" I learn that he's probably already a Depends-clad imbecile. What's the sport in luring to his doom through a fiendish social engineering scheme a shaky feeb who probably earns a living waving around a Mattress Barn sign by the side of the road?"
I'M a mentally challenged, tremulous, incontinent discount bedding promoter, you insensitive clod!
Too bad Joe wasn't well-rounded enough to have other interests. Joe won't go into space, he isn't one of the few astronauts. Most people who build aircraft aren't pilots either.
We can afford to kill astronauts, but they make space exporation too expensive. It isn't a matter of THEIR feelings about risk. Physical courage is common. It's a matter of bang for the buck, so send machines first.
People are an extreme handicap to space exploration because they slow development of systems to a crawl.
In order to EXPLOIT space we need to learn more about SPACE even if we wait to learn more about PEOPLE in space. There is no reason not to use many unmanned probes to get information first, then when supporting technologies are more advanced, send the meat tourists up to have some fun.
We used meat to explore Terra because manned systems and men were cheap. Lose a ship? No big deal. Ships were wood and men died young anyway. Now meat is valued, and meat-support systems horribly expensive. If we put the effort into machines, the human race benefits from the advances in robotics we desperately need. Slow-leaking spaceship development while trying to produce a safe machine with our primitive technology is silly. Wait a decade or several, and send many probes instead. All an astronaut is, is a machinery manipulator. Just as we are removing pilots from combat aircraft (we don't miss drones when they get zapped) we should take the meat out of space cockpits.
"And I'm sure you can find other historic examples of people willing to die for freedom.
Just something to consider..."
Not every cause = "freedom".
Crusaders, Nazis, Communists, and Jihadists often displayed great courage in battle and willingness to die if required.
Willingness to die for religion is especially NOT willingness to die for freedom, it is willingness to die for imagined celestial rewards and willingness to RISK death for terrestrial power to enslave others to ones own superstition.
"Obviously some titles, like Old Person Weekly or Luddite News, "
MAD magazine is among them. It was amazing and culture-changing in its heyday, but society has moved forward. The people who made MAD special are elderly or dead. It's audience is old. Be glad it's preserved on electronic media, because it's a piece of cultural history.
"I don't understand why he couldn't use KDE 3.x until 4.x was more usable?"
I did and am pleased thereby.
I installed Ubuntu, then Kubuntified it, then added KDE 4, which I dislike and do not use. It's easy enough to log out and play with the WMs that aren't your primary.
"Best is to question the situation politely and in firm terms. If no response happens, leave it the hell alone and get the hell out as soon as possible."
That's why I advocated spreading the notes in sanitized, deniable form. The system punishes those who trust it, so what to do is find anonymous and legal ways to work around it.
I would also ensure every other student I could find knew this teacher sucked (expressed as an opinion, not libel or slander) so they would avoid the class. Classes without students get dropped if they are electives. Cut the students out from under the teacher and you cut the money that class generates, and if you cut deep enough the teacher could be dismissed.
A scanner will do even better. If a teacher tried that shit with me I'd spend the time to type the notes (redacting anything that might refelect my style) and ensure they spread widely. I would instantly lie when asked for the notes, either that I didn't have them or that they were mixed with unrelated info.
It is OK to lie to enemies, so be ready and be convincing. Friends deserve the truth, courts command it, but opponents should be defeated. The teacher removed any moral obligation to respect her when she demanded the notes.
"Attacking sovereign nations and killing children...that's the change Americans voted in, as in, not change at all."
There is no practical way to fight wars without killing innocent people (I defy you to invent one), and why should sovereignty be respected when enemy entities span many states who either support or cannot restrain them?
There isn't much argument for self-restraint through law that protects foreign enemies. If you don't think the war is worth fighting, just oppose the war itself, don't get childish over the details. Any war worth fighting is worth fighting without pretending law is more important than winning.
"Um, no they don't. My generation "needs" broadband."
There are many young Americans who are computer-illiterate because their backward parents were indifferent/allergic to technology beyond their cell phone.
"A lot of older people,especially the elderly, have no need or desire for the internet."
Many old people are technophobes and were bewildered by making decisions even when they were young. i've gradually introduced a couple of friends to the internet who are like this, but its high-effort to support them so I recommend avoidance where possible. Old folks do OK with television as a babysitter.
"I suspect that when I am in my eighties, I will have much less desire to communicate with the world or check the news on a minute by minute basis. Just because some of us use the internet on a regular basis, that doesn't mean that everyone would be better off for it."
