I just upgraded from 6 to 7 around two months ago.
I guess it's time to hop to 8. I'm tired of constantly upgradng everything. I drive an old car built in 1997, and I don't understand why I can't keep running the same browser at least a few years. Yeah I know - constant updating keeps programmers employed.
Yes you did. "3.5% profit might not sound like a lot but it's based on earnings of 10s of billions of dollars." Sounds like you were discussing windfall profits to me.
It's a shame you only know how to read ONE sentence. If you had read sentences two and three, you would have seen me add:
- "Worst-case: If you find yourself short, you can ask family, friends, and neighbors for financial assistance (like the non-insured Amish do)."
- "Best and most-likely case: You never have a fire [like my parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents], and therefore get to keep all the money rather than make the Insurance CEO rich."
The U.S. does *not* have rationing. Anyone who is sick can walk into an emergency room and get free corporation-provided care. Per the law, they can not be denied.
The U.S. also provides government care for children, elderly, and disabled persons. You know that famous "40 million uninsured" stat? They are only telling you half the story. Approximately 30 million of those 40 are eligible for free government care. They are covered.
>>>For example, we have a thriving public education system which guarantees almost universal education. We also have a thriving private education system for those who, for whatever reason, don't want to take advantage of public eduction. >>>
Unfortunately the private system is out of reach of many people who would benefit from it most (i.e. the poor). If students could attend private school *and be exempt* from paying the double tuition to public school, then even poor people could afford the option of a better education.
The same scenario applies to the UK's private/public health system, where people can not afford to pay DOUBLE to both the private plan and the public plan, so the poor and middle classes are essentially stuck with the inferior public plan.
>>>each state in the union is utterly dominated by one or two insurance providers.
Then fix it. Drop the interstate barriers and let people get insurance from an company across the continent. That will solve these problems w/o need to resort to a government takeover of my damn body
Fuck.
My ancestors were freed as salves ~150 year ago... and now we're falling right back into slavery again, where the government will own and control my very body. Fuck.
>>>Pay out of pocket? do you REALLY want to go down this road? I have crohn's disease, can't buy coverage at any price,
I'm sorry to hear you are sick, but you already have government help (that's what safety nets are for). Keep it to yourself. I don't want the government running my perfectly-healthy body. I can take care of myself.
>>>As people love to point out here on/. the plural of anecdote is not data.
Yes I know but this *also* means that people who want annual mammograms or PAP smears will be denied by the government program (SCHIP or Medicare) or the insurance companies. It's rationing of care, just like I originally said, and it will result in some missed cancers that will cause people to die
Please note that US Healthcare is essentially zero. My dad had a damaged shouler, and they had it fixed just 2 weeks later. (more below)
UK HEALTHCARE WAITING TIMES 8 months - cataract surgery 11 months- hip replacement 12 months- knee replacement 5 months - slipped disc 5 months - hernia repair - SOURCE - The BBC, May 2009
PROSTATE 5-YEAR CANCER SURVIVOR RATE 100%- United States 90% - Canada 77% - United Kingdom
*this* is just one example of many, why people say the U.S. has the best healthcare in the world, because the cure rate is soooo much higher than in countries where care is monopolized by the government. MEP Daniel Hannan said in early August, "The worst thing to be is elderly under the UK Health System..... you will be denied care and left starving in wards."
>>>Yeah, except for the fact that we're not. The Lisbon Treaty, apart from being controversial in its own right, doesn't make the EU a "United States of Europe".
Okay.
Then I'm going to insist you stop calling me American, and start calling me Virginian. After all we are NOT a single nation. We are 50 separate countries, each with its own laws, governments, and healthcare. Alternatively, if you insist upon calling us as one single whole, then I will insist upon treating the EU as a whole.
>>>If you would just GO AND READ THE FUCKING RESEARCH ARTICLES IN QUESTION
Yep.
And then I read the emails behind the papers, which indicate some of the data was thrown-out or altered to make it fit a preconceived theory, so it makes the paper essentially worthless
>>>If Earth is at its coldest point in the last 500 million years, why was it colder 200 years ago?
The earth was also experiencing a heatwave during the late Roman times (they grew grapes as far north as Scotland). It's just natural fluctuations. The 500 million year graph looks at *long term* climate changes, not localized short-term weather cycles
Is there ice on the poles of this planet? Yes? Then this planet is *cooler* than when Homo sapiens was born, because at that point there was NO ice on the poles. There was no ice on the poles during the age of dinosaurs either. Ice on the polices indicates the Earth is in a cold state, relative to the previous 500 million years of ice-free existence.
>>>So if we have no idea what will happen, is it really such a great idea to run an experiment on a planetary scale
If we have no idea what will happen, is it really such a great idea to enslave the populace like serfs and tell them, "No you can't watch TV. No you can't run a car. No you can't heat your house." I'd rather live in a hot planet with freedom, than a cool planet with modern-day feudalism
The C64 has had some viruses, but they are easily removed by turning off the computer and then making sure never to load that virus from your disk drive.
