Nothing gets my 6 month old emachines m6805 to work. Gentoo can get everything but the wireless card, which doesn't work on any distro. But who really ever wanted to waste 6 hours of their life installing it?
Linux is great for server stuff, but still sucks for the average user. All 200 million of them.
This is meant to be sarcastic. I know it's not always this bad, but I love playing the Devil's (Microsoft's) Advocate.
"I bet with Slack 10, I can add my friend's windows printer! Oh... It's okay. I bet my wireless card will work now! Well, shit... my laptop isn't even supported. And I can't even get the sound to work. Oh, alright. Read the manual, huh?"
The next step is to configure/etc/conf.modules. Make sure that none of the following aliases is commented:
# alias char-major-14 off # alias sound on # alias midi off
Then insert (if not already there) the following lines:
Furthermore, it might be necessary to configure your pcmcia (/etc/pcmcia/config.opts), because there might be an IRQ conflict. Exclude at least the IRQs 7 and 10. Now you should be ready to boot your new kernel. Good luck!
The one thing people always forget is that, in truth, Microsoft/Adobe/Autodesk need people to have pirated versions of their software. Have you ever noticed how quickly major pieces of software are cracked after release? My guess is that they unofficially provide people with information to make this possible.
If everyone absolutely and without an option had to pay for their version of Office/Autocad/Photoshop, free software would become ten times more popular in no time at all. Right now, software companies can keep their prices artificially high for the businesses that have to pay for it, and keep the "installed user base" artifically high without having to provide tech support.
It's sort of the same thing with laws in the States. If every law was enforced every time, then people would be pissed and they would go away. Instead, laws that aren't enforced 100% of the time can be used against people the government doesn't like.
If DRM ever hits 100% of the market, prices will go down because people will refuse to pay.
I'm not a big fan of the price, but this is heading in the right direction.
I hope in 3 to 5 years there are a lot of these palm or hip tops, because it's really where computers start becoming more of an assistant than pain in the ass. I'd like to grab breakfast while browsing the web, turn off the screen for mp3 playing, maybe turn it on again to check e-mail halfway to work or if I stop somewhere. Then when I get to work plug it into a dock for a full keyboard/mouse/display for the workday routine. I just want ALL of my data with me ALL the time.
In retail situations, bringing your pricelist in your pocket will be big business as soon as the price point goes down. With all of the new credit card verification stuff, I don't see why we won't be checked out as soon as we buy something. Just pick up the receipt on the way out the door.
The difference between those who don't make it and those who do is almost always who works harder. Play gigs. Play clubs. Sell T-shirts and CDs. Repeat until you get fans or give up. If you don't "have time" to do these things, you probably don't want to do them.
If you don't want to tour, and you don't want to promote your own band, you pay very dearly to have someone else do it, because it's a major gamble. I listen to local groups and smaller labels because they believe in their own craft enough to produce good work _and_ promote it.
You don't deserve anything because you're in a band, even if your sound is earth-shatteringly brilliant. Work for it or stop playing gigs. Pretty damn simple.
It costs $2,000 to buy a computer and eight input interface with software to make a demo record. You can buy 1,000 CDs with color labels and jewel cases for about $950. One of the best mastering engineers in the world, Rodney Mills, can be hired for $10 per song minute.
+$2,000 +$0,950 +$0,500 -------
$3,450
This is, of course, assuming you already have instruments and a couple of mics. My guess is that most of the bands who have no viable option also have no viable talent without PR and good photography.
You guys have painted yourself in a corner. You say that Linux is cheaper than windows, but when you consider the time spent trying to get broken libraries, drivers, and programs to work, you're wrong. I paid $90 for my OEM copy of Windows XP, and that was three years ago. That averages to nine cents per day.
Now, as far as a *server* is concerned, Linux is usually a better choice. Until Linux is easier to use than Windows, it's not going to put a dent in desktop marketshare. So, if you *really* want that marketshare, you'll stop being ricers and start developing a UI on top of the kernel that
1) makes it easy to install/remove programs, and provides an easy way to run Windows executables.
2) makes it easy to install/remove web plugins, like flash.
3) makes it easy to install/remove drivers.
4) provides a sane way to manage libraries.
If you can't manage these simple tasks that are the basis for the existence of an operating system, then how in the hell do you expect to get any customers?
Cell phone with open hardware platform, 256MB RAM, 20GB HDD, Equiv to 500 Mhz PIII. External VGA Port, USB, and WiFi. As long as it would fit in my pocket, it could handle EVERY business function I'd need it for and I'd never be dependant on internet access for Word and Excel Docs. Get to work, plug in monitor and keyboard/mouse. Use the small screen out in the field.
It's going to suck the first time I accidentally leave a computer in the wash, though.
He had weapons. In the early nineties, sure. And then nearly all of it was destroyed, correct? By the U.N.? Did he a) have weapons in 2003 and b) directly threatened the United States, and did he c) have the technological capability to achieve that threat?
