North Korea is the ultimate expression of what "little dog syndrome" is all about. A tiny little spit of land with a tiny population, nothing to speak of to contribute to the rest of the world except some extraordinary xenophobia and isolationism. Bark bark bark! Grrrrrrrrr!!! That's North Korea. They either aren't cognizant that the U.S. or any number of other countries could smash them flat in no time at all, or they're so batshit insane and suicidal that they don't care. Meanwhile something like, what? 99.9% of their population lives in the worst poverty imaginable and is starving, while the tiny elite minority lives it up? I really don't know what to think; I have no words. We sure there isn't any way we can persuade China to just absorb North Korea, kill the 0.01% that's causing all the problems, and just be done with it? Why do we even need a North Korea, considering how much noise and trouble they keep causing?
I know nobody will likely see this comment because there are already >500 comments on this article, but I'll take the time to post it anyway.
The next step? Complete integration of ads into site content. I've already seen it in a few places. You design your site so no actual content is viewable unless javascript and Flash are enabled by the viewer, and the ads are mixed in with the actual content in such a way that you can't separate the two out without completely breaking your ability to see the site. I've seen it already, and it's not prevalent, but I think it's just a matter of time.
Between China and India they have, what, somewhere between a third and half the population of the world? Has it occurred to anyone else that between them with their more or less uncontrolled polluting, they're undoing everything that every other industrialized country is doing to reverse global warming?
Because they want to be in control of your health, and they don't want to be questioned by patients, ever. After all, we're just silly mortal children, and they're gods.
1. Define 'pornography' in a non-vague way. Just sex acts? What about nudity? Suggestive clothing? Suggestive language? Numerous countries have been down this road at one point or another and have failed. The line between what is 'art' and what is 'pornography' will always be 100% subjective.
2. You can't legislate what people want. There will always be people who want pornography in one form or another, and where there is a demand there will be someone supplying it.
3. You can't legislate morality, either, which is in essense what this will do.
4. And how do they think this will be enforced? Existing profitable porn sites will just switch their hosting to a non-EU member country. Are they going to try blocking access in EU member countries (aka censorship)? Good luck with that. See #2, above to cover how that subject will be handled.
Really, this sounds like just another case of politicians being woefully ignorant when it comes to matters of science and technology.
Finally, this one last blast: So, EU, you've stabilized the economies of all your member states, unemployment is 100% under control, crime and terrorism is 100% under control, etc etc etc therefore you can spend time, money, and energy on something like this? And here I thought that only politicians here in the U.S. acted retarded.
I think this is either just another case of a politician being completely ignorant when it comes to technological or scientific matters, or just another case of a politician trying to create a new revenue stream for the State. Some have postulated that he might be cleverly trying to highlight the seriousness of the global warming problem and the bill in question is actually just a stunt to that end, but I am too cynical to expect that sort of cleverness from any politician.
Exactly. How can anyone call a religion or a culture "sane" when they do things like maim and kill little girls because they had the audacity to want to learn to read?
Yes, sure thing, but: That's exactly what happens. Islamic religions may actually be peace-loving and benign, but not with assholes like these being the ones making all the noise. If the rest of Islam wants to show it's true face, then they have to actively get rid of people like these, and be forever vigilant against more power-hungry, violent bastards like them.
Nope. I'm an electronics tech, there are all sorts of ways I can disable a GPS receiver that can't be definitively pinned on me. Not my fault if the design is shitty and it keeps failing. Or gee, no idea why it's all working but not recording any data. Also, let's see them require this on a motorcycle. Or a bicycle. Fuck the police. I'll do what I damned well please.
You forgot a whole possible path: Energy industry appears to embrace the new technology, builds reactors for countries nobody cares much about, and the flaws built into them cause notable problems. Energy industry points a finger and says "See? This isn't a safe technology after all! Now shut up and enjoy your coal!".
A government official advocating throwing out the 1st Amendment rights of all citizens in his state is a higher order of threat that private companies that you're not required to use the services of. This politician should be called on to step down and resign for even suggesting such a thing. Oh, and I'm not discounting anything you're saying, not at all, but you're not going far enough with it. NO company OR politician should be allowed to suggest that people's anonymity be prohibited. It should be illegal to require people identify themselves online, not the other way around.
if enough Americans are put out of work so that a small group can profit, eventually things fall apart
Gee, didn't that already happen, say, about 6 years ago?
"Fuck future generations"
I know you're not kidding, because I've worked for bastards like this. In my case they were Australian bastards, which made it even worse, but that's besides the point. It also used to be that you could get on with a company, do a good job, and work there the rest of your life if you wanted to. Not so anymore, the average lifespan of a job is, what? 3 years? Then you're getting the boot, unless you've already made arrangements, because they'll find a reason to get rid of you rather than pay you more money and benefits. The Arab Spring has brought much violence into the Middle East, but also much change. There needs to be an American Spring, I think, that will bring change to to the 1st World countries, but not violent change -- business change. I live in the U.S. and always will, but I am here to tell you that capitalism is out of control and there needs to be reform.
