Windows works for people who know Windows and have no need to invest time in anything different. The faults we find in Windows don't concern them enough to switch to something not Windows.
We shouldn't forget what "Americans" accomplished with much slower hardware. Our basic machines are much faster than what we had in say, 1999, but many of the most vital _communication_ and _information access_ tasks haven't changed much since then. PCs that old are still in common use in poor areas of the US.
"We all remember smart kids from high school that wasted their lives on pot.
Who is "we", Kemosabe? I partied with many of the (other) smart kids who went on to lead full, happy lives. Some of the dumbasses smoked too much, and drank too much, and would have been losers even without chemical recreation.
In the 1970s, there were Head Shops on many street corners and my generation smoked harder than a steam locomotive. No problem.
Legalize weed, tell the Christian Taliban to fuck off, and let Americans enjoy a peaceful recreational drug.
"Why not? The US effectively legislates copyright law in my country (Australia). "
Sack up and fight that nonsense, for the good of Oz and the US. It's OK to vilify US corporations. USians do it daily.
The US needs Australian support for its economic Empire and cannot abandon it. (The US public would see it as feeding Crocodile Dundee to the ChiComs!)
I approve of any measure that enhances national sovereignty. The world is far too corrupt for the idea of world government by treaty to be anything but a way to screw people who obey those treaties, so the sooner nations reject the laws of others the better.
"The US legal systems for IP and class action recovery are the poster-children for 'abusive',"
International law itself is abuse, because it is internal government of nations by treaty with other nations while excluding voters. Such concessions should have to pass the test of becoming Constitutional amendments (effectively killing them) to be enforced.
I know Slashdotters generally love McKinnon for sticking it to the Man, but the computer systems he tampered with were physically ON US soil, not in some fourth dimension of teh intarwebs.
Of course, I'll take the trade if you make it legal for US crackers to remotely crack systems in your country. Information wants to be free.;)
Uncle Sugar isn't exempt from having to pay for talent, or from having to pay that talent to do work they may not enjoy under conditions of employment they surely won't enjoy.
Want badazz hackers? Cough up enough money to get their attention.
"Have you ever thought about what it would be like to be stuck in jail for that period of time?"
YES. That's why I don't do crimes.:)
Some folks don't get the hint, so they can go sit in stir where they won't bother me. I don't care what happens to them as they have not earned my concern.
"Do a bit of anthropology. We have evolved into a highly cooperative species through a very, very long process and our emotions, feelings of compassion, sense of ethics, etc. do define our individual characters and our common human culture."
None of which excludes having your shit together and being able to do business. I tend to look at things from a military perspective, and the military is by far the _ultimate cooperative social unit_. Members tend to be highly sociophilic, not sociopathic.
Aggression has been well supported by evolution because (when properly channeled) it is useful combined with motivation. Aggression (properly channeled) is what overcomes obstacles. Aggression is why we have democracies today. The obstacles required killing, which was not sociopathic.
If we are invoking anthropology, look to chimps. They live as a group, war now and then, but if a chimp pisses off enough other chimps (displays genuine sociopathy) they have been known to kick his ass (healthy aggression in support of the group) and eject him.
"I feel like you're the type of person who would tell me that PTSD is bunk."
Negative. I'm a vet and know that isn't the case. However, I also note that there are plenty of folks who don't get PTSD easily, and many who do fine even after repeat combat tours.
In other news, some people are different than others. I do consider that in recent years "sensitivity" and "victimhood" are popular, and people aren't encouraged to be tough. Observing new enlistees down near three decades, even in the pampered Air Force one could see a change. One does not prepare people for a harsh life by encouraging them to be pussies. In other news, water is wet (sometimes oily) and the sun rose in the East.
"Yes, they are called sociopaths, but they already have far deeper issues to deal with."
Being able to cope comfortably is only a pathology to those who fetishize sweet, delectable sensitivity. One can understand and see things which are unusual and outside social taboos without giving a shit. It's called perspective, as opposed to morbid emotional wallowing.
In most cases, IMO, the term "sociopath" is used in society the way "troll" moderations are commonly used in Slashdot, which is to express Bitchy Disagreement.
"I disagree with you, you a sociopathic troll!" brings to mind the Soviet practice of sending those who didn't agree with commie politics to asylums, because such wrong thought MUST be pathological.
The grain of truth is that there are plenty of people who can watch anything and laugh about it, while functioning just fine and having no emotional problems from doing so.
Overly sensitive people shouldn't mess with shit that will damage them.
Not everyone is sensitive, and not everyone has to "suppress" themselves to cope with seeing Bad Things.
Slashdot Mirror
"It doesn't make sense to force me to by either of them."
Sense to you, or sense to Dell? Your choices are buy or not buy.
"Buy with reduced delight" = "buy" from the Dell perspective.
Windows works for people who know Windows and have no need to invest time in anything different. The faults we find in Windows don't concern them enough to switch to something not Windows.
"Beer is also gone once I'm done drinking it. It would be near impossible to rent."
Drink American beer, which remains the same before and after digestion.
"This is not for Americans,"
We shouldn't forget what "Americans" accomplished with much slower hardware. Our basic machines are much faster than what we had in say, 1999, but many of the most vital _communication_ and _information access_ tasks haven't changed much since then. PCs that old are still in common use in poor areas of the US.
"Again India, they try to produce super cheap stuff nobody real wants."
Never mind their rapidly expanding auto parts industry (for example). :)
If it's really valuable, kill some trees and PRINT it out.