The world told him to show proof that he had disarmed. He didn't. The only safe assumption a Commander in Chief could make based on that evidence is that he still has the weapons. Anthrax just does not dissappear, after all. So, if I ask Cuba to show me proof that it has no military capability to attack the US, and they don't comply, my only option is to invade the country?
Sometimes I wonder if people are listening to the same President Bush. I heard he can talk even when Cheney drinks water.
Both Bush and Blair were very clear that we must act BEFORE Iraq can plan to use the weapons- BEFORE they became an immenent threat. Its too late to act if he already has a gun pointed at our head. Owning a gun is not a crime. Pointing it at someone is. Or, does this only apply to oil-bearing nations?
Iraq has known terrorist connections- they have been on the State Dept list of Terror Sponsering States for 15 years. We should have acted against that threat a lot sooner than we did. Here are the others on that list: Cuba, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Sudan, and Syria. How many of those countries were involved in the 9-11 attacks? Oh, that's right - none. Something tells me we need a new list.
Iraq was in violation of 17 Chapter VII UN resolutions as well as the cease-fire from the first Gulf War that required them to disarm. Iraq had shown that they are willing to use their WMDs. Sounds like a UN problem to me. We acted unilaterally because? And they had used WMDs on foreigners when? I mean, besides the Iran war where the Reagan Administration trained them and sold them their first WMDs.
If I remember correctly, a nation is allowed to do whatever it wants inside it's own borders. Little thing those "big-time reporters" call sovereignty.
Iraq had just tried to illegally expand their borders... Which threatened the US in what way?
Iraq is sitting on some of the richest natural resources in the world to finance almost anything that they would like. Again, if you find the pieces needed to make a bomb inside my house - like alcohol, fertilizer, and household cleaners - it doesn't mean that I'm going to make a bomb. If you find plans to make one, and a hit list, and a preperation area, then you can arrest me for conspiring. You can't kill people if they have "the ability to conspire." It's too vague, and basically is a license to kill anyone the government doesn't like.
McVeigh was from New York- should we invade New York also? At least Saudi Arabia revoked bin Laden's citizenship. Unless maybe you have some special insider knowledge about the Saudi Royal family? Well, if fifteen people from New York City area were involved, I'd want some action from the NYPD. The Saudis did not see a single bad word out of Bush's mouth. They revoked bin Laden's citizenship in 1994, not after 9-11. After 9-11, not a single person in Saudi Arabia was arrested and delivered to the US. Is it your belief that the only people from Saudi Arabia involved in the attacks were the original 15?
I am glad that the man in charge of protecting our national security DOES have the balls to act when necessary. Iraq, besides the two Gulf wars, has killed zero US Citizens. Al Queda killed 3,000, and so far, in a year of occupation, no document has linked Al Queda and the old Iraqi government. Saudi Arabia didn't receive so much as a slap on the wrists.
Bush has the balls to look like he has balls, but that's about it.
1. Does Iraq have weapons of mass destruction that can be used against the United States?
2. Is Iraq planning to use those weapons?
As is plainly evident, even to the man the Bush Administration hired to find the weapons couldn't find them, and I've seen no document saying that Iraq was planning an attack.
I think we all remember Colin Powell circling some stuff on a map, and then holding up a vial saying, "They have this here." Well, where the did "here" go?
What about North Korea? They actually have a nuclear program, and a dictator who has directly threatened the US. What about Saudi Arabia, where 15 of the 19 hijackers came from, and home to bin Laden and many terrorist organizations funded by the Saudi Government?
Bush doesn't have any balls. He'll attack a country that has virtually no defense (Afghanistan) or a country that we've been bombing for 10 years (Iraq), but not so much as cut diplomatic ties with the nation that 80% of the 911 terrorists originated from (Saudi Arabia).
I don't think Bush is evil, but he is incompetent and short sighted. Not too great of a choice for President.
I can also find out about how we evolved from Clams, or that pictures of a face on the surface of Mars proves that we were put here by aliens. I suppose the ark will fit right in.
When you're sick, do you pray, or do you go to a doctor? The bible says you should pray. (James 5:14)
Can a human live for three days in the stomach of a fish or whale? (Hopefully I don't have to point you to the part of the bible with the story of Jonah.)
There aren't any Christians in the world. Christ walked around healing people with no earthly posessions. He preached love and tolerance, and told people that the meek would inherit the earth.
Christians of today drive cars and have jobs. If their main job happens to involve Christ, they ask for donations to "keep the church going." They talk about "living in victory." It seems the ruler of the universe needs my twenty bucks to keep his miracles alive.
Meanwhile, people are suffering all over the world. They're being raped, killed, tortured, and I'm sure they all ask for God's help. Perhaps you could explain to me why he doesn't answer.
Here's exactly where faith (falsely) defeats logic.
You state the obvious: "I find it amazing that nobody has been able to check out this 'anomaly'... especially in the day and age of technology we live in..."