"Functional" is a very broad term. Everything could be "functional" and still be wired for demolition (in the virtual sense) at the push of a button halfway around the world, and furthermore laced with failsafes so that any attempt to tamper with it blows it all up in our faces. It could be that way right now and nobody knows it (or is telling us about it). Change the names around and think about it a moment: Someone infiltrates Iran's industrial control infrastructure in this way, and once it's completely irrevocable, issue what amounts to a blackmail notice. If it all worked as designed then Iran has no choice but to give in to any demands made, or have irrecovable damage done to their country. Now make this about the U.S. and China instead..
..oh, and here comes some dickheads modding me down to "-1, troll" or "-1, flamebait". Yeah, yeah, whatever.
Yeah, sure it is. Hire foreigners to work for less money, and they'll send a fair portion of that out of the country, while hard-working American citizens are left unemployed. Sounds like a great way to ruin a country to me.
I'll bet anyone $100USD that as soon as a project like this was approved, there'd be outraged protests from anti-U.S. countries around the world claiming that it's actually a space-based weapon that will be turned against them as a means of blackmailing them into giving in to U.S. demands. North Korea would probably have a full-on grand mal seizure over it.
Surround Monsanto's corporate headquarters, drag all the top execs out, cut their heads off, stick them on pikes as a warning to all other corporations?
The more I read news stories like this one, the more I wonder whether or not there actually is something contaminating our water supply that's making people stupider and stupider.
People I know know better than to do that, or post pictures of me, and they never use my legal name anyways, so screw you, buddy, and the horse you rode in on.
Every day that I read a news story about how more and more of people's privacy on Facebook is being violated as they monetize that data more and more, the happier I am that I bailed out when I did.
*Shrug* I suppose if you spend the majority of your life in front of one kind of computer or another then it would make more sense, but frankly I've gone from living that way to spending less and less time in front of computers when I'm not at work and more time doing other things, and I don't travel so watching movies on a plane or long trip really isn't an issue. As I've said I see the prices on tablets and that's money I'd rather spend somewhere else. If they can get the price down to around $100 then I might be tempted if I have a windfall, but it'd still just be a shiny toy, not anything I'd find a serious use for.
Shitposting as AC then modding down my original post only proves that you belong on 4chan/b and not out here in the real world, and I know damned well that I'm not the only person who looks at tablets and smartphones as accessories and not primary computing devices or that Apple's prices are high.
Slashdot Mirror
North Korea is the ultimate expression of what "little dog syndrome" is all about. A tiny little spit of land with a tiny population, nothing to speak of to contribute to the rest of the world except some extraordinary xenophobia and isolationism. Bark bark bark! Grrrrrrrrr!!! That's North Korea. They either aren't cognizant that the U.S. or any number of other countries could smash them flat in no time at all, or they're so batshit insane and suicidal that they don't care. Meanwhile something like, what? 99.9% of their population lives in the worst poverty imaginable and is starving, while the tiny elite minority lives it up? I really don't know what to think; I have no words. We sure there isn't any way we can persuade China to just absorb North Korea, kill the 0.01% that's causing all the problems, and just be done with it? Why do we even need a North Korea, considering how much noise and trouble they keep causing?
I know nobody will likely see this comment because there are already >500 comments on this article, but I'll take the time to post it anyway.
The next step? Complete integration of ads into site content. I've already seen it in a few places. You design your site so no actual content is viewable unless javascript and Flash are enabled by the viewer, and the ads are mixed in with the actual content in such a way that you can't separate the two out without completely breaking your ability to see the site. I've seen it already, and it's not prevalent, but I think it's just a matter of time.
How about this reply:
Between China and India they have, what, somewhere between a third and half the population of the world? Has it occurred to anyone else that between them with their more or less uncontrolled polluting, they're undoing everything that every other industrialized country is doing to reverse global warming?
Because they want to be in control of your health, and they don't want to be questioned by patients, ever. After all, we're just silly mortal children, and they're gods.
Cue the "disaster movie-of-the-week" music.
1. Define 'pornography' in a non-vague way. Just sex acts? What about nudity? Suggestive clothing? Suggestive language? Numerous countries have been down this road at one point or another and have failed. The line between what is 'art' and what is 'pornography' will always be 100% subjective.
2. You can't legislate what people want. There will always be people who want pornography in one form or another, and where there is a demand there will be someone supplying it.
3. You can't legislate morality, either, which is in essense what this will do.
4. And how do they think this will be enforced? Existing profitable porn sites will just switch their hosting to a non-EU member country. Are they going to try blocking access in EU member countries (aka censorship)? Good luck with that. See #2, above to cover how that subject will be handled.
Really, this sounds like just another case of politicians being woefully ignorant when it comes to matters of science and technology.
Finally, this one last blast:
So, EU, you've stabilized the economies of all your member states, unemployment is 100% under control, crime and terrorism is 100% under control, etc etc etc therefore you can spend time, money, and energy on something like this? And here I thought that only politicians here in the U.S. acted retarded.