When you are that old, websurfing will probably be all you have left, just as watching TV is all many current gummers can do. Medical technology prolongs life, but the odds are certain that if you live to that age you will lose quite a bit of mental function.
Lenix was a beta version, superseded by Stalix, Kruschix, etc. These are no longer maintained but have a few die hard fanbois.
Current dominance of Putix reflects a determination to "embrace and extend" similar to that of the Stalix developers, but with much more polished marketing.
Competing distros such as Tsarix and Democratix serve niche markets.
"Can we get all the ugly in the open so we can start to earn our respect back?"
"Respect" is a function of fear. There are reasons not to torture, but the same people who didn't like the US when it fought Communism aren't going to approve of even the most restricted and polite "war with Islamic Fundamentalism". Stopping torture may suit the preferences of the new Administration, but our opponents aren't at war with us because of "torture" and will not be swayed by switching to handing out ponies.
"I think we will see a lot of this kind of back tracking in the next four years."
We have a smarter, tan Clinton who values power enough to keep his pants on. He'll be a two-termer, then hubris will take over and the next Dem will blow it.
Slashdot Mirror
Of course, the way around this would be a "deadman switch" that required input NOT to trash the system.
"So we've got omnivorous assassin bots that consume their "target" after "acquisition" to remove evidence of the mission. That's just great."
"Whirrrr...click....BLAM!
OM NOM NOM NOM.
Sploot.
Whirr...."
"I was thinking of switching to XFCE this week (after about 8 years on KDE), but I think I'll hold off."
You don't need to "switch", BTW, just add whatever WM you want to try.
"I dunno about you, but as a person with a gastrointestinal disease I could really use a "nuke from orbit" button on my toilet some days. :/ "
This thread is worthless without pics!
"Because that was the best tasting dog ever and I want seconds."
Pat him on the head and he might let you do it again!
"What can we now expect?"
A Department of Commerce that adds positions throughout government which affect essential services and are difficult to remove without system damage?
"The fore runner of a cruise-missile was Kamikaze of WWII."
No, it was the German V-1.
The Japanese Oka version used people because they were cheap and available.
" I learn that he's probably already a Depends-clad imbecile. What's the sport in luring to his doom through a fiendish social engineering scheme a shaky feeb who probably earns a living waving around a Mattress Barn sign by the side of the road?"
I'M a mentally challenged, tremulous, incontinent discount bedding promoter, you insensitive clod!
Too bad Joe wasn't well-rounded enough to have other interests. Joe won't go into space, he isn't one of the few astronauts. Most people who build aircraft aren't pilots either.
We can afford to kill astronauts, but they make space exporation too expensive. It isn't a matter of THEIR feelings about risk. Physical courage is common. It's a matter of bang for the buck, so send machines first.
People are an extreme handicap to space exploration because they slow development of systems to a crawl.
In order to EXPLOIT space we need to learn more about SPACE even if we wait to learn more about PEOPLE in space.
There is no reason not to use many unmanned probes to get information first, then when supporting technologies are more advanced, send the meat tourists up to have some fun.
We used meat to explore Terra because manned systems and men were cheap. Lose a ship? No big deal. Ships were wood and men died young anyway. Now meat is valued, and meat-support systems horribly expensive. If we put the effort into machines, the human race benefits from the advances in robotics we desperately need. Slow-leaking spaceship development while trying to produce a safe machine with our primitive technology is silly. Wait a decade or several, and send many probes instead. All an astronaut is, is a machinery manipulator. Just as we are removing pilots from combat aircraft (we don't miss drones when they get zapped) we should take the meat out of space cockpits.
"And I'm sure you can find other historic examples of people willing to die for freedom.
Just something to consider..."
Not every cause = "freedom".
Crusaders, Nazis, Communists, and Jihadists often displayed great courage in battle and willingness to die if required.
Willingness to die for religion is especially NOT willingness to die for freedom, it is willingness to die for imagined celestial rewards and willingness to RISK death for terrestrial power to enslave others to ones own superstition.
"Anything else is just charity."
"Charity" buys campaign support buys a second term.
Nuffin' I cans do 'bout dat, but I better git MY forty acres an' a mule or I'm votin' fo' Massuh Jeb an' Miz Sarah come 2012!