I agree. And instead of believing that a supernatural being has been involved in keeping people away from a boat that carried the entirety of the world animal population four thousand years ago, I'm going to assume that the boat doesn't exist.
You can prove me wrong. Just provide the documents the CIA has. And tell the researchers to bring back a piece of the boat and multiple pictures with screenshots of their gps location so I can check it out for myself.
I work in a Pro Audio store, and I'm a script level nerd. I work on Macs, X and 9. I work on PCs with windows. In 2000 I installed a small redhat server that shared 20 gigs of space, and also acted as a firewall and dhcp server.
I have installed and used: Slackware, Redhat, Mandrake, Debian, Gentoo, and unsuccessfully tried to install yellowdog on an old (and apparently unsupported) Mac clone.
This is the reason I have no problem in saying that the ease of use in Linux is absolutely the reason it isn't popular. People are cheap, and they love free anything, and they'll deal with a lot of headache to save money. A free Linux desktop that was easier to use than windows would be more popular than windows. But there isn't one.
Here's the bottom line:
1. You won't win the desktop until you have a solid GUI platform where a completely encapsulated installer requires ONE COMMAND to begin the install process.
2. You won't win the desktop until you have POLISHED and COMPLETE business applications. QuickBooks, Dreamweaver, Photoshop, and the like have absolutely no equal in Linux.
3. For the above to happen, there need to be standards in Linux. It's really that simple. Windows may be bad, but it's consistent. I can write an application that will work in Windows 98, ME, 2000, and XP. Will a.deb work in yellowdog? Does emerge work in Fedora? Do you realize how few people can even comprehend why there's a difference, let alone what the differences are?
If you make Linux better than windows and keep it free, it will become more popular. Just remember that 95% of your audience doesn't give a shit about games, or how fast pieces of backend code work, or how revolutionary it will be for them to have a limitlessly configurable desktop. They're at work. They want to sell things, communicate with their customers, keep track of their finances, stay organized, and then turn the thing off and go home.
Goody, farmers can't move on to the next thing. This begs the question: why don't techies do that? Answer: what's the next thing? Why should I spend money I don't have to retrain for something that's going to India in 3-5 years?
Tell me that 100% of your income goes towards needs, and I'll tell you that you're a liar. If you don't invest in your own education, or if you can't justify your wage, then you deserve to be paid less.
Are you implying that I should give up my low-crime apartment and clean water because there are starving children in China? I bitch about American corps selling me out and you call me insensitive to the plight of poor 3rd world countries (with an assumed racial bias).
Let's assume that the US Government bans the offshoring of tech work. Would the company you work for change internally? No, the CEO would still give himself (and anyone on the board) fat raises, and abuse corporate spending privileges. The product your company makes continues to go up in price, and then someone who simply formed an entirely new corporation in India starts selling a similar product for half the price. After the company stock falls, you still get fired in "cost-cutting" layoffs. American companies are simply adapting to the market now to get ready for new competition before it really gets rolling. And believe me, as soon as eastern Europe and Russia get their brain pool on the same playing field, you'd better be really good at what you do, or have found a job that can't be moved overseas.
No matter what rules the US governement makes, a resource (in this case, tech talent) is available in greater quantity at a cheaper price, so the worth of your talent has been greatly reduced. Slap tarriffs on all related work, and your next copy of Windows will cost $900.
Fact is, if I lose my job, I may well be starving - welfare is going away because people like Bill Maher are opposed to any social safety net.
So, if you lose your current job, no other job will be available? That's hard to believe. Or perhaps you meant to say, "If I lose my current job, I might trouble finding another in this saturated market." Well, sorry. Grab a broom. Wait tables. And if your lifestyle is really that important to you, you'll work enough doing something else to get the same pay.
I understand the concept. Are you surviving on your wage? If your wage drops considerably, will you still be surviving? Is there something more important than feeding and clothing yourself?
The analogy of the two prisoners is pointless because two people don't represent the complex systems of economies. When I said that their decision affected only themselves, I meant that only the two prisoners are being affected. You might as well model buildings with two tree branches.
The unemployment rate was high until World War II began. So, only by declaring war did the government end the Depression.
There is always a place for government regulation, but opening up trading around the world will help everyone to get to the same standard of living. I'm sure you didn't raise such a fuss when car manufacturing was leaving the States, and I'm sure you don't complain when you buy electronics that have been made elsewhere.
Unless tech workers start starving to death in the streets, you're going to have to excuse the rest of the world for not caring.
You have a car. That is a luxury. You have a roof. That is a luxury. You have a family and are probably not affected by crime or war. That is a luxury.
I'd like you to meet Ndugu. His parents are dead. He doesn't have a home. He's lucky if he gets food, and even luckier if it's nutritious. He thanks god for the days when he sleeps, eats, and isn't shot at.
Now ask him if he gives a fuck that you have to scrounge for coffee.
