Hacking into a national research laboratory with a particle accelerator, attempting to unlock the secrets of the universe = 200 hours community service
Hacking into a Fortune 500 company, with a dedicated legal team and a public image to maintain = 3-5 years in a federal pound-you-in-the-ass prison.
Sounds fine, but what if Hitler's chess game were stronger than Churchill's? "Sorry folks, them's the rules... off to the cattlecars."
Same thing as what would have happened if Hitler's military-industrial complex was ultimately stronger than Churchill's (and everyone else's). The one thing violence has going for it is that it *IS* the fallback for just about everything else, and there IS no further fallback for it.
Something further interesting: In many languages, it's the most basic verbs ('be', 'go', 'do', 'see', 'speak', etc.) that are irregular; the more complex the concept, the more its expression conforms to the rules of language. I've always assumed (not being an expert in these subjects) that this was due to these concepts being hammered out before there really WERE rules of 'grammar' per se, and by the time there was a need for more complex concepts to be spoken, there was already a basic understanding of how to say them, even if aeons of precedent prevented the simple words from conforming to it.
.HTA file. Another WONDERFUL idea by Microsoft, where IE's HTML parser is given permission to execute pretty much anything it wants, and then you use HTML and Javascript to write the equivalent of GUI batch files.
Cool idea in the right hands, but here it's a disaster waiting to happen.
The thing is, this plant is a haploid, with only 10 chromasomes. It's one of the easiest plants to work with, genetically. So they probably chose it for that reason.
For those who are curious, here is a picture of the little guy in bloom - presumably, the entire plant turns red (stem and all) in the presence of NO2, not just the flowers.
The problem with a libertarian government is that power-hungry individuals can erode its libertarianism without ever disturbing the facade of its libertarianism - which is exactly what we've got here in the USA. Think about it - who ensures that the government's power to abuse its powers is limited, besides the government itself? No matter how many checks and balances you throw in, eventually power will erode through them and connect all the little pieces into a byzantine monster. Then it's time for another revolution.
Personally, I'd have liked to see him touch on some of the more *interesting* heresies in our culture, like:
1. Children are sexual creatures Examples: "playing doctor", underage sex, teenage pregnancy
2. Sometimes slavery really can be desirable for people Examples: Extreme BDSM lifestyles, desperate homeless, "throwaway" children, wage-slavery
3. There are actual verifiable differences between human racial/tribal phenotypes Examples: Skin color, facial structure, diabetes, muscle tone, bone density, genetic diseases...just to name a few.
Most employers run credit checks nowdays. If you're in debt and need the money, they DON'T want you. People who are already on the way down get shoved to the bottom.
There's just not enough middle class to go around; we're collectively getting MUCH more aggressive in our efforts to weed out (or create) unfortunates.
It's not hard to imagine that the header files for POSIX 1 and POSIX 2 interfaces could be what they are talking about, and to the lay mind it would look bad. However to us we would see it as more akin to trying to copyright a database's data.... Sucks, don't it?
Also, your idea of "leftist" is incorrect. Wanting the law to maximise the well-being of the people is not "left" or "right", it's "fantasy"; the rich never allow such a situation to arise whether the government is communist, fascist or anything in between. As Cornelius Vanderbilt said "What do I care about the law? Ain't I got the power?"
(Mulching is a process of inbred fertilization which employs certain decomposed organic materials--including, but not limited to animal sediment to blanket an area in which vegetation is desired. The procedure enriches the soil for stimulated plant development while, at the same time, preventing erosion and decreasing the evaporation of moisture from the ground.)
That isn't the first thing I thought of when I saw this.
My first thought was, "Great, now how can I rig this up into a quick viral infection test?"
Imagine the social impacts of a 5-minute, DNA-based 'home STD test', that was as reliable as those 'home pregnancy tests' you get at the supermarket. Find a hottie at the bar, go home, prick your fingers, compare bands and you're good for a wild night of bareback.
You ever wonder if that isn't part of the point? Keep contraceptive access down and longevity access down, except for the 'ruling elite', to ensure that only the super-rich and super-powerful ever gain access to technology that might preserve their lifespan. It's easy to maintain control of the sheep when you outlive them by 8 times their natural lifespan.
Slashdot Mirror
I've been in exactly this situation with the FBI; they refused to take a report on a verifiable child pornography case.
It appears they only want to catch people who fall for their own sting operations - if you're actively hurting people already, they aren't interested.
Scary thought.
Sorry, I just installed OS/X.
Here's the lesson:
Hacking into a national research laboratory with a particle accelerator, attempting to unlock the secrets of the universe = 200 hours community service
Hacking into a Fortune 500 company, with a dedicated legal team and a public image to maintain = 3-5 years in a federal pound-you-in-the-ass prison.
Are we taking notes?
Idea (And what I'm preparing to do):
Keep your DSL. Get Cable + cable broadband. Have all your 'server' stuff go through DSL, and all your surfing go through cable.
Double your bandwidth for just another $30/mo!
