If you consider something at "University" a Youth Mistake. Most people are generally at the age of adulthood since then.
While I agree, anyone who will hold that one and only thing against you would be a jerk, that doesn't mean it won't happen. But it will usually mean you wouldn't want to work with that person anyways. (In the tough economy though, most take whatever job they can find).
And if it's the ONLY thing available on him, it depends on what personally identifiable information is there. Does it include the University and his full name? Or just his first name and the University.
I can think of a handful of circumstances where he could simply say "No, that's not me" if the information isn't solid.
As a Pro Tip: Make a Facebook Account, spend 1 weekend on it putting a few non-embarassing pictures, Change your status to something positive, and never touch it again. It'll get picked up on Google and the images you're tagged in - blamo, that small thing is going to the bottom of the list.
I hear HBO has hired someone to write a season or two based on the whole ordeal. Rumours are it will be called "N" and the tagline will be "Wi the Fi is this taking so long?". It's not above any of the normal problems that HBO shows have. You know, the kind where there is a secret love plot between two characters that have no influence on the story whatsoever. Or the writers write in a love scene, and then it gets cut short for commercial breaks.
Sex doesn't have to be tied to adultery though. There are many games that require you to keep to your monogamous relationships, and that trying to do otherwise results in dire consequences.
In November 2009, Microsoft pulled the Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool from the Microsoft Store website after a report indicated that it incorporated open source code in a way that violated the GPL. A week later, Microsoft confirmed that the tool violates the GPL, a widely used (including by the Linux kernel) free software license. The problem wasn't just that Microsoft used open source code in the tool, but that it also released the tool under a closed source license, so Redmond decided to rerelease the tool under the GPL. Another week later, Microsoft pushed back its schedule a bit, blaming testing and localization for the delay.
This is PROOF that Microsoft KNOWS they are producing bad code. They put something out there, and then when they had to open source the code, they were all like "Well now everyone will see how bad our coding is, better take a week to fix it up before releasing it to the public!"
When was the last time a criminal came up to your admin and said, "Hi, I'm going to install my unwanted rootkit on your server now so I can use it as a botnet."?
Yesterday. But since he wasn't asking a question, I couldn't say no. I advised him that his course of action was not one that I wished to occur and he politely informed me that it was "duly noted" and proceeded anyways. All in all, it was a nice verbal transaction and his posture was excellent, and I'm sure outside of his work he's a really nice guy. I wanted to ask him if he wanted to go for a couple of cold ones - but I think that might have been pushing it and didn't want to offend him.
To be honest, the thing that bugs me more than this backdoor to my machine is the regret that I never reached out to him more. A lost friendship, that will likely never have another chance at forming. Everytime that Antivirus XP pop-up comes on screen it reminds me of him. I've slowly come to realize that I am remembering him constantly, where he probably does not remember me at all. I shamefully admit that I cry myself to sleep, telling myself that one day he'll come back to me, and maybe out of remorse he'll remove the conficker and everything will be okay.
I think the "special" part of the news is that since its being hosted on the cloud its harder to remove - since it'll be running on multiple computers capable of replicating itself across multiple machines. In order to purge it, you'd probably have to take down the entire infected cloud and clean it all seperately or at least all in synch.
I am Robotron Y76P-X12, your new protocol robot. I am capable of detecting your very needs before you even verbally express them. I can tell by your shy appearance and baggy pants that your reproductive organs make you feel insecure. Would you like a free trial of Vimax?
Now I'm stuck in this dilemma of whether or not to watch even just a part of it. Having never seen it, the worst piece of anything I've ever watched was the Sequel to Starship Troopers, which is similar in to how you describe it. It's so bad I had to turn it off, and I can not possibly bring myself to watch it again.
But since I know there is something worse... something so terrible... It's like I have to see it to broaden my perspectives. Maybe it will be a life changing situation for me (Like someone else commented, it drove his friend to drink). Maybe I will reach an ultimate state of enlightenment after seeing the worst piece of recorded entertainment. Just to push the boundaries of what is possible, seems like a goal anyone would set.
But on the other hand, I -LIKE- Star Wars. Like, more than like, but not quite obsessive fan love. See when I was a Kid I owned the entire Star Wars: The Essential Guide collection of books. I had every line memorized and could spew the dialogue back to you without any hesitation. I -WAS- a fanboy. But I've kind of grown out of it, but it still holds a special place in my heart. I still play X-Wing vs Tie Fighter every now and then. I still claim that Dark Forces were the highlight of Lucas Art's first person shooters, and that Battlefront 2 still doesn't reach the entertainment value of Jedi Academy (though Jedi Outcast was a much better storyline by far). And while Force Unleashed was good in it's own right, it never earned an emotional spot like Droid Works.