I'm being a hypocrite because I don't send Ndugu any money. Hell, I don't give to any charity, but at least I'm thankful for the things that I have.
The thing here is that you don't understand the key difference in the two situations.
In the case of farming, those jobs were no longer needed. In the case of off-shoring, those jobs still exist, just elsewhere.
Your argument is based on the belief that it matters why the job market has changed. It doesn't.
I understand the race to the bottom theory, and it makes sense, except that that the bottom is closer than you think. Aren't they already outsourcing Indian tech to Russia? Where will they go from there? People will get greedy wherever the jobs go, and raise their prices. In five years Indian tech workers will be asking double what they are now. As long as governments don't interfere, things will establish an equilibrium.
And -- pssst -- here's a secret... you are already earning a subsistence level wage. You are surviving. Please explain to me why you deserve more than survival because you were born in America, or because you now work here.
(The Prisoner's Dilemma, by the way, is simply stupid. Two people who can't communicate making decisions that only affect themselves doesn't really represent anything in today's economy, does it?
Now, I like "The Grapes of Wrath," but Steinbeck was wrong. Economies run by the government don't work. Compare food supply in any free-market country to that of a communist one. When I go shopping, and I buy what I want, people want to supply it to make money. Every individual store knows what's selling, so they know what to buy. They stop buying things that people don't want, so there's never much overstocking, so there's not much waste. In a store where no one cares what's selling or what's not, because some "committee" or politician makes educated guesses about what needs to be supplied, supply and demand never match, because one person can never determine the wants of another.)
You know, there's a similar situation going on in the farming industry. It's been declining since the 70s - THE 1770s. Back then I think 90% of people were farmers, and thanks to *progress*, we don't need that many people working to feed the country. There are people all over the midwest complaining that their way of life is going to disappear, and we all pay extra taxes to subsidize their plight -- the plight of people unwilling to change jobs when the market disappears.
And not only do we pay higher taxes, and higher prices for food, but farmers in places like Africa have nowhere to send their goods, and they don't have the infrastructure to do anything else.
I think it was Bill Maher who said (and I'm paraphrasing), "Americans seemed to be more concerned with taking their own lifestyles from 10 to 11 than to help others bring theirs from 0 to 1." And that's the absolute truth. No one reading this is starving. Even if you did nothing but collect welfare, your lifestyle would still be better than 90% of the world.
So, you're a programmer. Someone else can do your job for 1/4 of the price with the same quality. You have a few choices:
1. Find an employer who requires a warm ass in a seat in the States. 2. Raise the quality of your work. 3. Be your own boss. 4. Change careers.
You know how the RIAA doesn't provide a unique service anymore? Neither do you. You have lots of competition, and right now you can't compete. Or can you?
I speak French well with a heavy (but completely understandable) accent.
I think it was probably because I do not look French or European. I'm 6'8 and my girlfriend is almost 6' and we don't dress in all black, or in designer anything.
On one occasion, we went into a little cafe in Avignon. I thought the owner asked what my friends name was, so I told him and introduced myself. He frowned, grabbed a menu taped to the wall, and threw it on the table and walked away. I politely ordered two coffees, left a huge tip, and thanked him for his hospitality when we left. That wasn't the norm, but he just seemed to do what others wanted to.
As I said, if we were in an ethnic establishment, the service was hundreds of times better, and they were happy to speak French with me. I don't know. I've heard that Spain is the same way - you're lucky if they don't throw your change at you.
I was looking forward to my two week France trip as an escape to a place where people knew how to live life. The country was beautiful. The history and art that are simply everwhere was incredible. I'm by no means jingoistic, however, I came back with these conclusions:
1. French culture exists mainly to perpetuate itself. I know all cultures do this, but if you aren't a French-speaking Frenchman doing something French in France, they just don't like you.
2. For a country that derives so much of their income from tourism, they have the worst customer service I have ever experienced.
3. There aren't any fat people in France because their food consists of vegetables boiled to the consistency of glue and the worst cuts of meat I have ever tasted. Service and food were always better in ethnic restaurants.
So, it's not so bad here at home. As long as Bush gets kicked out of office, education becomes a priority, lobbyist power is reduced, the Patriot Act and the DMCA are revoked, and we redesign the city plan of every city not in the Northeast, we'll be just fine.
Ahh, and now my favorite joke. What do you call 100,000 men with their arms raised?
Slashdot Mirror
Nothing gets my 6 month old emachines m6805 to work. Gentoo can get everything but the wireless card, which doesn't work on any distro. But who really ever wanted to waste 6 hours of their life installing it?
Linux is great for server stuff, but still sucks for the average user. All 200 million of them.
This is meant to be sarcastic. I know it's not always this bad, but I love playing the Devil's (Microsoft's) Advocate.
/etc/conf.modules. Make sure that none of the following aliases is commented:
"I bet with Slack 10, I can add my friend's windows printer! Oh... It's okay. I bet my wireless card will work now! Well, shit... my laptop isn't even supported. And I can't even get the sound to work. Oh, alright. Read the manual, huh?"
