I find it amusing when posts get modded down, simply because the Moderator don't like what is said. Why does "flamebait" even exist as a mod option? That's nothing more than a "I disagree" option and mods should not be able to subtract points for that reason.
Here's my post again. I challenge you to find one word that was "flamebaiting". It doesn't exist:
"Or forget the expensive [5.2 million for 60 folks] fiber and upgrade the existing phone lines to DSL instead. Or existing cable lines to Cable Internet instead. That could be done for less than 0.1 million. But politicians don't understand the concept of choosing cheaper options to save money. They just spend regardless of cost."
I find it amusing when posts get modded down, simply because they don't like what is said. Why does "flamebait" even exist as a mod option? That's nothing more than a "I disagree" option and mods should not be able to subtract points for that reason.
I find it amusing when I get marked "troll" for simply speaking the truth. Congress DID allow companies to spend money either for fiber -or- analog-to-digital 56k upgrade.
Stating that fact is not trolling - it's stating what the 1996 Act actually says. I'm sorry you fear the truth so badly you feel the need to censor it (mod the post into invisibility).
NASA has produced a lot (like velcro), but when you addup how much money they spent PER invention produced it's about ten times higher than what private industry spends per invention. Like any other government organization, it is inefficient. Why? Because it doesn't need to limit itself..... like a teenager with a credit card. Just spend spend spend.
As for sale tax: I, a Maryland citizen, don't owe 8% sales tax to New York for the same reason a German citizen doesn't owe any sales tax to France. No taxation without representation in the Member State's government
For example I'm used to paying 5% and think 8% is outrageous. Who is there in the New York Legislature to speak for me, and represent my view? Nobody. Therefore I should not be taxed. Neither should a German be taxed by the French Assembly. - But I'd like to see New York try. What will they do? Send an invasion force across Pennsylvania and Maryland to arrest me and other non-payers? I think that would be a mistake. Maryland and Pennsylvania's favorite passtime is hunting.
>>>The defence budget for the current war is around 480 billion dollars per year
So why didn't Obama end the war like he promised? He's the Commander-in-Chief and it's as easy as ordering all the soldiers withdraw back to a defensive position (patrolling the border and US shoreline). The End. Money saved. It's what I would do in his position.
As for the 2 billion you're right - it's just change. The problem is that Congress has another ~10,000 projects just like this (pork) and that adds up to serious money that is being squandered.
And finally jobs: I've been out of engineering work for almost two years. I managed to land a temporary 3 month contract and that's it. Now I'm in worse shape than previously (HR idiots assume a 3 month stint means I am not worth hiring, rather than assume it was cost-cutting by a new boss). Where are all these supposed jobs Obama's creating? I'll probably send my resume to these solar companies but doubt it will lead to anything - I have no solar background.
Doesn't matter. The top post is still wrong when he says the noise floor matters. The engineer is measuring ABSOLUTE signal levels where the NF is irrelevant. It's equivalent to how I can say my weakest TV station is WPHL17 at -92.9 dB. Of course if I'm running a noisy inductive motor (vacuum) it will drown-out that signal but it's irrelevant - it doesn't change the absolute measurement.
Also:
Looks like the difference between the iPhone and Android is not that significant. Apple's spin doctors are making a big deal out of the "error" in the Bar Formula and yet the error is tiny. I'd like to see how the Bars react after the software update.
I guess we'll have to add this "doesn't properly cnesor documents" will have to be listed to the other UNFAIR criticisms modern idiots like to level against Thomas Jefferson.
And yes I know you were just joking but I'm making a point - People level criticisms against Jefferson that, in his day and age, were considered acceptable behavior. Like not allowing women the vote, or only limited suffrage to property owners. People should be judged by their own culture not by 2010 US culture.
For me, despite his character flaws, Jefferson still remains the best president we've ever had. I can only wish I was as wise, intelligent, and pro-liberty as he was.
>>>The ONLY concession he makes is that he admits it is possible for a video game to be made in the future that might be art.
