"I never said they weren't necessary, but we shouldn't revel in their actions."
That depends on the specific action. It is good that violence is effectively and usefully applied to some people.
Effective application of violence is selected for by evolution, both biological and social. Our taboos against specific sorts of violence are useful for the maintenance of social order, but lets not pretend those taboos are more important than the evolutionary imperative of dominance and the survival imperative of killing violent competitors intent on doing the same to us, or that we do not have the natural rights we acknowledge in the rest of the animal kingdom.
"We're not jackals, who fight for carrion; or lions who compete for who gets to eat the kill."
Well, we don't compete with each other for food in the modern world. Were that situation to change I'd have no problem killing other human competitors to survive, or to eat them if that's the only option.
The taboos against that are for tribal convenience (well, most tribes!) and may be disregarded in extremis.
"We need port cities, they will tend to sink like this."
We don't need area that aren't "port" in NOLA. NOLA partisans insist on conflating "container port", "French Quarter" (which was built above sea level!) and "slums with no economic value" that are below sea level and do not contribute to the port or to tourism (other than when Gangland goes there to film).
If you don't have a construct that needs levee protection, then there is no problem in the first place.
The US is vast. There are logistics reasons for some of NOLA, and much of it is built on dry ground. The rest serves no purpose and need not be resettled. It was settled because of bad planning in the first place.
The historic parts worth saving were built above sea level long ago by people smart enough to choose well. That's why the French Quarter wasn't destroyed. The logistically important parts can be built to service trade.
No matter how much you like it, don't try to convince those not emotionally attached to it that NOLA is of a piece.
The slums add no charm nor endearing culture. There is no logistic necessity for ANY of the parts below sea level, they are a result of bad planning or no planning.
I don't favor Federal beach replenishment for rich people or Federal levee building for poor people. The US is enormous.I don't have to live on a beach or below sea level nor does anyone else.
"They talk about using magnesium for construction. Magnesium and salt water is about as bad as it gets for corrosion problems. That thing would be decomposing faster than they could build it."
That's a clue they are idiots, or at least not metalworkers!
I'd like to see a much more hostile internet to coerce better security practices. People in general won't care about such things unless and until it is forced upon them by events.
If they won't change unless someone "breaks their shit", then that needs to happen.
"It seems that people rarely complain about the proprietary engine/drive-by-wire/etc. management software in their car, unless it breaks (think the Toyota debacle of late). "
You must not hang out in car forums very much. Modding car EFI systems took off with the first convenient system (GM's old TBI) many years ago and is a staple of the modern performance vehicle hobby.
If you don't make the effort to become an _informed consumer_, which while considerable is less than that required to do the jobs you list, you won't be able to distinguish good techs from bad.
BTW: In terms of money saved, learn to fix the car first. It pays off hugely over a lifetime, even if you take a community college course to get started.
Americans favor a very punitive religious hence social outlook. The preference for Hell as incentive to submission is expressed in our application of law.
The observant will note that the Values Voters are the dominant TP presence, and that the Tea Party is REPUBLICAN, not a different party no matter how its propagandists squeak otherwise. No, your token (because no more exist than a token number) of so-called Libertarians matter. The Koch brothers buy you airtime because they are smarter than you and expect a return on their investment. They have done well so far.
Religion IS a political view, and stereotyping someone by their adult choice of ideology (which IS conformity to a stereotype!) is logical. Religion IS politics, informed by superstition. It cannot be demonstrated to be otherwise.
Don't dare invoke racism as an equivalent (well, DO dare, and thanks for destroying your own argument). Race is not an ideology nor is it a choice. That sort of desperate reaching is why the Teapublicans are rightly seen as the Rovian Religious Right Reloaded (and minus Rove, this time!).
Slashdot Mirror
It's easy. The /b/ forum on 4chan is the ideal place to ask tech questions.
"Wait a sec.....wrong administration......."
I'll just leave this here:
http://i40.tinypic.com/11tqy52.jpg
"I never said they weren't necessary, but we shouldn't revel in their actions."
That depends on the specific action. It is good that violence is effectively and usefully applied to some people.
Effective application of violence is selected for by evolution, both biological and social. Our taboos against specific sorts of violence are useful for the maintenance of social order, but lets not pretend those taboos are more important than the evolutionary imperative of dominance and the survival imperative of killing violent competitors intent on doing the same to us, or that we do not have the natural rights we acknowledge in the rest of the animal kingdom.
"We're not jackals, who fight for carrion; or lions who compete for who gets to eat the kill."
Well, we don't compete with each other for food in the modern world. Were that situation to change I'd have no problem killing other human competitors to survive, or to eat them if that's the only option.
The taboos against that are for tribal convenience (well, most tribes!) and may be disregarded in extremis.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Custom_of_the_Sea
"It makes perfect sense. If you can see meat then the hunt is over."
So THAT is what the hole in the partition is for!
"We always had a good rumor that the "gum" in the MRE's was a laxative."