The next step is to configure
# alias char-major-14 off
# alias sound on
# alias midi off
Then insert (if not already there) the following lines:
alias char-major-14 ad1848
options ad1848 io=0x530 irq=10 dma=1 dma2=0
post-install ad1848 modprobe "-k" opl3; modprobe "-k" v_midi; modprobe "-k" softoss2
options opl3 io=0x388
Furthermore, it might be necessary to configure your pcmcia (/etc/pcmcia/config.opts), because there might be an IRQ conflict. Exclude at least the IRQs 7 and 10. Now you should be ready to boot your new kernel. Good luck!
"Umm, fuck Linux."
The one thing people always forget is that, in truth, Microsoft/Adobe/Autodesk need people to have pirated versions of their software. Have you ever noticed how quickly major pieces of software are cracked after release? My guess is that they unofficially provide people with information to make this possible.
If everyone absolutely and without an option had to pay for their version of Office/Autocad/Photoshop, free software would become ten times more popular in no time at all. Right now, software companies can keep their prices artificially high for the businesses that have to pay for it, and keep the "installed user base" artifically high without having to provide tech support.
It's sort of the same thing with laws in the States. If every law was enforced every time, then people would be pissed and they would go away. Instead, laws that aren't enforced 100% of the time can be used against people the government doesn't like.
If DRM ever hits 100% of the market, prices will go down because people will refuse to pay.
I'm not a big fan of the price, but this is heading in the right direction.
I hope in 3 to 5 years there are a lot of these palm or hip tops, because it's really where computers start becoming more of an assistant than pain in the ass. I'd like to grab breakfast while browsing the web, turn off the screen for mp3 playing, maybe turn it on again to check e-mail halfway to work or if I stop somewhere. Then when I get to work plug it into a dock for a full keyboard/mouse/display for the workday routine. I just want ALL of my data with me ALL the time.
In retail situations, bringing your pricelist in your pocket will be big business as soon as the price point goes down. With all of the new credit card verification stuff, I don't see why we won't be checked out as soon as we buy something. Just pick up the receipt on the way out the door.
The difference between those who don't make it and those who do is almost always who works harder. Play gigs. Play clubs. Sell T-shirts and CDs. Repeat until you get fans or give up. If you don't "have time" to do these things, you probably don't want to do them.
If you don't want to tour, and you don't want to promote your own band, you pay very dearly to have someone else do it, because it's a major gamble. I listen to local groups and smaller labels because they believe in their own craft enough to produce good work _and_ promote it.
You don't deserve anything because you're in a band, even if your sound is earth-shatteringly brilliant. Work for it or stop playing gigs. Pretty damn simple.
It costs $2,000 to buy a computer and eight input interface with software to make a demo record. You can buy 1,000 CDs with color labels and jewel cases for about $950. One of the best mastering engineers in the world, Rodney Mills, can be hired for $10 per song minute.
+$2,000
+$0,950
+$0,500
-------
$3,450
This is, of course, assuming you already have instruments and a couple of mics. My guess is that most of the bands who have no viable option also have no viable talent without PR and good photography.
You guys have painted yourself in a corner. You say that Linux is cheaper than windows, but when you consider the time spent trying to get broken libraries, drivers, and programs to work, you're wrong. I paid $90 for my OEM copy of Windows XP, and that was three years ago. That averages to nine cents per day.
Now, as far as a *server* is concerned, Linux is usually a better choice. Until Linux is easier to use than Windows, it's not going to put a dent in desktop marketshare. So, if you *really* want that marketshare, you'll stop being ricers and start developing a UI on top of the kernel that
1) makes it easy to install/remove programs, and provides an easy way to run Windows executables.
2) makes it easy to install/remove web plugins, like flash.
3) makes it easy to install/remove drivers.
4) provides a sane way to manage libraries.
If you can't manage these simple tasks that are the basis for the existence of an operating system, then how in the hell do you expect to get any customers?
I'm really glad I can rape a child or murder someone and serve the same sentence as someone who abuses the e-mail system.
America, home of the free! Well, as long as you're violent and sexually repressed.
(Yes, I live in America, and no, I don't hate it.)
Seriously.
Cell phone with open hardware platform, 256MB RAM, 20GB HDD, Equiv to 500 Mhz PIII. External VGA Port, USB, and WiFi. As long as it would fit in my pocket, it could handle EVERY business function I'd need it for and I'd never be dependant on internet access for Word and Excel Docs. Get to work, plug in monitor and keyboard/mouse. Use the small screen out in the field.
It's going to suck the first time I accidentally leave a computer in the wash, though.
He had weapons.
In the early nineties, sure. And then nearly all of it was destroyed, correct? By the U.N.? Did he a) have weapons in 2003 and b) directly threatened the United States, and did he c) have the technological capability to achieve that threat?
