a second (with my own money) to get rid of the awkward blackberry my company gave me.
OK, so I should have RTFA first.
So if Nokia has already licensed the tech (years ago), where the heck are the devices?
As far as I've read, none of the Nokia 9x00 Communicator series (9210, 9290, 9500, 9300) support the blackberry protocol... if they did I would already own one. (clue to Nokia)
If anyone at Danger is reading this: Please take your form-factor and license the blackberry communication protocol... expand your target market beyond teenagers (you'll find a tremendous number of people in the IT field already are customers that you are neglecting/annoying). You have the best human-interface of any of these devices I've used, but I can't use it for work.
It's too bad they have such an unbalanced feel, and such a PITA keyboard.
Yes, I have one for work (for several months now), and I absolutely hate it.
The user interface needs a lot of work.
The balance is very top-heavy, making it very awkward to type on and hold at the same time. For a comparison, the way you hold a Sidekick/HipTop is extremely comfortable due to the overhang beside the keyboard and the c/g near the center of the keyboard - they're a breeze to type on very quickly and you can perform any function without altering the way you're holding the device.
Using the scroll-wheel requires you to shift the way you're holding it 100% from the typing position, unlike the Sidekick/HipTop. You have to go from balancing it on your fingertips (to type with your thumbs) to holding it in your right hand with your fingers on the left and your thumb on the right.
They don't come with manuals of any kind, not even downloadable! No, I don't consider the intro pamphlet a manual. I am constantly asking the extremely experienced blackberry users at work "what's this for" and "how do you do this" and half of the time they can't even answer my questions!
Overall, I consider the blackberry to be a royal PITA.
It sucks that they have a lock on the technology and are so closed-minded about the user-experience, as I would love to see either the T-Mobile Sidekick/Danger HipTop or the Nokia 9x00 Communicator series support the encrypted protocols so I can dump this awkward POS.
If anyone of any importance at RIM is reading this: Please license the tech for a reasonable cost to companies who make similar devices so the human interface can be improved on. You'll get money from each device sold as well as 100% of the back-end servers/services with none of the handheld development costs! ("win/win/win")
Ah, thank you for the clarification... I didn't realize they left so much out of the Mac versions.
Don't get me wrong, I love Codeweavers... I'm not only a customer, but I've recommended their products to some people who were very satisfied with the results.
I just don't see the point of Crossover Office for a platform on which MS-Office is already available.
Granted, the current MacOS version of MS-Office is compiled for ppc, but since it is a current product, is obvious they'd recompile it under x86 to sell it for MacOS on the new intel Macs.
(before you flame me or mod this a troll, make sure you know what Crossover Office really _is_ - it is NOT an Office suite, it lets you run MS-Office via a modified WINE)
You could always become a machinist.
Lots of standing and moderate lifting on a regular basis (loading and unloading) and you get to program a 5-axis CNC mill.
What could be more fun than that?
You have now stooped down to exactly what I was describing. Equating Christian with Good in the sense that Good also means Christian (to the exclusion of all else) is abhorable. There are many good people and societies in the world that are not Christian.
To force your religious views on others is unacceptable. I couldn't care less if someone prays in a restaurant near me as I can just ignore them, but when you bring your beliefs to mandatory schools, that is crossing the line in a VERY big way.
Schools are for learning established facts, formulas, and reason.
Churches are for learning religion.
If you try to tell me they are one and the same, you are insulting every other religion in the world!
All you have to do is look at history to see what I mean: Newton, Galileo, and many others were all persecuted and/or imprisoned by the church for teaching their blasphemy which is now accepted as proven fact. According to the church over the centuries, the earth is flat, the center of the universe, the only planet in existence, the center of our solar system, only 4000 years old, dinosaurs never existed, etc.
They were just as certain as you are that everything they believe is 100% right, and that they are doing the right thing. This includes, by the way, The Spanish Inquisition.
Again, Christians are NOT persecuted, they are DOMINANT, enough with the everyone's-out-to-get-us complex - it's ridiculous and embarrasing, like a schoolyard bully whining that everyone picks on him. (phoniness, my pet-peeve again)
My point is: if you want to teach your kids religion, that is perfectly fine - do it in your home and at your church or even in a library... but don't force it down the throats of every person going to public schools, that's not what they're there for.