So what will it be - A gift to perception to help me better understand the world around me, despite how painful it might be to endure...
Or a horrible piece of Malice that will destroy everything my childhood has loved and charished, leaving me a half empty shell of a human being not worth living...
No I'm pretty sure what the parent was trying to say is that since you trust your barber with your life everytime you visit them you should trust a scientist with your life everytime you hear their results.
Will people even begin to doubt the most rigorous sciences like Mathematics and Physics
I know I won't doubt them. Why? Math is so pure, and once you study it, you know its truths - and that the only falacies that exist in mathematics are human error.
And to steal from XKCD,
And Physics is just applied Mathematics. And Chemistry is just applied Physics. And Bio is just applied chemistry.
Sit someone down through a high school education and teach them the proper way to run experiments and the proper way to understand statistics, and you won't have any of that mess.
Is that the only issue? Seems to be. The inconvenience of wearing special glasses won't stop the 3D market from thriving, as the 3D movie market is still going decades after it came out.
Is there some wicked cool technology that's going to work on my existing (brand new) TV without glasses? Will the directors stop putting in just-for-the-effect, in-your-face scenes meant only to remind you the film is "in 3d!" I've watched a couple of modern 3D films at home and - honestly - they're pretty annoying. Then again, maybe I'm just too old.
1) No 2) No 3) Yes they are annoying 4) I'll get off your lawn soon enough
There is never a NEED for anything like this. Television wasn't necessary since the Radio could deliver the news. But now it's considered pretty staple.
These kind of advancements in the entertainment business help drive new technologies. If 3D becomes popular enough, it'll get developed properly (compare the first Black and white televisions versus todays HDTVs). Once it's done up right, it'll be a completely new immersive experience, watching nearly everything in 3D. The applications in my mind are nearly limitless, everything from programming to gaming to general work productivity.
And as many many people have said before: The only thing really required for this to really take off is the porn industry.
Have we missed the mark in thinking topics like project management and remote team leadership will be well-received?
Short answer: Yes
Long answer:
I personally wouldn't want to attend such conferences. Why? I'm not a project manager nor do I plan to be, and thus team leadership is another thing I generally don't need. Now, when I look at any team of IT pros, I see ONE person in that position, with several underlings to do the dirty work. I don't know about you, but in any of the companies I've worked at, there are AT MOST 2 managers for Information Technology and Services. One will generally handle all the in-house software and bug requests while the other one will handle everything else.
There are more people NOT in that position then there are IN that position. If you were to cover things that applied to my job specifically, like expected coding practices, I might be more inclined to attend.
And those Managers who ARE in those positions are usually too busy to attend a conference, they're on Call 24/7 in case a server goes down or Exchange goes nuts.
However, what REALLY draws the crowds is something new. New Technology, new methodology, new something. If you have something they haven't seen before, they want to check it out. Once you hook them into going, you can continue upon whatever you dang well please. If I book the time off for a conference about the advantages of Windows 7 and Server 2008 R2 working together, and you happen to spend half the conference talking about Management, I'll feel obligated to stick around till you get to the good stuff.
I'll take this first moment to just clearly point out my jab was simply a humorous one aimed at the stereotypical "IT Nerd" culture and was not meant as anything more than that; a simple joke.
Onto my rebuttal.
Different tasks call for different tools though. And not everyone is the same. Seeing as it sounds like you willingly participated in academic debate and competitive speech, it sounds more like you were more of a natural public speaker. Mind you, everyone has their doubts when they first start out, but there are those who clearly grasp public speaking early on and enjoy it. You sound like someone who enjoys it.
This skill has its uses - and you've shown them above. In most companies this will shoot you towards IT Manager or something of a similar position. Not everyone wants to be there though.
There are many of us who would prefer to go straight home after work and spend their spare time configuring an amazing Beowulf cluster of Pentium 3's. We enjoy our jobs because we don't have to deal with the things Managers do. Since we're happy at work and happy at home, we're happy all around. Not everyone enjoys public speaking, I might even dare to say that most of us don't. It's not that we can't or won't, its just that we don't enjoy it. Hearts not in it.