The world told him to show proof that he had disarmed. He didn't. The only safe assumption a Commander in Chief could make based on that evidence is that he still has the weapons. Anthrax just does not dissappear, after all.
So, if I ask Cuba to show me proof that it has no military capability to attack the US, and they don't comply, my only option is to invade the country?
Sometimes I wonder if people are listening to the same President Bush.
I heard he can talk even when Cheney drinks water.
Both Bush and Blair were very clear that we must act BEFORE Iraq can plan to use the weapons- BEFORE they became an immenent threat. Its too late to act if he already has a gun pointed at our head.
Owning a gun is not a crime. Pointing it at someone is. Or, does this only apply to oil-bearing nations?
Iraq has known terrorist connections- they have been on the State Dept list of Terror Sponsering States for 15 years. We should have acted against that threat a lot sooner than we did.
Here are the others on that list: Cuba, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Sudan, and Syria. How many of those countries were involved in the 9-11 attacks? Oh, that's right - none. Something tells me we need a new list.
Iraq was in violation of 17 Chapter VII UN resolutions as well as the cease-fire from the first Gulf War that required them to disarm. Iraq had shown that they are willing to use their WMDs.
Sounds like a UN problem to me. We acted unilaterally because? And they had used WMDs on foreigners when? I mean, besides the Iran war where the Reagan Administration trained them and sold them their first WMDs.
If I remember correctly, a nation is allowed to do whatever it wants inside it's own borders. Little thing those "big-time reporters" call sovereignty.
Iraq had just tried to illegally expand their borders...
Which threatened the US in what way?
Iraq is sitting on some of the richest natural resources in the world to finance almost anything that they would like.
Again, if you find the pieces needed to make a bomb inside my house - like alcohol, fertilizer, and household cleaners - it doesn't mean that I'm going to make a bomb. If you find plans to make one, and a hit list, and a preperation area, then you can arrest me for conspiring. You can't kill people if they have "the ability to conspire." It's too vague, and basically is a license to kill anyone the government doesn't like.
McVeigh was from New York- should we invade New York also? At least Saudi Arabia revoked bin Laden's citizenship. Unless maybe you have some special insider knowledge about the Saudi Royal family?
Well, if fifteen people from New York City area were involved, I'd want some action from the NYPD. The Saudis did not see a single bad word out of Bush's mouth. They revoked bin Laden's citizenship in 1994, not after 9-11. After 9-11, not a single person in Saudi Arabia was arrested and delivered to the US. Is it your belief that the only people from Saudi Arabia involved in the attacks were the original 15?
I am glad that the man in charge of protecting our national security DOES have the balls to act when necessary.
Iraq, besides the two Gulf wars, has killed zero US Citizens. Al Queda killed 3,000, and so far, in a year of occupation, no document has linked Al Queda and the old Iraqi government. Saudi Arabia didn't receive so much as a slap on the wrists.
Bush has the balls to look like he has balls, but that's about it.
No, the questions were:
1. Does Iraq have weapons of mass destruction that can be used against the United States?
2. Is Iraq planning to use those weapons?
As is plainly evident, even to the man the Bush Administration hired to find the weapons couldn't find them, and I've seen no document saying that Iraq was planning an attack.
I think we all remember Colin Powell circling some stuff on a map, and then holding up a vial saying, "They have this here." Well, where the did "here" go?
What about North Korea? They actually have a nuclear program, and a dictator who has directly threatened the US. What about Saudi Arabia, where 15 of the 19 hijackers came from, and home to bin Laden and many terrorist organizations funded by the Saudi Government?
Bush doesn't have any balls. He'll attack a country that has virtually no defense (Afghanistan) or a country that we've been bombing for 10 years (Iraq), but not so much as cut diplomatic ties with the nation that 80% of the 911 terrorists originated from (Saudi Arabia).
I don't think Bush is evil, but he is incompetent and short sighted. Not too great of a choice for President.
I can also find out about how we evolved from Clams, or that pictures of a face on the surface of Mars proves that we were put here by aliens. I suppose the ark will fit right in.
Is epilepsy caused by the devil? (Luke 9:39)
When you're sick, do you pray, or do you go to a doctor? The bible says you should pray. (James 5:14)
Can a human live for three days in the stomach of a fish or whale? (Hopefully I don't have to point you to the part of the bible with the story of Jonah.)
There aren't any Christians in the world. Christ walked around healing people with no earthly posessions. He preached love and tolerance, and told people that the meek would inherit the earth.
Christians of today drive cars and have jobs. If their main job happens to involve Christ, they ask for donations to "keep the church going." They talk about "living in victory." It seems the ruler of the universe needs my twenty bucks to keep his miracles alive.
Meanwhile, people are suffering all over the world. They're being raped, killed, tortured, and I'm sure they all ask for God's help. Perhaps you could explain to me why he doesn't answer.
Here's exactly where faith (falsely) defeats logic.