In that case someone should say, "Roger - the future is already here. It's art and has been art for at least ten years. Games are like interactive movies now."
Not a consequence but a demonstration of how you can not trust government. If the corporation is not abusing your privacy, then it will be the government instead.
No I don't mind. The loss of those edge cities will be more than compensated by the ability to grow food in the fertile plains of Siberia and Northern Canada. We might even be able to grow food in Antarctica, depending on how warm it gets.
We lose some acreage but gain Tons more.
Besides life is about change. Even if the coastal don't flood today, they eventually will a thousand years from now simply by natural process. The idea of trying to keep the Earth identical to how it is now is ridiculous. The Earth is constantly changing.
Not really. If they make dumbass decisions (like going $100,000+ in debt), it doesn't affect me one bit. If they end-up homeless that that's their own dumb fault.
As for NEO-feudalism it's the idea that separate classes exist - a noble ruling class and serfs. Our Congress and EU Parliament think they are the new nobility, and make decisions for us "serfs" as if we were their children - too dumb to rule our own lives. Plus fine us if we don't make the right choices (i.e. $950 for not having insurance, $200 for buying a normal car instead of a hybrid, and so). I sick of being treated like a Serf too stupid to make my own decisions.
>>>>>Did you know that we're in the middle of an Ice Age?" >> >>Nope, we don't. I fail to see ice sheets covering my home
Okay well then listen carefully: When the poles are covered with ice, that is called an "Ice Age" by geologists. The Earth has only spent about 20% of its time in that state. The other 80% of the time the poles were ice free. - Right now the Earth is near one of its coldest points. It used to be much, much hotter..... such as when the Dinosaurs roamed the planet and it was one gigantic jungle with no ice anywhere. .
>>>Look, we know about Milankovich cycles. Do you think we're that stupid?
No I think you're quite intelligent. The problem is that you are ACTING stupid. You are acting like you're still in your teen years, and prone to emotional outbursts (and insults), instead of like a mature adult that can have a calm, rational conversation with another adult.
Oh one more thing. I'm not an idiot. IQ of 135 is not "idiot" status .
>>>>>"So that brings us 'round to the group of scientists who say "global warming is a natural part of earth's up-and-down cycle". These scientists get called idiots and they are not allowed to publish. Why are they being censored and insulted?" >> >>Maybe because they are dumb and stupid?
Ironically that's what they used to say about Max Planck and his blackbody radiation experiments (late 1800s). It took almost 20 years until he was allowed to publish his results, because the older scientists kept insisting there was an "ether" in space through which light traveled like waves in an ocean. They called Planck "dumb" to suggest light travels through a vacuum, and therefore refused to let his work be published.
Go read Kahn's "Scientific Revolutions" book, and enlighten yourself to how science really works. Oftentimes experiments & papers get suppressed by the existing established scientists. The revolution happens when the old guard dies off, and the newer younger thinkers are finally allowed to be heard.
No idea. Sometimes the SCOTUS makes stuff up (such as outlawing obscenity) that doesn't exist in the Constitution, but that doesn't change the fact SCOTUS has rejected Congress' attempt to punish states. It is okay to withhold upto 5% of funds to encourage states to make changes to their laws (such as increasing drinking age from 18 to 21), but the Justices have rejected the idea of withholding 100% of funds and nullified laws that exceeded their arbitrary 5% cutoff.
The 1996 Act did not provide a guarantee that 100% of americans would get an upgrade to 56k. Neither does the current Broadband plan. If you *choose* to live in a rural community, you will be giving-up certain benefits that suburban and urban residents have.
For the record I've traveled all over the US and I've never had a speed slower than 48k. That tells me there are very few places still stuck with an analog phone line.
You can argue in 1996, fixing line quality was the right thing to do. Broadband technologies were still in their infancy, vanishingly few people had them. Most people were on dialup. What would show them the biggest benefit? Fixing the phone lines. That would show an immediate increase, and using a proven technology.