Those of us with the skills we develop in our spare "shut-in" time have just as easy a time finding a job as anyone with public speaking skills. While you have the 1-up on confidence in public, we have the 1-up on a handful of other skills you may know nothing about. You give presentations while we soder motherboards back to functional. You persuade, influence, and direct people around you. We set up replicating servers and run cable across buildings and network it all.
PLEASE - don't lump shy in with lazy. Just because we like to spend our evenings with our computers doesn't make us any more prone to a job at Best Buy than you are. When you are hired by a company that can clearly see your talent by your efficiency and broad range of skills, they aren't so quick to fire you because they can't just find another guy who knows it all. They would much rather keep 1 guy at 1.3 times the regular pay rather then trying to find 2 guys that could do both sections of his job.
True, but Given that my Social Security number is known by me, my mother, my employers, and whoever recieves my taxes - if I can't trust any of those to keep it private - I am in more trouble then if I trust Google.
It's also illegal to commit murder, sell sex slaves, and to pillage and rape and all that jazz. That doesn't mean it doesn't happen.
Being Legally binded to something means nothing if there is no one there to Enforce it, and even if there IS someone assigned to enforce it, I have no guarantee that they will do their job, or do it properly, or won't be corrupted by those in power.
My Privacy is essentially limited to what I put on the internet - if I never put my SSN, Credit card info, or DOB on the internet, I am not in risk of that information being used to personally Identify me, or to be used without my permission. Heck, if I never put my real name I'm pretty much Scott Free.
But guess what - my ISP already has my name, my address, my phone number, and it's all tied into a number that THEY gave me. I'm instantly searchable in their database. They've probably tied an IP to the Mac address on the gateway they sent me. Everything I use through my ISP can be instantly traced back to ME.
Now, knowing that my ISP is legally obligated to protect my information, but will essentially have MORE information, or knowing that Google has NO obligation to protect my information, but will be limitted to what I give them - which do you think I'll choose?
If you are merely satisfied with having enough calories per day and enough clean water to continue surviving, that's fine. Some of us, however, feel that more than mere physical necessities are necessary for our happiness. [...] Some of us have a hunger for something more than a life of glorified slavery, or being a number in a government records office instead of a human being. We desire freedom, sir. We hunger for liberty and thirst of the right to be left alone to live our lives as we see fit.
If you have access to the internet - you are already discluded from the groups in which you are arguing for. The fact that you can own a car, watch television, or go to the theatre, are all reasons that you are not a slave or a resource.
While you complain that you do not want to merely be a # in the system, you ARE getting your bread and shelter. And that is more than other people are getting around the world. And it's people who believe that it is their blatant RIGHT to have civil liberties such as Coffee in the morning that contribute to the raping of third world nations. Many of those people would sacrafice their own family members if they could but live as we do.
We live without fear of being shot on a daily basis. We have access to great medical coverage and are for the most part all treated relatively equally. You call the government a Necessary evil, spouting that it's corruption is something that will always be present and that the government should be limitted in its power over the citizens.
We need no great standing army to defend our nation. If every man and woman who has reached the age of majority was required, as in at least one country I can think of, to keep in their home a fully automatic military weapon, then any invading force would be met with resistance the likes of which our standing army with its tanks and planes and bombs could not match.
There is so much wrong with that statement I don't even know where to begin. If every civilian becomes a soldier, then there is no reason any invading force would bother to spare them. The Tanks and planes and bombs would plow through -EVERYTHING- not just the headquarters, but our homes, our libraries, everything. We as North Americans are (at least claiming) to be fighting Terrorists. The Terrorists are attacking Infadels and Capitalists. Almost every Man Woman and Child in North America would be target to them. And they've shown that with the WTC attack, they've shown that they don't care for civilians.
And as soon as you give the regular people such power, North America (especially its size and population) would surely break into chaos. The reason why places like Darfur are in such rough shape is because automatic military hardware is easy to find. All it takes is a couple hundred people to get organized to lead a military charge to overthrow the government, then a couple hundred more to overthrow that one. The military is in place to stop that kind of domestic violence, not just overseas.
The next time you think that you are being Opressed in North America because the government wants to arrest you for suspected File sharing - remember that the other half lives in a state where they fight to survive, and that you have already been given more liberties by the time you reach adulthood than any other civilian in any other nation.
Slashdot Mirror
But you can drive a vehicle before you enter?
What if it's not what you're thinking.
Alleged Child Pornography?
If you consider something at "University" a Youth Mistake. Most people are generally at the age of adulthood since then.