You state the obvious: "I find it amazing that nobody has been able to check out this 'anomaly'... especially in the day and age of technology we live in..."
I agree. And instead of believing that a supernatural being has been involved in keeping people away from a boat that carried the entirety of the world animal population four thousand years ago, I'm going to assume that the boat doesn't exist.
You can prove me wrong. Just provide the documents the CIA has. And tell the researchers to bring back a piece of the boat and multiple pictures with screenshots of their gps location so I can check it out for myself.
I work in a Pro Audio store, and I'm a script level nerd. I work on Macs, X and 9. I work on PCs with windows. In 2000 I installed a small redhat server that shared 20 gigs of space, and also acted as a firewall and dhcp server.
.deb work in yellowdog? Does emerge work in Fedora? Do you realize how few people can even comprehend why there's a difference, let alone what the differences are?
I have installed and used: Slackware, Redhat, Mandrake, Debian, Gentoo, and unsuccessfully tried to install yellowdog on an old (and apparently unsupported) Mac clone.
This is the reason I have no problem in saying that the ease of use in Linux is absolutely the reason it isn't popular. People are cheap, and they love free anything, and they'll deal with a lot of headache to save money. A free Linux desktop that was easier to use than windows would be more popular than windows. But there isn't one.
Here's the bottom line:
1. You won't win the desktop until you have a solid GUI platform where a completely encapsulated installer requires ONE COMMAND to begin the install process.
2. You won't win the desktop until you have POLISHED and COMPLETE business applications. QuickBooks, Dreamweaver, Photoshop, and the like have absolutely no equal in Linux.
3. For the above to happen, there need to be standards in Linux. It's really that simple. Windows may be bad, but it's consistent. I can write an application that will work in Windows 98, ME, 2000, and XP. Will a
If you make Linux better than windows and keep it free, it will become more popular. Just remember that 95% of your audience doesn't give a shit about games, or how fast pieces of backend code work, or how revolutionary it will be for them to have a limitlessly configurable desktop. They're at work. They want to sell things, communicate with their customers, keep track of their finances, stay organized, and then turn the thing off and go home.
Ballmer: "Yes, YES! The same black comb which helps cover my baldspot! We'll simply comb over our security issues with obscurity!"
Gates: "Brilliant!"
New Guy: "But sirs, we can see Mr. Ballmer's baldspot. It blinded half the staff at the softball game."
Ballmer: "The folks from New Dehli love my full head of hair."
New Guy: "Brilliant!"
Goody, farmers can't move on to the next thing. This begs the question: why don't techies do that? Answer: what's the next thing? Why should I spend money I don't have to retrain for something that's going to India in 3-5 years?
Tell me that 100% of your income goes towards needs, and I'll tell you that you're a liar. If you don't invest in your own education, or if you can't justify your wage, then you deserve to be paid less.
Are you implying that I should give up my low-crime apartment and clean water because there are starving children in China? I bitch about American corps selling me out and you call me insensitive to the plight of poor 3rd world countries (with an assumed racial bias).
Let's assume that the US Government bans the offshoring of tech work. Would the company you work for change internally? No, the CEO would still give himself (and anyone on the board) fat raises, and abuse corporate spending privileges. The product your company makes continues to go up in price, and then someone who simply formed an entirely new corporation in India starts selling a similar product for half the price. After the company stock falls, you still get fired in "cost-cutting" layoffs. American companies are simply adapting to the market now to get ready for new competition before it really gets rolling. And believe me, as soon as eastern Europe and Russia get their brain pool on the same playing field, you'd better be really good at what you do, or have found a job that can't be moved overseas.
No matter what rules the US governement makes, a resource (in this case, tech talent) is available in greater quantity at a cheaper price, so the worth of your talent has been greatly reduced. Slap tarriffs on all related work, and your next copy of Windows will cost $900.
Fact is, if I lose my job, I may well be starving - welfare is going away because people like Bill Maher are opposed to any social safety net.
So, if you lose your current job, no other job will be available? That's hard to believe. Or perhaps you meant to say, "If I lose my current job, I might trouble finding another in this saturated market." Well, sorry. Grab a broom. Wait tables. And if your lifestyle is really that important to you, you'll work enough doing something else to get the same pay.
I understand the concept. Are you surviving on your wage? If your wage drops considerably, will you still be surviving? Is there something more important than feeding and clothing yourself?
The analogy of the two prisoners is pointless because two people don't represent the complex systems of economies. When I said that their decision affected only themselves, I meant that only the two prisoners are being affected. You might as well model buildings with two tree branches.
The unemployment rate was high until World War II began. So, only by declaring war did the government end the Depression.
There is always a place for government regulation, but opening up trading around the world will help everyone to get to the same standard of living. I'm sure you didn't raise such a fuss when car manufacturing was leaving the States, and I'm sure you don't complain when you buy electronics that have been made elsewhere.
Unless tech workers start starving to death in the streets, you're going to have to excuse the rest of the world for not caring.
