It does have to do with reducing fuel consumption, which is a huge logistics burden.
The systems previously developed (this research predates FCS by many years) will go far more than a few hundred meters on batteries alone. Now that decent batteries are available, a hybrid AFV looks much better. They can easily drive heavy electrical loads to provide both weapon system and facility power, they can charge each other via slave cables, they provide full torque at zero RPM allowing very slow creep, and if properly sealed can be used for marine assault and fording rivers (even fully submerged with no snorkel) without fear of drowning out (and destroying) a diesel engine.
This tech will give a huge boost other systems that would benefit from hybridization. Efficient small turbines like Capstone are already charging hybrid buses. These systems can burn clean fuels at optimum rpm, charge batteries, and make for very eco-friendly farm and construction equipment in the future.
"The South never had a "carbon footprint" before yankee glutons moved to Miami and Atlanta."
It sure burned the heck out of wood, Bo! The spelling is "Yankee gluttons", BTW.
"Most of us grew up without air conditioning and were happy that way. We used clothes lines to hang and dry our clothes, not electric driers. Life was good."
HAHAHAHA! When I see local folks volunteering to go back to an AC-free life I'll buy the connection between "no AC" and "happiness". I still use clothes lines to dry clothes (clothes smell fresher besides the energy savings), but there is good reason AC is popular among non-Yankees. I don't see any nostalgia for doing washing in wooden tubs and ironing it with (aptly named) "sad irons" either. The tubs are planters and the irons are doorstops, the shotgun shacks whose layout helped somewhat with cooling are empty, and (most) of the people don't look the the folks in a James Agee book.
I'm a "Damn Yankee" (the ones that came and stayed) myself, though I'm far more genuinely countrified (and right wing) than most locals.
If you wanted to keep out the sort of Yankees that wouldn't fit, not selling them everything at fire-sale prices would have done it. The Southeast got rich and is getting richer by urban and suburban sprawl, so if ya want things the way they used to be, move into the Deep South and away from the coast.
Political debates are not for the benefit of people with critical thinking skills.
What matters is to damage the opponent and (in this case) pin them down as either favoring science or superstition. Even if some of us loathe Karl Rove, he understands how to manipulate the proles and so should we. The masses of simple people can only be manipulated by ideology and pandering to their preferred vision of self.
"and an audience that is willing and able to think about the evidence presented." If one's preferred group is to achieve influence, it is necessary to deal with people as they are. Winning in an academic debate is one thing. Selling ideas to some of the boobery is another, and (I know this is difficult for some people) it requires a certain contempt for the people you are trying to motivate.
"I am sure that you have no experience with scientific research, because any researcher will tell you that to do something yourself, or to have a machine do it, is worlds apart."
I'm sure you didn't answer the question.:) For terrestrial research, perhaps, but in space one interfaces with the environment via machines and sensors. Therefore, the difference is human proximity to the sensor. The machine is not doing things for you, it is the mechanism by which you do things.
This is why we need school choice, and vouchers so parents can more easily rescue their kids from public schools and the people in them. Smart people are more valuable than 'tards, who get special help mostly to make their folks feel good, and more valuable than the mass of average drones.
"benefit to having high powered satellites within orbit that we can maintain."
Which does not, in principle, require humans to do the work. The investment in bringing up humans to fix their appliances could be redirected into more developed, less expensive appliances that are expendable. Home computers are "maintainable", but they are now so cheap they are routinely thrown away. As we move into space, we'll need lots of expendable hardware to avoid wasting expensive travel time on repairs that may or may not work.
"Plus shuttle missions have the added benefit of being able to observe the effects of outer space on people, and what limitations they have. You know...something that might be important for when the tourists go up..."
My point being that there is no rush to send those tourists up and hurrying to do so at the expense of other more useful programs is inefficient.
"No amount of data will make up for the lack of information we get from seeing, and touching things."