While I agree, anyone who will hold that one and only thing against you would be a jerk, that doesn't mean it won't happen. But it will usually mean you wouldn't want to work with that person anyways. (In the tough economy though, most take whatever job they can find).
And if it's the ONLY thing available on him, it depends on what personally identifiable information is there. Does it include the University and his full name? Or just his first name and the University.
I can think of a handful of circumstances where he could simply say "No, that's not me" if the information isn't solid.
As a Pro Tip: Make a Facebook Account, spend 1 weekend on it putting a few non-embarassing pictures, Change your status to something positive, and never touch it again. It'll get picked up on Google and the images you're tagged in - blamo, that small thing is going to the bottom of the list.
I hear HBO has hired someone to write a season or two based on the whole ordeal. Rumours are it will be called "N" and the tagline will be "Wi the Fi is this taking so long?". It's not above any of the normal problems that HBO shows have. You know, the kind where there is a secret love plot between two characters that have no influence on the story whatsoever. Or the writers write in a love scene, and then it gets cut short for commercial breaks.
Sex doesn't have to be tied to adultery though. There are many games that require you to keep to your monogamous relationships, and that trying to do otherwise results in dire consequences.
If it were that easy - why hasn't it been fixed? They claim they've only discovered the botnet, not removed it.
FTFA:
In November 2009, Microsoft pulled the Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool from the Microsoft Store website after a report indicated that it incorporated open source code in a way that violated the GPL. A week later, Microsoft confirmed that the tool violates the GPL, a widely used (including by the Linux kernel) free software license. The problem wasn't just that Microsoft used open source code in the tool, but that it also released the tool under a closed source license, so Redmond decided to rerelease the tool under the GPL. Another week later, Microsoft pushed back its schedule a bit, blaming testing and localization for the delay.
This is PROOF that Microsoft KNOWS they are producing bad code. They put something out there, and then when they had to open source the code, they were all like "Well now everyone will see how bad our coding is, better take a week to fix it up before releasing it to the public!"
When was the last time a criminal came up to your admin and said, "Hi, I'm going to install my unwanted rootkit on your server now so I can use it as a botnet."?
Yesterday. But since he wasn't asking a question, I couldn't say no. I advised him that his course of action was not one that I wished to occur and he politely informed me that it was "duly noted" and proceeded anyways. All in all, it was a nice verbal transaction and his posture was excellent, and I'm sure outside of his work he's a really nice guy. I wanted to ask him if he wanted to go for a couple of cold ones - but I think that might have been pushing it and didn't want to offend him.
To be honest, the thing that bugs me more than this backdoor to my machine is the regret that I never reached out to him more. A lost friendship, that will likely never have another chance at forming. Everytime that Antivirus XP pop-up comes on screen it reminds me of him. I've slowly come to realize that I am remembering him constantly, where he probably does not remember me at all. I shamefully admit that I cry myself to sleep, telling myself that one day he'll come back to me, and maybe out of remorse he'll remove the conficker and everything will be okay.
In fact the internet has been represented as a cloud long before cloud became a buzzword.
I think the "special" part of the news is that since its being hosted on the cloud its harder to remove - since it'll be running on multiple computers capable of replicating itself across multiple machines. In order to purge it, you'd probably have to take down the entire infected cloud and clean it all seperately or at least all in synch.
I am Robotron Y76P-X12, your new protocol robot. I am capable of detecting your very needs before you even verbally express them. I can tell by your shy appearance and baggy pants that your reproductive organs make you feel insecure. Would you like a free trial of Vimax?
Now I'm stuck in this dilemma of whether or not to watch even just a part of it. Having never seen it, the worst piece of anything I've ever watched was the Sequel to Starship Troopers, which is similar in to how you describe it. It's so bad I had to turn it off, and I can not possibly bring myself to watch it again.
But since I know there is something worse... something so terrible... It's like I have to see it to broaden my perspectives. Maybe it will be a life changing situation for me (Like someone else commented, it drove his friend to drink). Maybe I will reach an ultimate state of enlightenment after seeing the worst piece of recorded entertainment. Just to push the boundaries of what is possible, seems like a goal anyone would set.
But on the other hand, I -LIKE- Star Wars. Like, more than like, but not quite obsessive fan love. See when I was a Kid I owned the entire Star Wars: The Essential Guide collection of books. I had every line memorized and could spew the dialogue back to you without any hesitation. I -WAS- a fanboy. But I've kind of grown out of it, but it still holds a special place in my heart. I still play X-Wing vs Tie Fighter every now and then. I still claim that Dark Forces were the highlight of Lucas Art's first person shooters, and that Battlefront 2 still doesn't reach the entertainment value of Jedi Academy (though Jedi Outcast was a much better storyline by far). And while Force Unleashed was good in it's own right, it never earned an emotional spot like Droid Works.