I think this is either just another case of a politician being completely ignorant when it comes to technological or scientific matters, or just another case of a politician trying to create a new revenue stream for the State. Some have postulated that he might be cleverly trying to highlight the seriousness of the global warming problem and the bill in question is actually just a stunt to that end, but I am too cynical to expect that sort of cleverness from any politician.
Exactly.
How can anyone call a religion or a culture "sane" when they do things like maim and kill little girls because they had the audacity to want to learn to read?
Yes, sure thing, but: That's exactly what happens.
Islamic religions may actually be peace-loving and benign, but not with assholes like these being the ones making all the noise. If the rest of Islam wants to show it's true face, then they have to actively get rid of people like these, and be forever vigilant against more power-hungry, violent bastards like them.
Nope. I'm an electronics tech, there are all sorts of ways I can disable a GPS receiver that can't be definitively pinned on me. Not my fault if the design is shitty and it keeps failing. Or gee, no idea why it's all working but not recording any data. Also, let's see them require this on a motorcycle. Or a bicycle. Fuck the police. I'll do what I damned well please.
You forgot a whole possible path:
Energy industry appears to embrace the new technology, builds reactors for countries nobody cares much about, and the flaws built into them cause notable problems. Energy industry points a finger and says "See? This isn't a safe technology after all! Now shut up and enjoy your coal!".
I wouldn't own a vehicle that was being tracked. Where I go and when I go there is nobody's damned business.
How so?
A government official advocating throwing out the 1st Amendment rights of all citizens in his state is a higher order of threat that private companies that you're not required to use the services of. This politician should be called on to step down and resign for even suggesting such a thing. Oh, and I'm not discounting anything you're saying, not at all, but you're not going far enough with it. NO company OR politician should be allowed to suggest that people's anonymity be prohibited. It should be illegal to require people identify themselves online, not the other way around.
if enough Americans are put out of work so that a small group can profit, eventually things fall apart
Gee, didn't that already happen, say, about 6 years ago?
"Fuck future generations"
I know you're not kidding, because I've worked for bastards like this. In my case they were Australian bastards, which made it even worse, but that's besides the point. It also used to be that you could get on with a company, do a good job, and work there the rest of your life if you wanted to. Not so anymore, the average lifespan of a job is, what? 3 years? Then you're getting the boot, unless you've already made arrangements, because they'll find a reason to get rid of you rather than pay you more money and benefits. The Arab Spring has brought much violence into the Middle East, but also much change. There needs to be an American Spring, I think, that will bring change to to the 1st World countries, but not violent change -- business change. I live in the U.S. and always will, but I am here to tell you that capitalism is out of control and there needs to be reform.
China benefits from a functional United States
"Functional" is a very broad term. Everything could be "functional" and still be wired for demolition (in the virtual sense) at the push of a button halfway around the world, and furthermore laced with failsafes so that any attempt to tamper with it blows it all up in our faces. It could be that way right now and nobody knows it (or is telling us about it). Change the names around and think about it a moment: Someone infiltrates Iran's industrial control infrastructure in this way, and once it's completely irrevocable, issue what amounts to a blackmail notice. If it all worked as designed then Iran has no choice but to give in to any demands made, or have irrecovable damage done to their country. Now make this about the U.S. and China instead..
..oh, and here comes some dickheads modding me down to "-1, troll" or "-1, flamebait". Yeah, yeah, whatever.
Yeah, sure it is. Hire foreigners to work for less money, and they'll send a fair portion of that out of the country, while hard-working American citizens are left unemployed. Sounds like a great way to ruin a country to me.
I'll bet anyone $100USD that as soon as a project like this was approved, there'd be outraged protests from anti-U.S. countries around the world claiming that it's actually a space-based weapon that will be turned against them as a means of blackmailing them into giving in to U.S. demands. North Korea would probably have a full-on grand mal seizure over it.
I immediately noticed that myself. I don't think it's a mistake, I think it's a sign of the times.
what can we do?
Surround Monsanto's corporate headquarters, drag all the top execs out, cut their heads off, stick them on pikes as a warning to all other corporations?
The more I read news stories like this one, the more I wonder whether or not there actually is something contaminating our water supply that's making people stupider and stupider.
People I know know better than to do that, or post pictures of me, and they never use my legal name anyways, so screw you, buddy, and the horse you rode in on.
Every day that I read a news story about how more and more of people's privacy on Facebook is being violated as they monetize that data more and more, the happier I am that I bailed out when I did.
*Shrug* I suppose if you spend the majority of your life in front of one kind of computer or another then it would make more sense, but frankly I've gone from living that way to spending less and less time in front of computers when I'm not at work and more time doing other things, and I don't travel so watching movies on a plane or long trip really isn't an issue. As I've said I see the prices on tablets and that's money I'd rather spend somewhere else. If they can get the price down to around $100 then I might be tempted if I have a windfall, but it'd still just be a shiny toy, not anything I'd find a serious use for.
Shitposting as AC then modding down my original post only proves that you belong on 4chan/b and not out here in the real world, and I know damned well that I'm not the only person who looks at tablets and smartphones as accessories and not primary computing devices or that Apple's prices are high.