Quoted for truth. People today seem to forget that back in 1996 most of us were still using 14k modems. A few were using 28k, and 56k was still in development.
Upgrading analog telephones to digital telephones to enable 56k speeds was the logical course of action, and would effectively quadruple most users internet connection. That's why Congress allowed the funds to be spent in that area. There was no misappropriation. The money was spent as it was earmarked.
>>>you libertarian retards want to DESTROY government, thereby freeing corporations up from pesky regulations, and able to rape your rights even more than they already do. wtf? >>>
FLAW #1: Libertarians are not anarchists. They don't want to "destroy" government. They realize government is a necessary evil.
FLAW #2: In the process of shrinking government, Libertarians would also revoke the government-issued corporate licenses (unconstitutional), so the corporations would no longer exist to rape us. What would be left are directly-owned proprietorships with full liability for the owner when he commits crimes against other citizens.
Yeah and add another ~$5000 per year sucked out of your paycheck once you start working. The cost of college has to be paid somehow, and if it's not coming from the students then it's coming out of the workers' pay.
>>>When I went to college, while living in the dorms, Internet was provided. But getting Comcast High-Speed Internet was always an option.
Depends on the school. At my small private college they had the option to buy private CATV, but at Penn State they decided it was cheaper to just provide free satellite TV to everyone (piped to the room) rather than have to handle ~30,000 independent hookups each semester. So there really is no other option for PSU students except what the campus provides.
And this is why I don't bother with "shortcuts". I would waste more time trying to memorize all those different buttons, commands, gestures than if I just clicked on the back button, or used the dropdown menu.
Slashdot Mirror
>>> (-1, Flamebait)
I find it amusing when posts get modded down, simply because the Moderator don't like what is said. Why does "flamebait" even exist as a mod option? That's nothing more than a "I disagree" option and mods should not be able to subtract points for that reason.
Here's my post again. I challenge you to find one word that was "flamebaiting". It doesn't exist:
"Or forget the expensive [5.2 million for 60 folks] fiber and upgrade the existing phone lines to DSL instead. Or existing cable lines to Cable Internet instead. That could be done for less than 0.1 million. But politicians don't understand the concept of choosing cheaper options to save money. They just spend regardless of cost."
I find it amusing when posts get modded down, simply because they don't like what is said. Why does "flamebait" even exist as a mod option? That's nothing more than a "I disagree" option and mods should not be able to subtract points for that reason.
I find it amusing when I get marked "troll" for simply speaking the truth. Congress DID allow companies to spend money either for fiber -or- analog-to-digital 56k upgrade.
Stating that fact is not trolling - it's stating what the 1996 Act actually says. I'm sorry you fear the truth so badly you feel the need to censor it (mod the post into invisibility).
NASA has produced a lot (like velcro), but when you addup how much money they spent PER invention produced it's about ten times higher than what private industry spends per invention. Like any other government organization, it is inefficient. Why? Because it doesn't need to limit itself..... like a teenager with a credit card. Just spend spend spend.
As for sale tax: I, a Maryland citizen, don't owe 8% sales tax to New York for the same reason a German citizen doesn't owe any sales tax to France. No taxation without representation in the Member State's government
For example I'm used to paying 5% and think 8% is outrageous. Who is there in the New York Legislature to speak for me, and represent my view? Nobody. Therefore I should not be taxed. Neither should a German be taxed by the French Assembly. - But I'd like to see New York try. What will they do? Send an invasion force across Pennsylvania and Maryland to arrest me and other non-payers? I think that would be a mistake. Maryland and Pennsylvania's favorite passtime is hunting.
>>>The defence budget for the current war is around 480 billion dollars per year
So why didn't Obama end the war like he promised? He's the Commander-in-Chief and it's as easy as ordering all the soldiers withdraw back to a defensive position (patrolling the border and US shoreline). The End. Money saved. It's what I would do in his position.