So what will it be - A gift to perception to help me better understand the world around me, despite how painful it might be to endure...
Or a horrible piece of Malice that will destroy everything my childhood has loved and charished, leaving me a half empty shell of a human being not worth living...
No I'm pretty sure what the parent was trying to say is that since you trust your barber with your life everytime you visit them you should trust a scientist with your life everytime you hear their results.
(Tee hee, jk)
Will people even begin to doubt the most rigorous sciences like Mathematics and Physics
I know I won't doubt them. Why? Math is so pure, and once you study it, you know its truths - and that the only falacies that exist in mathematics are human error.
And to steal from XKCD,
And Physics is just applied Mathematics. And Chemistry is just applied Physics. And Bio is just applied chemistry.
Sit someone down through a high school education and teach them the proper way to run experiments and the proper way to understand statistics, and you won't have any of that mess.
Exactly!
Obligatory
That reading the news drew more of my battery for the sake of colours.
instead of the gray inked Kindle's energy conscious display
Is that the only issue? Seems to be. The inconvenience of wearing special glasses won't stop the 3D market from thriving, as the 3D movie market is still going decades after it came out.
Is there some wicked cool technology that's going to work on my existing (brand new) TV without glasses? Will the directors stop putting in just-for-the-effect, in-your-face scenes meant only to remind you the film is "in 3d!" I've watched a couple of modern 3D films at home and - honestly - they're pretty annoying. Then again, maybe I'm just too old.
1) No
2) No
3) Yes they are annoying
4) I'll get off your lawn soon enough
There is never a NEED for anything like this. Television wasn't necessary since the Radio could deliver the news. But now it's considered pretty staple.
These kind of advancements in the entertainment business help drive new technologies. If 3D becomes popular enough, it'll get developed properly (compare the first Black and white televisions versus todays HDTVs). Once it's done up right, it'll be a completely new immersive experience, watching nearly everything in 3D. The applications in my mind are nearly limitless, everything from programming to gaming to general work productivity.
And as many many people have said before: The only thing really required for this to really take off is the porn industry.
Have we missed the mark in thinking topics like project management and remote team leadership will be well-received?
Short answer: Yes
Long answer:
I personally wouldn't want to attend such conferences. Why? I'm not a project manager nor do I plan to be, and thus team leadership is another thing I generally don't need. Now, when I look at any team of IT pros, I see ONE person in that position, with several underlings to do the dirty work. I don't know about you, but in any of the companies I've worked at, there are AT MOST 2 managers for Information Technology and Services. One will generally handle all the in-house software and bug requests while the other one will handle everything else.
There are more people NOT in that position then there are IN that position. If you were to cover things that applied to my job specifically, like expected coding practices, I might be more inclined to attend.
And those Managers who ARE in those positions are usually too busy to attend a conference, they're on Call 24/7 in case a server goes down or Exchange goes nuts.
However, what REALLY draws the crowds is something new. New Technology, new methodology, new something. If you have something they haven't seen before, they want to check it out. Once you hook them into going, you can continue upon whatever you dang well please. If I book the time off for a conference about the advantages of Windows 7 and Server 2008 R2 working together, and you happen to spend half the conference talking about Management, I'll feel obligated to stick around till you get to the good stuff.
I'll take this first moment to just clearly point out my jab was simply a humorous one aimed at the stereotypical "IT Nerd" culture and was not meant as anything more than that; a simple joke.
Onto my rebuttal.
Different tasks call for different tools though. And not everyone is the same. Seeing as it sounds like you willingly participated in academic debate and competitive speech, it sounds more like you were more of a natural public speaker. Mind you, everyone has their doubts when they first start out, but there are those who clearly grasp public speaking early on and enjoy it. You sound like someone who enjoys it.
This skill has its uses - and you've shown them above. In most companies this will shoot you towards IT Manager or something of a similar position. Not everyone wants to be there though.
There are many of us who would prefer to go straight home after work and spend their spare time configuring an amazing Beowulf cluster of Pentium 3's. We enjoy our jobs because we don't have to deal with the things Managers do. Since we're happy at work and happy at home, we're happy all around. Not everyone enjoys public speaking, I might even dare to say that most of us don't. It's not that we can't or won't, its just that we don't enjoy it. Hearts not in it.