I have not mentioned my religion, and I won't - because unlike most Christians, I believe it to be a private issue, not something to try and shove down other people's throats. I believe Jesus taught this, that it is something personal and private.
Just to keep you scratching your head, keep in mind that there are _many_ Christians that believe in science, including evolution. You don't have to be one extreme or the other. Another unattributable quote: Who says God didn't invent evolution?
I can't help but notice that you're hiding behind a handle and not using your real name. More of the false persecution complex?
I also can't help but notice that you haven't responded to a single point that I've made about Bush, yet you keep trying to redirect the conversation (which was about voting manipulation & the rampant corruption in the Bush administration, NOT religion or "only Christian right-wingers can be good").
I am no longer interested in continuing this conversation, since it has stooped to this highly insulting level.
You make up stuff like "I never met the guy".
I didn't make that up... I really never have met him.
You also have a passion for politics.
Actually, I despise politics... I'm just a passionate person in general. When politics get as bad as they have in the last 4.5 years, I get a bit worked up. Prior to that I was just disgusted - I didn't even vote because I didn't believe in voting _against_ someone, only _for_ someone I believed in (and no-one fit that description). Bush changed that. I actually wanted to vote for someone else during the last election, simply because I believed in him, but I ended up voting for John Kerry due to the fact that he had the strongest chance of beating Bush and I wanted to help that cause (beating Bush).
So you want some specific about the President that I like? Let me pick a big one - his constant articulation of the ideal that everyone should live in freedom.
OK, this is a big example of why I _don't_ like Bush. He gives these speeches that are obviously written by someone else (he doesn't have the needed language skills), but his ACTIONS show he believes in quite the opposite! I'm sure you've heard of Bush's War on the Bill of Rights. Bush believes that Corporations, not people, should have all of the rights and power.
If you don't like the Iraq war then that's just fine by me, but does then mean that you think that it's perfectly fine for people to live in fear of their government and their lives? Can you agree with Bush that Saddam Hussein was a tryant? I'm not looking for you to say that you thought that he had to be removed from power, but can't we at least agree that it's a really bad thing when hundreds or thousands of people are getting killed on a regular basis by their government? If we can agree on this then we can at least start looking for a solution to the problem.
This is another excuse I've heard more times than I can count. Why _Iraq_ and NOT the dozens of other countries in the world that are going through the same sort of thing?
Yes, I agree completely that Saddam is a horrible person, and his reign was one of terror, but that doesn't mean we should go bomb the crap out of their entire country and torture and murder prisoners. The connection? The camps were run very smoothly until the infamous person running Guantanamo was moved over there to do the same things he made it famous for.
It seems to me that by saying that you can't find one good thing about Bush then what you're really saying is that you believe in the exact opposite of what he does.
As I stated above, what Bush says he believes in, and what he DOES are two very different things.
Don't judge someone by what they say, judge them by their actions.
You believe in government sanctioned torture.
No, I believe in the Bill of Rights - something the Bush administration abhors.
BUSH believes in government sanctioned torture. If he didn't, it would not have gotten as bad as it did, and the people who were responsible would be in prison instead of just a clerk who happened to get her picture taken.
You do not believe in freedom of worship.
I believe in freedom of religion, as well as freedom FROM religion.
I believe you have the right to worship, but you do NOT have the right to force others to, nor do you have the right to choose their religion.
This country was founded by people trying to ESCAPE government enforced religion.
You believe that the US is a terrible country.
Not at all.
I believe this is a great country because of its foundations - specifically our constitution and its amendments. Something Bush and his administration show total disregard for.
This would be the exact opposite of what George Bush says he believes in. I really don't believe that's what you intend.
Again, don't judge him by what he SAYS, judge him by what he DOES.
For what it's worth, here's how I
Oh, I can think of lots of reasons to like him. I was looking for just one thing that you might agree with. I'd love to hear you say "I like President Bush because..." Is that really so hard to do?