Sounds fine, but what if Hitler's chess game were stronger than Churchill's? "Sorry folks, them's the rules... off to the cattlecars."
Same thing as what would have happened if Hitler's military-industrial complex was ultimately stronger than Churchill's (and everyone else's). The one thing violence has going for it is that it *IS* the fallback for just about everything else, and there IS no further fallback for it.
Cool. I'd be interested to hear any real research I can look at, so I have more than my own completely uneducated, idle speculation to go by.
Something further interesting: In many languages, it's the most basic verbs ('be', 'go', 'do', 'see', 'speak', etc.) that are irregular; the more complex the concept, the more its expression conforms to the rules of language. I've always assumed (not being an expert in these subjects) that this was due to these concepts being hammered out before there really WERE rules of 'grammar' per se, and by the time there was a need for more complex concepts to be spoken, there was already a basic understanding of how to say them, even if aeons of precedent prevented the simple words from conforming to it.
.HTA file. Another WONDERFUL idea by Microsoft, where IE's HTML parser is given permission to execute pretty much anything it wants, and then you use HTML and Javascript to write the equivalent of GUI batch files.
Cool idea in the right hands, but here it's a disaster waiting to happen.
The thing is, this plant is a haploid, with only 10 chromasomes. It's one of the easiest plants to work with, genetically. So they probably chose it for that reason.
So basically, they're the size of business cards.
Flexible, ANIMATED business cards.
Let me reiterate that.
ANIMATED BUSINESS CARDS.
For those who are curious, here is a picture of the little guy in bloom - presumably, the entire plant turns red (stem and all) in the presence of NO2, not just the flowers.
The problem with a libertarian government is that power-hungry individuals can erode its libertarianism without ever disturbing the facade of its libertarianism - which is exactly what we've got here in the USA. Think about it - who ensures that the government's power to abuse its powers is limited, besides the government itself? No matter how many checks and balances you throw in, eventually power will erode through them and connect all the little pieces into a byzantine monster. Then it's time for another revolution.
We're about 20 years overdue.
Personally, I'd have liked to see him touch on some of the more *interesting* heresies in our culture, like:
...just to name a few.
1. Children are sexual creatures
Examples: "playing doctor", underage sex, teenage pregnancy
2. Sometimes slavery really can be desirable for people
Examples: Extreme BDSM lifestyles, desperate homeless, "throwaway" children, wage-slavery
3. There are actual verifiable differences between human racial/tribal phenotypes
Examples: Skin color, facial structure, diabetes, muscle tone, bone density, genetic diseases
Only the ones you want signed. If you don't care about authenticity, send as many as you want for free, and don't bother the USPS about it.
If it's absolutely, vitally important that the recipient know that YOU are the sender, pay the $0.80 for the e-stamp and you're off.
Citizen MCC-R-SLD, please report to the termination vats for possessing information above your security clearance. Thank you.
What if they're in debt and need the money?
Most employers run credit checks nowdays. If you're in debt and need the money, they DON'T want you. People who are already on the way down get shoved to the bottom.
There's just not enough middle class to go around; we're collectively getting MUCH more aggressive in our efforts to weed out (or create) unfortunates.
It's not hard to imagine that the header files for POSIX 1 and POSIX 2 interfaces could be what they are talking about, and to the lay mind it would look bad. However to us we would see it as more akin to trying to copyright a database's data. ... Sucks, don't it?
Also, your idea of "leftist" is incorrect. Wanting the law to maximise the well-being of the people is not "left" or "right", it's "fantasy"; the rich never allow such a situation to arise whether the government is communist, fascist or anything in between. As Cornelius Vanderbilt said "What do I care about the law? Ain't I got the power?"
Someone please bump this up to +5 Insightful
Sweet... expensive, yes, but just what I need for my harem's quality assurance department.
Joke inserted. You have 7 credit(s).
Not even in Spanish?
(Mulching is a process of inbred fertilization which employs certain decomposed organic materials--including, but not limited to animal sediment to blanket an area in which vegetation is desired. The procedure enriches the soil for stimulated plant development while, at the same time, preventing erosion and decreasing the evaporation of moisture from the ground.)
Or does anyone even still remember?
That isn't the first thing I thought of when I saw this.
My first thought was, "Great, now how can I rig this up into a quick viral infection test?"
Imagine the social impacts of a 5-minute, DNA-based 'home STD test', that was as reliable as those 'home pregnancy tests' you get at the supermarket. Find a hottie at the bar, go home, prick your fingers, compare bands and you're good for a wild night of bareback.
It'd be the 70's all over again.
Careful; "legal stimulants" stop being legal if it can be shown you're using them to have fun.
What that means is between the judge, the police and whatever doctor they pick as an 'expert witness'.
You ever wonder if that isn't part of the point? Keep contraceptive access down and longevity access down, except for the 'ruling elite', to ensure that only the super-rich and super-powerful ever gain access to technology that might preserve their lifespan. It's easy to maintain control of the sheep when you outlive them by 8 times their natural lifespan.