When the Commodore Amiga arrived (1985), there was self-executing code on track 0 of the floppy, and the viruses lodged themselves there. Most of the damage was not caused by the virus itself, but because it could erase the self-booting floppy's data, and then you'd have a $40 game stop working.
>>>With an atitude like that, you are a nuisance to everyone else on the road.
Well don't complain to me. Complain to the Maryland State Government that not having car inspections (except at point-of-sale) is dangerous. I don't think you'll get far, since most of the legislators think inspections represent a too-heavy burden on the poor and middle class.
And I agree with them. Now that I've moved to a state with annual inspections, I'm basically throwing-away $60 a year plus any repairs the garage "finds" in my car (or else I get no sticker). Even when the car hasn't been driven (i.e. less than 1000 miles), they still expect me to pay $30 for the shiny new sticker.
>>>Everybody complaining that they cost more than HDDs is missing an important point: they're better than HDDs.
Yes. That's why I predict the next Nintendo console will go back to using solid state cartridges. - On second thought, no. Cost does matter and a 50 gigabyte cart would be horribly expensive.
This reminds me of when I posted copied a half-page website story to rec.arts.sf.tv circa 1997. The original author had a fit and threatened to contact my employer and get me fired.
>>>He is painting most of the internet as a denizen of petty criminals depriving people of jobs
Yes.
And?
;-)
The online world has long been used to pass-around copied media (holds-up cracked copy of C64 Pirates), and that hasn't really changed. Even the politicians are echoing Murdoch's words about illegal copiers, to the point where the UK wants to create a copyright czar to crackdown on them.
That's funny. I'm the type of person that *looks* for alternative sources like FOX, CBN, al-Jezeera, Russia Today, and so on. They provide information that the CNNs and DNCNBCs of the world do not. I find it odd that you'd want to self-limit yourself to only seeing one side.
Ya know, this free ride can't last forever. Somebody has to pay all those reporters to collect and publish the articles we read, and the advertisers are not doing (they are trying to reduce costs). So that leaves us or the search engines.
Of course if you wanted to argue there are too many reporters, and about 75% of them should be laid-off to streamline the industry, I could agree with that. No bailouts - let the market sort itself out
Slashdot Mirror
>>>it's traditional to actually link to sources that you cite, rather than say "The BBC, May 2009".)
Serious question:
How do I link to something I saw on television, and copied down? The answer of course is that I can't.
I just upgraded from 6 to 7 around two months ago.
I guess it's time to hop to 8. I'm tired of constantly upgradng everything. I drive an old car built in 1997, and I don't understand why I can't keep running the same browser at least a few years. Yeah I know - constant updating keeps programmers employed.
Yes you did. "3.5% profit might not sound like a lot but it's based on earnings of 10s of billions of dollars." Sounds like you were discussing windfall profits to me.
It's a shame you only know how to read ONE sentence. If you had read sentences two and three, you would have seen me add:
- "Worst-case: If you find yourself short, you can ask family, friends, and neighbors for financial assistance (like the non-insured Amish do)."
- "Best and most-likely case: You never have a fire [like my parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents], and therefore get to keep all the money rather than make the Insurance CEO rich."
The U.S. does *not* have rationing. Anyone who is sick can walk into an emergency room and get free corporation-provided care. Per the law, they can not be denied.
The U.S. also provides government care for children, elderly, and disabled persons. You know that famous "40 million uninsured" stat? They are only telling you half the story. Approximately 30 million of those 40 are eligible for free government care. They are covered.
>>>For example, we have a thriving public education system which guarantees almost universal education. We also have a thriving private education system for those who, for whatever reason, don't want to take advantage of public eduction.
>>>
Unfortunately the private system is out of reach of many people who would benefit from it most (i.e. the poor). If students could attend private school *and be exempt* from paying the double tuition to public school, then even poor people could afford the option of a better education.
The same scenario applies to the UK's private/public health system, where people can not afford to pay DOUBLE to both the private plan and the public plan, so the poor and middle classes are essentially stuck with the inferior public plan.
>>>each state in the union is utterly dominated by one or two insurance providers.
Then fix it. Drop the interstate barriers and let people get insurance from an company across the continent. That will solve these problems w/o need to resort to a government takeover of my damn body
Fuck.
My ancestors were freed as salves ~150 year ago... and now we're falling right back into slavery again, where the government will own and control my very body. Fuck.
>>>Pay out of pocket? do you REALLY want to go down this road? I have crohn's disease, can't buy coverage at any price,
I'm sorry to hear you are sick,
but you already have government help (that's what safety nets are for).
Keep it to yourself. I don't want the government running my perfectly-healthy body. I can take care of myself.
>>>As people love to point out here on /. the plural of anecdote is not data.