The Peanut Butter took care of that quite nicely. :)
The defaults of the other areas you mention aren't "disaster". The floody areas of NOLA default to "flooded" without constant attention.
Save the port, the French Quarter is already safe, bulldoze the slums, problem solved.
"We need port cities, they will tend to sink like this."
We don't need area that aren't "port" in NOLA.
NOLA partisans insist on conflating "container port", "French Quarter" (which was built above sea level!) and "slums with no economic value" that are below sea level and do not contribute to the port or to tourism (other than when Gangland goes there to film).
If you don't have a construct that needs levee protection, then there is no problem in the first place.
The US is vast. There are logistics reasons for some of NOLA, and much of it is built on dry ground. The rest serves no purpose and need not be resettled. It was settled because of bad planning in the first place.
The historic parts worth saving were built above sea level long ago by people smart enough to choose well. That's why the French Quarter wasn't destroyed. The logistically important parts can be built to service trade.
No matter how much you like it, don't try to convince those not emotionally attached to it that NOLA is of a piece.
The slums add no charm nor endearing culture. There is no logistic necessity for ANY of the parts below sea level, they are a result of bad planning or no planning.
I don't favor Federal beach replenishment for rich people or Federal levee building for poor people. The US is enormous.I don't have to live on a beach or below sea level nor does anyone else.
There's a Kevin Costner movie in there somewhere.
"They talk about using magnesium for construction.
Magnesium and salt water is about as bad as it gets for corrosion problems.
That thing would be decomposing faster than they could build it."
That's a clue they are idiots, or at least not metalworkers!
The Titanic was built to go ON the ocean.
Bob Ballard found it UNDER the ocean.
Lesson:
When it's "ocean" vs. "techno-hubris", bet on "ocean".
NONE of the things you praise about NOLA requires a city built below sea level.
NONE of them requires restoring areas built below sea level.
I'd like to see a much more hostile internet to coerce better security practices. People in general won't care about such things unless and until it is forced upon them by events.
If they won't change unless someone "breaks their shit", then that needs to happen.
"It seems that people rarely complain about the proprietary engine/drive-by-wire/etc. management software in their car, unless it breaks (think the Toyota debacle of late). "
You must not hang out in car forums very much. Modding car EFI systems took off with the first convenient system (GM's old TBI) many years ago and is a staple of the modern performance vehicle hobby.
I just use Linux for most of my surfing, but light VMs are very easy to set up and worth doing for the education.
I like Portable VirtualBox for Windows use because I can make a self-extracting .rar of the complete program with VMs for backup:
http://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/portable-virtualbox.html
Grab a light Linux distro like DSL (small download, speedy performance), and install to VM from the .iso:
http://www.damnsmalllinux.org/
You can then play with MANY operating systems, and if they screw up, delete their VM. If you have bigger problems, reload by extracting the backup. :)
"I search for a linux issue I'm having, the only hits I get are ubuntu users in 2004."
It's not just you, things have changed for the worse, and it's disturbing.
Proficient Linux users will know to visit appropriate forums, but noobs will have a worse time.
If you don't make the effort to become an _informed consumer_, which while considerable is less than that required to do the jobs you list, you
won't be able to distinguish good techs from bad.
BTW:
In terms of money saved, learn to fix the car first. It pays off hugely over a lifetime, even if you take a community college course to get started.
Americans favor a very punitive religious hence social outlook. The preference for Hell as incentive to submission is expressed in our application of law.
"Why Merge!"
It's a "user experience" experiment to create the proverbial Vortex of Suck, a horror calculated to make Cthulhu slouch away screaming in fear.
"Why go to that hassle when TSA has helpfully provided you with a easy to target group of victims at the security line?"
Not in an aircraft = doesn't make flying scary. Crowd bomb theater is short (BOOM!) and cleaned up quickly.
Typo, not Freudian slip, fixed below:
"No, your token (because no more exist than a token number) of so-called Libertarians don't matter."
That's Tea Party boilerplate.
The observant will note that the Values Voters are the dominant TP presence, and that the Tea Party is REPUBLICAN, not a different party no matter how its propagandists squeak otherwise. No, your token (because no more exist than a token number) of so-called Libertarians matter. The Koch brothers buy you airtime because they are smarter than you and expect a return on their investment. They have done well so far.
Religion IS a political view, and stereotyping someone by their adult choice of ideology (which IS conformity to a stereotype!) is logical. Religion IS politics, informed by superstition. It cannot be demonstrated to be otherwise.
Don't dare invoke racism as an equivalent (well, DO dare, and thanks for destroying your own argument). Race is not an ideology nor is it a choice. That sort of desperate reaching is why the Teapublicans are rightly seen as the Rovian Religious Right Reloaded (and minus Rove, this time!).
"Small, easily disassembled, cheap: pick 2."
Not necessarily. Desktop case form factors were both standard and cheap.
Nonstandard cases are good for vendor lock and to deter upgrades though. Anyone remember the Packard-Bell cases shaped like an inverted "T"? :)