Well, so far the only positive thing you've said about him is that he's married. I had a similar conversation with the one Bush supporter at work, and all he could come up with is "he's a christian" (as if no member of any other party can be called a christian!). All another person I know could come up with is "he has values". My response to that was "what values?!"... he couldn't give a single example.
I have to wonder if most republicans are only defending him because he's a member of the republican party. Seems to me that he displays the opposite of what being a republican used to stand for - so the whole situation has me baffled.
OK, so you're looking for me to come up with something I like about someone (personally, not professionally) whom I've never met. Sorry, but based on what I've seen of him in action, he's not the kind of person I'd tolerate being around, much less "like". Like most geeks, I despise phoney people, it's about my only pet-peeve.
If you actually are trying to get me to admit to liking something about him on a professional basis, I've already given you plenty of answers.
I can't think of a single decision he's made that I agree with.
This is why I asked if you could give me an example of what you like about him (to see if it's something I might not have thought of), and your example was about as personal and unrelated to his profession as you could get.
I'm a troll for trying to find something nice about someone?
Re-read the line you quoted.
Um, where? I reread all of your previous posts and didn't see a single pro-US statement. Did I miss something?
The exact phrase was: "our great country"
Sorry if it was too subtle.
Note that everything I said was in reference to Bush and his administration - not to USA.
Now who has no sense of humor? ;) (the accent thing was a bit of a joke, although I have a problem with people who pretend they are something else to get support - he is NOT a Texan or a "good ole boy")
As far as the EU thing goes, I am well aware that the French rejected it and multiple countries to the north (not just the Dutch) were waiting for France's response before making their decision. This does not mean it's not going to happen - it only means that they're working to alter it to make everyone happy (rather than our current administration's method of making the power-hungry happy).
Well, so far... even a Bush supporter as yourself has only come up with "he's been married for all these years" as a reason to like him.
Sorry, but that's absolutely ridiculous!
I know lots of people I like that have been divorced, and I know people I don't like who are married... how in the world does that have anything to do with how well this person can run our country?
You chastise me for making a "personal" comment about the front he puts forward, then you bring up something FAR MORE personal as a reason to like him?
You're sounding like a troll again.
Oh, and I never said I didn't like the U.S. - in fact I said quite the opposite. (this is typical of Bush supporters I've spoken with - they equate dislike of the war or the current administration to dislike of the country)
This is/was a very great country... I just hope we can survive the current administration.
Get the 1% after a certain date thing in writing, and make sure that it has a clause that if your time in that new task goes over 24 minutes in a week (1%), that it is counted as overtime (1.5x) pay.
He'll rethink that figure in a hurry.
That's a tough one... really.
Let's see:
- He signs any bill that comes before him, especially if it stomps on the Bill of Rights (or any part of the Constitution, for that matter) and benefits huge corporations
- He is the first president in our history to START a war and invade another country... a war that's undefined so there can be no "win" or "lose" or even "end"
- He supports the super-rich at the expense of the entire remaining population (3 TIMES the money spent on the "war on terror" was given to the super-rich the first time, this time it's $109B, $19B more)
- He supports corporate conglomerates above all else
- He took the first government surplus we've seen in many decades and, in a single term, turned it into the biggest deficit we've ever seen
- He has driven the US Dollar into the ground, our exchange rate is horrid now
- He uses religion as a weapon, and chastises those of other religions who do the same, labeling anyone who doesn't follow his exact sect as "evil" (hint: freedom of religion means ANY religion)
- His policies have made our great country into something the entire world despises (thankfully, many understand that it's our current administration, and not all of us)
- He has absolutely no respect whatsoever of the American people (I'm sure you've seen the video clip where he flips-off the camera and says "that's my one-finger victory salute")
- He manipulates his conferences (by extreme screening of all attendants) to the point where they're nothing more than an ass-kissing session, downright humiliating to our official values (have you seen the video where someone asked a question that wasn't approved, and was arrested? This is when he was only a Governor!)
- He speaks with a cheesey western accent when he was born and raised in new-england (just to be seen as a good-ole-boy)... haven't you ever noticed he's the only one in his family that sounds like that?