The public are broken, not the system.
Some of us don't deserve the shit government we have, but most of us do, and they relentlessly make choices to perpetuate it.
"We all remember smart kids from high school that wasted their lives on pot.
Who is "we", Kemosabe? I partied with many of the (other) smart kids who went on to lead full, happy lives. Some of the dumbasses smoked too much, and drank too much, and would have been losers even without chemical recreation.
In the 1970s, there were Head Shops on many street corners and my generation smoked harder than a steam locomotive. No problem.
Legalize weed, tell the Christian Taliban to fuck off, and let Americans enjoy a peaceful recreational drug.
"Why not? The US effectively legislates copyright law in my country (Australia). "
Sack up and fight that nonsense, for the good of Oz and the US. It's OK to vilify US corporations. USians do it daily.
The US needs Australian support for its economic Empire and cannot abandon it. (The US public would see it as feeding Crocodile Dundee to the ChiComs!)
I approve of any measure that enhances national sovereignty. The world is far too corrupt for the idea of world government by treaty to be anything but a way to screw people who obey those treaties, so the sooner nations reject the laws of others the better.
"The US legal systems for IP and class action recovery are the poster-children for 'abusive',"
International law itself is abuse, because it is internal government of nations by treaty with other nations while excluding voters. Such concessions should have to pass the test of becoming Constitutional amendments (effectively killing them) to be enforced.
I know Slashdotters generally love McKinnon for sticking it to the Man, but the computer systems he tampered with were physically ON US soil, not in some fourth dimension of teh intarwebs.
Of course, I'll take the trade if you make it legal for US crackers to remotely crack systems in your country. Information wants to be free. ;)
"The court of public opinion has decided that oil = bad."
Not bad enough to make any sacrifice to reduce oil use, but bad enough to froth about it. Even the Gulf locals want the drilling moratorium lifted!
I don't find it at all sad to have my news served with wit and insight.
A corrupt defense industry is one thing, but opponents who would like to destroy warships date back thousands of years.
Ships are (very) high value targets, which obviously merit beam weapons to defend against attack, and particularly so as UAV systems proliferate.
"What you do is stand off 20 miles and shoot a missile at the ship.
So an anti-plane laser is not all that useful. And what if it's a cloudy day?"
No chance the Navy envisioned those conditions as a possibility, nope, none. Falkland Islands, where are they?
Uncle Sugar isn't exempt from having to pay for talent, or from having to pay that talent to do work they may not enjoy under conditions of employment they surely won't enjoy.
Want badazz hackers? Cough up enough money to get their attention.
The PHBs will never make it cool to be a serf.
"Have you ever thought about what it would be like to be stuck in jail for that period of time?"
YES. That's why I don't do crimes. :)
Some folks don't get the hint, so they can go sit in stir where they won't bother me. I don't care what happens to them as they have not earned my concern.
"Do a bit of anthropology. We have evolved into a highly cooperative species through a very, very long process and our emotions, feelings of compassion, sense of ethics, etc. do define our individual characters and our common human culture."
None of which excludes having your shit together and being able to do business. I tend to look at things from a military perspective, and the military is by far the _ultimate cooperative social unit_. Members tend to be highly sociophilic, not sociopathic.
Aggression has been well supported by evolution because (when properly channeled) it is useful combined with motivation. Aggression (properly channeled) is what overcomes obstacles. Aggression is why we have democracies today. The obstacles required killing, which was not sociopathic.
If we are invoking anthropology, look to chimps. They live as a group, war now and then, but if a chimp pisses off enough other chimps (displays genuine sociopathy) they have been known to kick his ass (healthy aggression in support of the group) and eject him.
"I feel like you're the type of person who would tell me that PTSD is bunk."
Negative. I'm a vet and know that isn't the case. However, I also note that there are plenty of folks who don't get PTSD easily, and many who do fine even after repeat combat tours.
In other news, some people are different than others. I do consider that in recent years "sensitivity" and "victimhood" are popular, and people aren't encouraged to be tough. Observing new enlistees down near three decades, even in the pampered Air Force one could see a change. One does not prepare people for a harsh life by encouraging them to be pussies. In other news, water is wet (sometimes oily) and the sun rose in the East.
Lot's of Rotten's content comes from ordinary newspapers overseas.
"Yes, they are called sociopaths, but they already have far deeper issues to deal with."
Being able to cope comfortably is only a pathology to those who fetishize sweet, delectable sensitivity. One can understand and see things which are unusual and outside social taboos without giving a shit. It's called perspective, as opposed to morbid emotional wallowing.
In most cases, IMO, the term "sociopath" is used in society the way "troll" moderations are commonly used in Slashdot, which is to express Bitchy Disagreement.
"I disagree with you, you a sociopathic troll!" brings to mind the Soviet practice of sending those who didn't agree with commie politics to asylums, because such wrong thought MUST be pathological.
The grain of truth is that there are plenty of people who can watch anything and laugh about it, while functioning just fine and having no emotional problems from doing so.
Overly sensitive people shouldn't mess with shit that will damage them.
Not everyone is sensitive, and not everyone has to "suppress" themselves to cope with seeing Bad Things.
"Will the mods stop posting stories where the only link is into the fucking NYTimes paywall?"
Just grab a password off Bugmenot. Who actually pays for pay sites?
"Hope all you bastards are happy. First time I saw that image, I had nightmares for a month."
From the right angle, he kinda looks like my Dad.