You are also in a trade that will be in demand longer than you will live, can not be outsourced, whose services all modern humans require, and whose required skill set makes you a versatile fellow.
"I mainly work on servicing/maintenance on commercial/industrial heating and ventilation systems and see some incredibly cool tech every day."
American popular culture, with its veneration of stupidity and trivial entertainment along with savage loathing of science and knowledge, is to blame for many of the social ills of the backward.
I don't care about their life expectancy since their only function is to help make our society a Hellmouth. They can die young, and it would be nice if they take their window-licking fatass demon spawn with them.
"Anyone who truly wants to "stay connected" in an emergency"...needs to get an amateur radio license and appropriate equipment to keep their batteries charged.
They should also obtain a CB radio, also wonderfully useful (just for listening) if they travel.
Get two CBs if you want a local connection. I also have a couple of inverters, and misc. cables, car battery terminals, etc so I can swap batteries from my vehicles to keep them charged.
"For various reasons the industry in the US has shunned diesel for private vehicles. "
They shunned it for private CARS, and didn't offer performance diesels in automobiles.
Trucks are another story entirely. Ford, Chevy, and Dodge all sold and sell many diesels to buyers who want performance and economy. Diesels have eclipsed the big block gas engines of yore, with massive horsepower, plenty of torque, and reasonable economy figures.
"Sigh. Not until I can hammer a six inch spike through a board with my penis."
You can do it! Trust me.
Simply strike the opposite surface of the penis with a large hammer in order to drive the spike. The penis will cushion the spike and leave a nice polished surface when you are done.
He ended foreign domination of China, ended warlordism, unified China, built the Chinese military into an effective force (as the US found out during the Korean War), and set the stage for China to eventually become, as it will, a superpower.
Those are tremendous accomplishments regardless if one loves or hates the Maoists.
They IMO negate the millions of Chinese the Communists killed. If one would remove old systems, removing their supporters is often necessary. China was rotten, Communism is perfectly suited to destroying rotten systems (less so to building new ones), and was the ideal tool to sweep away the old Chinese (and Russian, for that matter) decadence it put to the sword.
"What's the point of unmanned space exploration if we never plan on going there?"
It allows for RAPID tech advancement due to the more rapid development of unmanned systems. We can learn more, more quickly, by pushing unmanned development first. People are a burden, there is no urgency to send them before the way is thoroughly paved by unmanned systems, and as our overall technology improves we will have a better starting point for sending meat tourists into space.
"NASA could survive, but only by doing something relatively radical that actually makes space exploration make sense."
We don't need humans in space to explore space, we only need them in space to learn how to maintain them in space.
Tourism is not exploration. Learn first, then send tourists at leisure or let them go commercially.
In the days of terrestrial exploration, people and ships were throwaway assets. Now, we send people out of tradition, not utility even though they are counterproductive in terms of both expense and political fallout when we lose a few.
We need robots for many things, and they are suited to the dull and dangerous job of exploring space. Their rapid development cycle, liberated from the burden of supporting meat tourists, means that robot systems can evolve very quickly (vs fossils like the Shuttle that we are stuck with for decades). Vicarious fappery is not a good reason to send people instead of machines.
Most TV programs make the -1 posts on Slashdot seem brilliant by comparison. TV always was, is, and always will be a pacifier for retards. Its only use is to masturbate viewer stupidity.
"I know when I'm looking for insight into the software industry and the relative merits of different Web browsers, court decisions handed down by narcoleptic 70-year-old judges who still have their secretaries print all their emails are the first place I look."
I, for one, welcome our senescent narcoleptic overlords!
Well, at least when they make the correct (= "me like") rulings...
"There will probably be more Japanese cars being made here than American cars."
No loss to the US except pride.
Since our corporate revenues go to the kleptocracy either way, why not to a well-run Japanese corporation that produces quality products and employs US workers?
Slashdot Mirror
You are also in a trade that will be in demand longer than you will live, can not be outsourced, whose services all modern humans require, and whose required skill set makes you a versatile fellow.
"I mainly work on servicing/maintenance on commercial/industrial heating and ventilation systems and see some incredibly cool tech every day."
Mmm. No shit piping! What's not to like? :)
"Here's a novel concept: Don't answer the phone while you're taking a piss..."
I'm incontinent, you insensitive clod!
"For $800, you could buy a netbook, a basic smart phone, plus hookers and blow."
Your ideas intrigue me, and I would like to subscribe to your newsletter.
American popular culture, with its veneration of stupidity and trivial entertainment along with savage loathing of science and knowledge, is to blame for many of the social ills of the backward.
I don't care about their life expectancy since their only function is to help make our society a Hellmouth. They can die young, and it would be nice if they take their window-licking fatass demon spawn with them.
Not killing innocents helps avert their surviving kin and friends taking offense and becoming hostiles.
Discriminate killing is useful.
"But that's against the law..."