- He has ruined every business venture he has started, even with his daddy's funding (how can someone incapable of running a business run a country?)
Sorry, but maybe you can help me out here - just what is it that you find likable about him?
Maybe the fact that he knows how to get away with military desertion? (I have no respect for that)
As far as Clinton goes... he did a few things I despised, like giving Groom Lake total exemption to EPA regulations, the fiasco with the powerplants in California (created by emissions loopholes), etc.
Having said that - in general, I believe Clinton was probably the best president we've had in my lifetime. He eliminated the deficit, our foreign relations were phenomenal, our economy was the best I've ever seen, etc.
It's amazing how quickly and how drastically two presidents can change our country. One for far better, one for (by far) the worst
By the way, even NPR has talked about how we are heading into an irreversible aristocracy, and how we have the biggest separation of classes that we've had since immediately before the great depression. When less than 0.1% of the nation holds the vast majority of the money (what was the number? 70%? 80%?), it becomes entirely unsustainable.
Also look at Europe... they are working towards a common constitution. Once they sign this, we will no longer be the military or finanical superpower of the world, we will be a distant second in both.
Do you really think that pissing off the entire world is a good idea under these circumstances?
Speaking of Europe, notice we have almost no tourism here from Europe recently? With the exchange rate as bad (for us) as it is, vacationing here is an absolute bargain! They're avoiding us as the thought of coming here turns their stomaches! This is a very sad state for us to be in.
Best price I've seen on this: http://www.elexp.com/kit_x909.htm
If I remember correctly, ads in Nuts & Volts and Circuit Cellar magazines list these at around $179.
http://www.nutsvolts.com/
http://www.circuitcellar.com/
I was going to reply with references to articles from major publications (like the New York Times) on things like some counties with 50,000 more votes than residents, Pittsburgh receiving voting machines that each had hundreds of votes preloaded, a massive lawsuit in Ohio over the handling of the election, lawsuits in California against Diebold for supplying voting machines with software that was different from the approved version, voting machines that would change votes when you hit the submit button (during public testing immediately before the election), the announcement that the CEO of Diebold made before the election that he was going to ensure Bush won, the fact that the CEOs of Diebold and it's main competitor (the other major supplier of voting machines during the election) are brothers, etc.
But then I realized you are either a troll or have a big "W" sticker on the back of your full-size 7MPG SUV - either way it's a waste of time.
If you really believe that the useless "news" sources that you mentioned would publicize something like this instead of Janet's breast or her brother's perversion, you really need to read http://opensecrets.org/ for a while and learn where the money comes from, and where it goes.
I suppose you also think that Bush supports our troops, eh?
That's why they have to armor their vehicles with scrap metal they scavenge and steal, and their family members have to buy army/navy surplus flac-jackets for 'em, and why their pay AND their family's benefits got cut so horribly, etc.
Where's the news publication of that?
Where's the news publication of Bush giving a $90 Billion tax break to the super-rich?
Oh, sorry... this time around it's another $109 Billion (that's a "B", not an "M").
The media you mentioned is beyond useless for anything of this sort... especially Space.com - WTF?
Keep your head in the sand... it'll never effect YOU... really.
Um... the e-voting scandal was less than a 1/2 year ago.
Watch the video - http://votergate.tv/
No kidding.
If, for some unknown reason, anyone thinks anything he said was made up, watch this video that includes a grandmother verbally walking a congresscritter through "hacking the vote database": http://votergate.tv/
It's pretty shocking just how easy it is, due to the total lack of authentication or encryption.
Irresponsible at a minimum, criminal neglect more likely.
Scooter?
Chrysler made a minivan that used the exact same chemicals and principles 3 years ago.
The interesting part is, in all of the articles I've seen about the Chrysler implimentation, they state that the largest reserves are in the western US... removing our dependence on foreign oil. This is the first time I've seen Tibet mentioned as the primary source of the chemical.
He knew about the real cause way back in 1980!
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Very cool... have you considered an english version?
I noticed that some of the texts linked to are in english (like the sed & awk one-liners).