Yes I know but this *also* means that people who want annual mammograms or PAP smears will be denied by the government program (SCHIP or Medicare) or the insurance companies. It's rationing of care, just like I originally said, and it will result in some missed cancers that will cause people to die
Please note that US Healthcare is essentially zero. My dad had a damaged shouler, and they had it fixed just 2 weeks later. (more below)
UK HEALTHCARE WAITING TIMES
8 months - cataract surgery
11 months- hip replacement
12 months- knee replacement
5 months - slipped disc
5 months - hernia repair
- SOURCE - The BBC, May 2009
PROSTATE 5-YEAR CANCER SURVIVOR RATE
100%- United States
90% - Canada
77% - United Kingdom
*this* is just one example of many, why people say the U.S. has the best healthcare in the world, because the cure rate is soooo much higher than in countries where care is monopolized by the government. MEP Daniel Hannan said in early August, "The worst thing to be is elderly under the UK Health System..... you will be denied care and left starving in wards."
>>>Yeah, except for the fact that we're not. The Lisbon Treaty, apart from being controversial in its own right, doesn't make the EU a "United States of Europe".
Okay.
Then I'm going to insist you stop calling me American, and start calling me Virginian. After all we are NOT a single nation. We are 50 separate countries, each with its own laws, governments, and healthcare. Alternatively, if you insist upon calling us as one single whole, then I will insist upon treating the EU as a whole.
McDonalds produced a dangerous product. Of course I'm in favor of them being punished
>>>If you would just GO AND READ THE FUCKING RESEARCH ARTICLES IN QUESTION
Yep.
And then I read the emails behind the papers, which indicate some of the data was thrown-out or altered to make it fit a preconceived theory, so it makes the paper essentially worthless
>>>If Earth is at its coldest point in the last 500 million years, why was it colder 200 years ago?
The earth was also experiencing a heatwave during the late Roman times (they grew grapes as far north as Scotland). It's just natural fluctuations. The 500 million year graph looks at *long term* climate changes, not localized short-term weather cycles
Wow. Way to miss the point.
Is there ice on the poles of this planet? Yes? Then this planet is *cooler* than when Homo sapiens was born, because at that point there was NO ice on the poles. There was no ice on the poles during the age of dinosaurs either. Ice on the polices indicates the Earth is in a cold state, relative to the previous 500 million years of ice-free existence.
>>>So if we have no idea what will happen, is it really such a great idea to run an experiment on a planetary scale
If we have no idea what will happen, is it really such a great idea to enslave the populace like serfs and tell them, "No you can't watch TV. No you can't run a car. No you can't heat your house." I'd rather live in a hot planet with freedom, than a cool planet with modern-day feudalism
The C64 has had some viruses, but they are easily removed by turning off the computer and then making sure never to load that virus from your disk drive.
When the Commodore Amiga arrived (1985), there was self-executing code on track 0 of the floppy, and the viruses lodged themselves there. Most of the damage was not caused by the virus itself, but because it could erase the self-booting floppy's data, and then you'd have a $40 game stop working.
>>>With an atitude like that, you are a nuisance to everyone else on the road.
Well don't complain to me. Complain to the Maryland State Government that not having car inspections (except at point-of-sale) is dangerous. I don't think you'll get far, since most of the legislators think inspections represent a too-heavy burden on the poor and middle class.
And I agree with them. Now that I've moved to a state with annual inspections, I'm basically throwing-away $60 a year plus any repairs the garage "finds" in my car (or else I get no sticker). Even when the car hasn't been driven (i.e. less than 1000 miles), they still expect me to pay $30 for the shiny new sticker.
It's like a disguised, regressive tax.
>>>Windows 6 doesn't exist, and Windows 7 is new.
Yes it does. It's called Vista (v.6.0)
>>>Everybody complaining that they cost more than HDDs is missing an important point: they're better than HDDs.
Yes. That's why I predict the next Nintendo console will go back to using solid state cartridges. - On second thought, no. Cost does matter and a 50 gigabyte cart would be horribly expensive.
>>>MS has passed the sanction period from their anti-trust settlement. It expired Nov 12
Wow. So in other words, "We're back." The Romulans... I mean the evil Microsoft has returned.
This reminds me of when I posted copied a half-page website story to rec.arts.sf.tv circa 1997. The original author had a fit and threatened to contact my employer and get me fired.
These monopoly holders really abuse their power.
>>>He is painting most of the internet as a denizen of petty criminals depriving people of jobs
Yes.
And?
The online world has long been used to pass-around copied media (holds-up cracked copy of C64 Pirates), and that hasn't really changed. Even the politicians are echoing Murdoch's words about illegal copiers, to the point where the UK wants to create a copyright czar to crackdown on them.
That's funny. I'm the type of person that *looks* for alternative sources like FOX, CBN, al-Jezeera, Russia Today, and so on. They provide information that the CNNs and DNCNBCs of the world do not. I find it odd that you'd want to self-limit yourself to only seeing one side.
Ya know, this free ride can't last forever. Somebody has to pay all those reporters to collect and publish the articles we read, and the advertisers are not doing (they are trying to reduce costs). So that leaves us or the search engines.
Of course if you wanted to argue there are too many reporters, and about 75% of them should be laid-off to streamline the industry, I could agree with that. No bailouts - let the market sort itself out
People say this site is anti-Microsoft/Bill Gates.
I'd say it's actually anti-FOX News/Rupert Murdoch.