As for the 2 billion you're right - it's just change. The problem is that Congress has another ~10,000 projects just like this (pork) and that adds up to serious money that is being squandered.
And finally jobs: I've been out of engineering work for almost two years. I managed to land a temporary 3 month contract and that's it. Now I'm in worse shape than previously (HR idiots assume a 3 month stint means I am not worth hiring, rather than assume it was cost-cutting by a new boss). Where are all these supposed jobs Obama's creating? I'll probably send my resume to these solar companies but doubt it will lead to anything - I have no solar background.
Doesn't matter. The top post is still wrong when he says the noise floor matters. The engineer is measuring ABSOLUTE signal levels where the NF is irrelevant. It's equivalent to how I can say my weakest TV station is WPHL17 at -92.9 dB. Of course if I'm running a noisy inductive motor (vacuum) it will drown-out that signal but it's irrelevant - it doesn't change the absolute measurement.
Also:
Looks like the difference between the iPhone and Android is not that significant. Apple's spin doctors are making a big deal out of the "error" in the Bar Formula and yet the error is tiny. I'd like to see how the Bars react after the software update.
I guess we'll have to add this "doesn't properly cnesor documents" will have to be listed to the other UNFAIR criticisms modern idiots like to level against Thomas Jefferson.
And yes I know you were just joking but I'm making a point - People level criticisms against Jefferson that, in his day and age, were considered acceptable behavior. Like not allowing women the vote, or only limited suffrage to property owners. People should be judged by their own culture not by 2010 US culture.
For me, despite his character flaws, Jefferson still remains the best president we've ever had.
I can only wish I was as wise, intelligent, and pro-liberty as he was.
It's just like Firefly..... two main languages for communication: English and Mandarin
>>>The ONLY concession he makes is that he admits it is possible for a video game to be made in the future that might be art.
In that case someone should say, "Roger - the future is already here. It's art and has been art for at least ten years. Games are like interactive movies now."
Not a consequence but a demonstration of how you can not trust government. If the corporation is not abusing your privacy, then it will be the government instead.
No I don't mind. The loss of those edge cities will be more than compensated by the ability to grow food in the fertile plains of Siberia and Northern Canada. We might even be able to grow food in Antarctica, depending on how warm it gets.
We lose some acreage but gain Tons more.
Besides life is about change. Even if the coastal don't flood today, they eventually will a thousand years from now simply by natural process. The idea of trying to keep the Earth identical to how it is now is ridiculous. The Earth is constantly changing.
>>>And those ignorant asses affect me and you
Not really. If they make dumbass decisions (like going $100,000+ in debt), it doesn't affect me one bit. If they end-up homeless that that's their own dumb fault.
As for NEO-feudalism it's the idea that separate classes exist - a noble ruling class and serfs. Our Congress and EU Parliament think they are the new nobility, and make decisions for us "serfs" as if we were their children - too dumb to rule our own lives. Plus fine us if we don't make the right choices (i.e. $950 for not having insurance, $200 for buying a normal car instead of a hybrid, and so). I sick of being treated like a Serf too stupid to make my own decisions.
I want liberty not serfdom.
>>>Visiting India: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/2009-was-Indias-hottest-year-ever/articleshow/5543676.cms
Thanks that was informative. And you didn't even have to call me "stupid" to make your point! Amazing. ;-)
>>>>>Did you know that we're in the middle of an Ice Age?"
>>
>>Nope, we don't. I fail to see ice sheets covering my home
Okay well then listen carefully: When the poles are covered with ice, that is called an "Ice Age" by geologists. The Earth has only spent about 20% of its time in that state. The other 80% of the time the poles were ice free. - Right now the Earth is near one of its coldest points. It used to be much, much hotter..... such as when the Dinosaurs roamed the planet and it was one gigantic jungle with no ice anywhere.
.
>>>Look, we know about Milankovich cycles. Do you think we're that stupid?