Those of us with the skills we develop in our spare "shut-in" time have just as easy a time finding a job as anyone with public speaking skills. While you have the 1-up on confidence in public, we have the 1-up on a handful of other skills you may know nothing about. You give presentations while we soder motherboards back to functional. You persuade, influence, and direct people around you. We set up replicating servers and run cable across buildings and network it all.
PLEASE - don't lump shy in with lazy. Just because we like to spend our evenings with our computers doesn't make us any more prone to a job at Best Buy than you are. When you are hired by a company that can clearly see your talent by your efficiency and broad range of skills, they aren't so quick to fire you because they can't just find another guy who knows it all. They would much rather keep 1 guy at 1.3 times the regular pay rather then trying to find 2 guys that could do both sections of his job.
We don't get out in public enough to worry about public speaking.
True, but Given that my Social Security number is known by me, my mother, my employers, and whoever recieves my taxes - if I can't trust any of those to keep it private - I am in more trouble then if I trust Google.
Perhaps it's like discovering a new type of Pepperon-
Oh.
It's also illegal to commit murder, sell sex slaves, and to pillage and rape and all that jazz. That doesn't mean it doesn't happen.
Being Legally binded to something means nothing if there is no one there to Enforce it, and even if there IS someone assigned to enforce it, I have no guarantee that they will do their job, or do it properly, or won't be corrupted by those in power.
My Privacy is essentially limited to what I put on the internet - if I never put my SSN, Credit card info, or DOB on the internet, I am not in risk of that information being used to personally Identify me, or to be used without my permission. Heck, if I never put my real name I'm pretty much Scott Free.
But guess what - my ISP already has my name, my address, my phone number, and it's all tied into a number that THEY gave me. I'm instantly searchable in their database. They've probably tied an IP to the Mac address on the gateway they sent me. Everything I use through my ISP can be instantly traced back to ME.
Now, knowing that my ISP is legally obligated to protect my information, but will essentially have MORE information, or knowing that Google has NO obligation to protect my information, but will be limitted to what I give them - which do you think I'll choose?
If you are merely satisfied with having enough calories per day and enough clean water to continue surviving, that's fine. Some of us, however, feel that more than mere physical necessities are necessary for our happiness. [...] Some of us have a hunger for something more than a life of glorified slavery, or being a number in a government records office instead of a human being. We desire freedom, sir. We hunger for liberty and thirst of the right to be left alone to live our lives as we see fit.
If you have access to the internet - you are already discluded from the groups in which you are arguing for. The fact that you can own a car, watch television, or go to the theatre, are all reasons that you are not a slave or a resource.
While you complain that you do not want to merely be a # in the system, you ARE getting your bread and shelter. And that is more than other people are getting around the world. And it's people who believe that it is their blatant RIGHT to have civil liberties such as Coffee in the morning that contribute to the raping of third world nations. Many of those people would sacrafice their own family members if they could but live as we do.
We live without fear of being shot on a daily basis. We have access to great medical coverage and are for the most part all treated relatively equally. You call the government a Necessary evil, spouting that it's corruption is something that will always be present and that the government should be limitted in its power over the citizens.
We need no great standing army to defend our nation. If every man and woman who has reached the age of majority was required, as in at least one country I can think of, to keep in their home a fully automatic military weapon, then any invading force would be met with resistance the likes of which our standing army with its tanks and planes and bombs could not match.
There is so much wrong with that statement I don't even know where to begin. If every civilian becomes a soldier, then there is no reason any invading force would bother to spare them. The Tanks and planes and bombs would plow through -EVERYTHING- not just the headquarters, but our homes, our libraries, everything. We as North Americans are (at least claiming) to be fighting Terrorists. The Terrorists are attacking Infadels and Capitalists. Almost every Man Woman and Child in North America would be target to them. And they've shown that with the WTC attack, they've shown that they don't care for civilians.
And as soon as you give the regular people such power, North America (especially its size and population) would surely break into chaos. The reason why places like Darfur are in such rough shape is because automatic military hardware is easy to find. All it takes is a couple hundred people to get organized to lead a military charge to overthrow the government, then a couple hundred more to overthrow that one. The military is in place to stop that kind of domestic violence, not just overseas.
The next time you think that you are being Opressed in North America because the government wants to arrest you for suspected File sharing - remember that the other half lives in a state where they fight to survive, and that you have already been given more liberties by the time you reach adulthood than any other civilian in any other nation.