"Law", unless sufficiently backed by force, is merely an expression of wishful thinking.
"Anyone who truly wants to "stay connected" in an emergency" ...needs to get an amateur radio license and appropriate equipment to keep their batteries charged.
They should also obtain a CB radio, also wonderfully useful (just for listening) if they travel.
Get two CBs if you want a local connection. I also have a couple of inverters, and misc. cables, car battery terminals, etc so I can swap batteries from my vehicles to keep them charged.
Damn Small Linux and Puppy Linux work well on older machines. Give 'em a try.
http://www.damnsmalllinux.org/
www.puppylinux.org/
"For various reasons the industry in the US has shunned diesel for private vehicles. "
They shunned it for private CARS, and didn't offer performance diesels in automobiles.
Trucks are another story entirely. Ford, Chevy, and Dodge all sold and sell many diesels to buyers who want performance and economy. Diesels have eclipsed the big block gas engines of yore, with massive horsepower, plenty of torque, and reasonable economy figures.
"Yeah, until the fuel runs out. "
I'd be more concerned about a radiation leak that might make outer space uninhabitable.
[quote] All the used computers in the world won't help if the people don't have the freedom and capitalistic opportunity to leverage them. [/quote]
If you didn't have "freedom" and "capitalistic opportunity", would you prefer to be with or without a computer?
"Sigh. Not until I can hammer a six inch spike through a board with my penis."
You can do it! Trust me.
Simply strike the opposite surface of the penis with a large hammer in order to drive the spike.
The penis will cushion the spike and leave a nice polished surface when you are done.
"
"Similarly, it's difficult to keep something clean when blasting through the atmosphere at 1000mph."
Kinda kills the "wino with a rag and Windex" option...
Mao was much more than the evil he did.
He ended foreign domination of China, ended warlordism, unified China, built the Chinese military into an effective force (as the US found out during the Korean War), and set the stage for China to eventually become, as it will, a superpower.
Those are tremendous accomplishments regardless if one loves or hates the Maoists.
They IMO negate the millions of Chinese the Communists killed. If one would remove old systems, removing their supporters is often necessary. China was rotten, Communism is perfectly suited to destroying rotten systems (less so to building new ones), and was the ideal tool to sweep away the old Chinese (and Russian, for that matter) decadence it put to the sword.
They needed a character that wouldn't be perceived as racist or genderist, so only a white male would be the Politically Correct safe choice.
"What's the point of unmanned space exploration if we never plan on going there?"
It allows for RAPID tech advancement due to the more rapid development of unmanned systems. We can learn more, more quickly, by pushing unmanned development first. People are a burden, there is no urgency to send them before the way is thoroughly paved by unmanned systems, and as our overall technology improves we will have a better starting point for sending meat tourists into space.
"NASA could survive, but only by doing something relatively radical that actually makes space exploration make sense."
We don't need humans in space to explore space, we only need them in space to learn how to maintain them in space.
Tourism is not exploration. Learn first, then send tourists at leisure or let them go commercially.
In the days of terrestrial exploration, people and ships were throwaway assets. Now, we send people out of tradition, not utility even though they are counterproductive in terms of both expense and political fallout when we lose a few.
We need robots for many things, and they are suited to the dull and dangerous job of exploring space. Their rapid development cycle, liberated from the burden of supporting meat tourists, means that robot systems can evolve very quickly (vs fossils like the Shuttle that we are stuck with for decades). Vicarious fappery is not a
good reason to send people instead of machines.
"Sure there are. And they are both laughing."
Such a brave front. Their OS is dying, yet they show no fear.
"Problem. Solved. What could possibly go wrong?"
Gravity. Aircraft don't vanish when they break up, they scatter. :)
"It's like trading nicotine for cocaine."
Less fatal and more stimulating?
Most TV programs make the -1 posts on Slashdot seem brilliant by comparison. TV always was, is, and always will be a pacifier for retards. Its only use is to masturbate viewer stupidity.
"I know when I'm looking for insight into the software industry and the relative merits of different Web browsers, court decisions handed down by narcoleptic 70-year-old judges who still have their secretaries print all their emails are the first place I look."
I, for one, welcome our senescent narcoleptic overlords!
Well, at least when they make the correct (= "me like") rulings...
"You *are* aware that the internet isn't just for facebook and youtube, right?"
The internet is for porn/P2P/warez.
Facebook and Youtube merely give us something to do between downloads.
"How about a "Thinking Brain" dog for some of the terminally stupid people I have to deal with? "
Enough dogs are afflicted with stupid humans as it is.
Enabling the stupid just makes empowered window-lickers.
"There will probably be more Japanese cars being made here than American cars."
No loss to the US except pride.
Since our corporate revenues go to the kleptocracy either way, why not to a well-run Japanese corporation that produces quality products and employs US workers?
"Since it pays."
"Never" would have been shorter and to the point.