No I think you're quite intelligent. The problem is that you are ACTING stupid. You are acting like you're still in your teen years, and prone to emotional outbursts (and insults), instead of like a mature adult that can have a calm, rational conversation with another adult.
Oh one more thing. I'm not an idiot. IQ of 135 is not "idiot" status
.
>>>>>"So that brings us 'round to the group of scientists who say "global warming is a natural part of earth's up-and-down cycle". These scientists get called idiots and they are not allowed to publish. Why are they being censored and insulted?"
>>
>>Maybe because they are dumb and stupid?
Ironically that's what they used to say about Max Planck and his blackbody radiation experiments (late 1800s). It took almost 20 years until he was allowed to publish his results, because the older scientists kept insisting there was an "ether" in space through which light traveled like waves in an ocean. They called Planck "dumb" to suggest light travels through a vacuum, and therefore refused to let his work be published.
Go read Kahn's "Scientific Revolutions" book, and enlighten yourself to how science really works. Oftentimes experiments & papers get suppressed by the existing established scientists. The revolution happens when the old guard dies off, and the newer younger thinkers are finally allowed to be heard.
No idea. Sometimes the SCOTUS makes stuff up (such as outlawing obscenity) that doesn't exist in the Constitution, but that doesn't change the fact SCOTUS has rejected Congress' attempt to punish states. It is okay to withhold upto 5% of funds to encourage states to make changes to their laws (such as increasing drinking age from 18 to 21), but the Justices have rejected the idea of withholding 100% of funds and nullified laws that exceeded their arbitrary 5% cutoff.
The 1996 Act did not provide a guarantee that 100% of americans would get an upgrade to 56k. Neither does the current Broadband plan. If you *choose* to live in a rural community, you will be giving-up certain benefits that suburban and urban residents have.
For the record I've traveled all over the US and I've never had a speed slower than 48k. That tells me there are very few places still stuck with an analog phone line.
You can argue in 1996, fixing line quality was the right thing to do. Broadband technologies were still in their infancy, vanishingly few people had them. Most people were on dialup. What would show them the biggest benefit? Fixing the phone lines. That would show an immediate increase, and using a proven technology.
Quoted for truth. People today seem to forget that back in 1996 most of us were still using 14k modems. A few were using 28k, and 56k was still in development.
Upgrading analog telephones to digital telephones to enable 56k speeds was the logical course of action, and would effectively quadruple most users internet connection. That's why Congress allowed the funds to be spent in that area. There was no misappropriation. The money was spent as it was earmarked.
???. Corporatists aren't Libertarians (aka jeffersonians). Corporatists are modern day Mussolinis.
>>>you libertarian retards want to DESTROY government, thereby freeing corporations up from pesky regulations, and able to rape your rights even more than they already do. wtf?
>>>
FLAW #1: Libertarians are not anarchists. They don't want to "destroy" government. They realize government is a necessary evil.
FLAW #2: In the process of shrinking government, Libertarians would also revoke the government-issued corporate licenses (unconstitutional), so the corporations would no longer exist to rape us. What would be left are directly-owned proprietorships with full liability for the owner when he commits crimes against other citizens.
>>>the fees are around $3000 per semester
Yeah and add another ~$5000 per year sucked out of your paycheck once you start working. The cost of college has to be paid somehow, and if it's not coming from the students then it's coming out of the workers' pay.
>>>When I went to college, while living in the dorms, Internet was provided. But getting Comcast High-Speed Internet was always an option.
Depends on the school. At my small private college they had the option to buy private CATV, but at Penn State they decided it was cheaper to just provide free satellite TV to everyone (piped to the room) rather than have to handle ~30,000 independent hookups each semester. So there really is no other option for PSU students except what the campus provides.
And this is why I don't bother with "shortcuts". I would waste more time trying to memorize all those different buttons, commands, gestures than if I just clicked on the back button, or used the dropdown menu.
Nor me. I use the right-click to open a menu and select back
They do but it's easily cracked and once that happens there's nothing the company can do to put the genie back in the bottle.