I have a job, but I don't have a family. I hope that I won't complain about supporting a family if I make the decision to have one.
You have a car. That is a luxury. You have a roof. That is a luxury. You have a family and are probably not affected by crime or war. That is a luxury.
I'd like you to meet Ndugu. His parents are dead. He doesn't have a home. He's lucky if he gets food, and even luckier if it's nutritious. He thanks god for the days when he sleeps, eats, and isn't shot at.
Now ask him if he gives a fuck that you have to scrounge for coffee.
I'm being a hypocrite because I don't send Ndugu any money. Hell, I don't give to any charity, but at least I'm thankful for the things that I have.
The thing here is that you don't understand the key difference in the two situations.
In the case of farming, those jobs were no longer needed. In the case of off-shoring, those jobs still exist, just elsewhere.
Your argument is based on the belief that it matters why the job market has changed. It doesn't.
I understand the race to the bottom theory, and it makes sense, except that that the bottom is closer than you think. Aren't they already outsourcing Indian tech to Russia? Where will they go from there? People will get greedy wherever the jobs go, and raise their prices. In five years Indian tech workers will be asking double what they are now. As long as governments don't interfere, things will establish an equilibrium.
And -- pssst -- here's a secret... you are already earning a subsistence level wage. You are surviving. Please explain to me why you deserve more than survival because you were born in America, or because you now work here.
(The Prisoner's Dilemma, by the way, is simply stupid. Two people who can't communicate making decisions that only affect themselves doesn't really represent anything in today's economy, does it? Now, I like "The Grapes of Wrath," but Steinbeck was wrong. Economies run by the government don't work. Compare food supply in any free-market country to that of a communist one. When I go shopping, and I buy what I want, people want to supply it to make money. Every individual store knows what's selling, so they know what to buy. They stop buying things that people don't want, so there's never much overstocking, so there's not much waste. In a store where no one cares what's selling or what's not, because some "committee" or politician makes educated guesses about what needs to be supplied, supply and demand never match, because one person can never determine the wants of another.)
You know, there's a similar situation going on in the farming industry. It's been declining since the 70s - THE 1770s. Back then I think 90% of people were farmers, and thanks to *progress*, we don't need that many people working to feed the country. There are people all over the midwest complaining that their way of life is going to disappear, and we all pay extra taxes to subsidize their plight -- the plight of people unwilling to change jobs when the market disappears.
And not only do we pay higher taxes, and higher prices for food, but farmers in places like Africa have nowhere to send their goods, and they don't have the infrastructure to do anything else.
I think it was Bill Maher who said (and I'm paraphrasing), "Americans seemed to be more concerned with taking their own lifestyles from 10 to 11 than to help others bring theirs from 0 to 1." And that's the absolute truth. No one reading this is starving. Even if you did nothing but collect welfare, your lifestyle would still be better than 90% of the world.
So, you're a programmer. Someone else can do your job for 1/4 of the price with the same quality. You have a few choices:
1. Find an employer who requires a warm ass in a seat in the States.
2. Raise the quality of your work.
3. Be your own boss.
4. Change careers.
You know how the RIAA doesn't provide a unique service anymore? Neither do you. You have lots of competition, and right now you can't compete. Or can you?
I speak French well with a heavy (but completely understandable) accent.
I think it was probably because I do not look French or European. I'm 6'8 and my girlfriend is almost 6' and we don't dress in all black, or in designer anything.
On one occasion, we went into a little cafe in Avignon. I thought the owner asked what my friends name was, so I told him and introduced myself. He frowned, grabbed a menu taped to the wall, and threw it on the table and walked away. I politely ordered two coffees, left a huge tip, and thanked him for his hospitality when we left. That wasn't the norm, but he just seemed to do what others wanted to.
As I said, if we were in an ethnic establishment, the service was hundreds of times better, and they were happy to speak French with me. I don't know. I've heard that Spain is the same way - you're lucky if they don't throw your change at you.
And, from what I've read and seen in Paris, it doesn't look like immigrants are too popular there.
I was looking forward to my two week France trip as an escape to a place where people knew how to live life. The country was beautiful. The history and art that are simply everwhere was incredible. I'm by no means jingoistic, however, I came back with these conclusions:
1. French culture exists mainly to perpetuate itself. I know all cultures do this, but if you aren't a French-speaking Frenchman doing something French in France, they just don't like you.
2. For a country that derives so much of their income from tourism, they have the worst customer service I have ever experienced.
3. There aren't any fat people in France because their food consists of vegetables boiled to the consistency of glue and the worst cuts of meat I have ever tasted. Service and food were always better in ethnic restaurants.
So, it's not so bad here at home. As long as Bush gets kicked out of office, education becomes a priority, lobbyist power is reduced, the Patriot Act and the DMCA are revoked, and we redesign the city plan of every city not in the Northeast, we'll be just fine.
Ahh, and now my favorite joke. What do you call 100,000 men with their arms raised?
The French Army.