"Obviously some titles, like Old Person Weekly or Luddite News, "
MAD magazine is among them. It was amazing and culture-changing in its heyday, but society has moved forward. The people who made MAD special are elderly or dead. It's audience is old. Be glad it's preserved on electronic media, because it's a piece of cultural history.
"After Mad, drugs were nothing."
Patti Smith
"Seriously? Enemies don't require moral consideration?"
No, that's why we have laws and they require LEGAL consideration.
"If we were a proper country like Soviet Russia they would get the Siberian wolf blowjob by now."
Thanks to the internet, not only do I know that for some people that would not be a punishment,
but that others wish they were the wolf.
"I don't understand why he couldn't use KDE 3.x until 4.x was more usable?"
I did and am pleased thereby.
I installed Ubuntu, then Kubuntified it, then added KDE 4, which I dislike and do not use. It's easy enough to log out and play with the WMs that aren't your primary.
"Best is to question the situation politely and in firm terms. If no response happens, leave it the hell alone and get the hell out as soon as possible."
That's why I advocated spreading the notes in sanitized, deniable form. The system punishes those who trust it, so what to do is find anonymous and legal ways to work around it.
I would also ensure every other student I could find knew this teacher sucked (expressed as an opinion, not libel or slander) so they would avoid the class. Classes without students get dropped if they are electives. Cut the students out from under the teacher and you cut the money that class generates, and if you cut deep enough the teacher could be dismissed.
"A copying machine will do fine!"
A scanner will do even better. If a teacher tried that shit with me I'd spend the time to type the notes (redacting anything that might refelect my style) and ensure they spread widely. I would instantly lie when asked for the notes, either that I didn't have them or that they were mixed with unrelated info.
It is OK to lie to enemies, so be ready and be convincing.
Friends deserve the truth, courts command it, but opponents should be defeated. The teacher removed any moral obligation to respect her when she demanded the notes.
"Attacking sovereign nations and killing children...that's the change Americans voted in, as in, not change at all."
There is no practical way to fight wars without killing innocent people (I defy you to invent one), and why should sovereignty be respected when enemy entities span many states who either support or cannot restrain them?
There isn't much argument for self-restraint through law that protects foreign enemies. If you don't think the war is worth fighting, just oppose the war itself, don't get childish over the details. Any war worth fighting is worth fighting without pretending law is more important than winning.
"Um, no they don't. My generation "needs" broadband."
There are many young Americans who are computer-illiterate because their backward parents were indifferent/allergic to technology beyond their cell phone.
"A lot of older people,especially the elderly, have no need or desire for the internet."
Many old people are technophobes and were bewildered by making decisions even when they were young.
i've gradually introduced a couple of friends to the internet who are like this, but its high-effort to support them so I recommend avoidance where possible. Old folks do OK with television as a babysitter.
"I suspect that when I am in my eighties, I will have
much less desire to communicate with the world or check the news on a minute by minute basis.
Just because some of us use the internet on a regular basis, that
doesn't mean that everyone would be better off for it."
When you are that old, websurfing will probably be all you have left, just as watching TV is all many current gummers can do. Medical technology prolongs life, but the odds are certain that if you live to that age you will lose quite a bit of mental function.
"No, it's called Lenix."
Lenix was a beta version, superseded by Stalix, Kruschix, etc. These are no longer maintained but have a few die hard fanbois.
Current dominance of Putix reflects a determination to "embrace and extend" similar to that of the Stalix developers, but with much more polished marketing.
Competing distros such as Tsarix and Democratix serve niche markets.
"I mean everybody has their fanboys, but what is up with all the Windows astroturfing lately?"
Vista is like George Bush, so awful that any alternative seems wondrous fine by comparison.
Windows 7 is like Obama before the new wears off.
"Can we get all the ugly in the open so we can start to earn our respect back?"
"Respect" is a function of fear. There are reasons not to torture, but the same people who didn't like the US when it fought Communism aren't going to approve of even the most restricted and polite "war with Islamic Fundamentalism". Stopping torture may suit the preferences of the new Administration, but our opponents aren't at war with us because of "torture" and will not be swayed by switching to handing out ponies.
"I think we will see a lot of this kind of back tracking in the next four years."
We have a smarter, tan Clinton who values power enough to keep his pants on. He'll be a two-termer, then hubris will take over and the next Dem will blow it.
"I for one, welcome our new surgical microbot wielding medical overlo--I mean "doctors"."
Me too. Yessiree.
They will swim in my brain and they carry knives.... That negates even my nicest tinfoil hat. :(
I'm thinking compliance is in order.