Cameras can see more than the human eye, and everything we "touch" will be through a barrier such as a glove. If you want tactile feedback, machines can offer that as well.
"Never send a machine to do a man's job."
What job can man do hands-on that must be done for space exploration and is not possible to do by machine?
"Erasing traumatic events is not helpful." Been around anyone with real,no shit PTSD?
"People that run and hide aren't people that we need around, we already have too many of them without the advent of memory wipes." Since when is "running and hiding" to be equated with the removal of a memory? One need not run or hide from something that does not exist.
I found it annoying because I wanted to test ABP against the site. ABP should have left it open for ABP user convenience. No one who matters is going to stop blocking adverts because it annoys this guy. Let his message be heard that we may laugh at him.
"Learning that ABP is blocking not only ads but also sites that badmouth ABP, though, might."
I have plenty of time to forgive them while I download all the blocklists I can find.:)
"But most betas don't run the risk of killing 7 people. There are serious risks involved in -doing- the patch too."
Yet another reason manned exploration using primitive technology is so limiting. We should park the shuttle and develop unmanned systems with self-repair capabilities.
"Yes, it's important to minimize risk... but sometimes you have to accept a reasonable amount of risk, take a deep breath, and just go."
The problem isn't the risk to people. The current problem is that making systems that carry people is so expensive it eats up the budget we could be using for unmanned exploration. It ties us to primitive systems and slows development. No matter how many people we send into space, we'll need advanced unmanned systems to exploit what we find. If we begin by focusing on unmanned systems, we can develop equipment much more rapidly and deploy it at much less cost. There is no inherent reason we cannot focus on unmanned, robotic systems and develop them to do everything we'll need, then send the tourists later. If we need astronauts to "do" anything, that indicates we should build an appropriate machine. Terrestrial exploration used people because we didn't have anything else. Supporting those people was a burden, they had a high loss rate, when they were lost so was their data, so why replicate those conditions?
Want to explore space? Here's the way to go: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voyager_1 Think how many, and how much more advanced, unmanned systems could have been deployed if the Shuttle program hadn't gobbled up NASA funding.
"As a former USAF avionics specialist and later crew chief"
Egads, there's another one??? "328Xwhatevers x-trained to Nosepickers" represent! I did it to escape Moody in the F-4 days, but it sure made promotion testing easier.
"And you also need to realize that NASA needs to be extra cautious. A repeat of the Columbia disaster would raise some serious concerns about their credibility and may be detrimental to the future of space exploration in general."
They don't care enough about space exploration to halt the use of old systems like the Shuttle, continue exploration with unmanned systems, then send meat into space with more mature technology. This isn't 1492, and we are under no pressure to send crews off in the modern equivalent of a wooden ship. We can learn and observe and manipulate with unmanned systems that have a much more rapid rate of evolution than that of man-constrained systems. If we want humans to see the process we can record it. If an unmanned system is lost we don't have to deal with the hysteria that the public expectation of zero casualties engenders. (Good thing we didn't expect zero casualties in the era of test pilots, or aviation would not have gotten very far.)
"(though I would maybe add that they should know the basic principles and beliefs of all major religions). "
That's disgusting. Exposing children to superstition (even "comparative superstition") is toxic. We want them to advance into the future, not wallow in a past of backward and degenerate tribalism. Teach them to think for themselves, teach them to question everything, teach them never to trust any human that tries to lead them spiritually.
"Where does that leave the trades? The trades that we NEED as a country?"
Often, in the hands of non-gifted amateurs. Some states have sponsorhip programs for community colleges. For example, where I live industry will pay 100% tuition for people taking structural and pipe welding. Start pay for noobs is aobut 18 bucks and hour after a three-month course, but because they don't capture high school students, the folks they DO get are often those who have failed at other things and have no aptitude for the job.
"We need people who will physically build our homes, businesses, highways, etc. The infrastructure of our country. The bottom line is that there are many people who would rather sweat in 100 degree heat building a brick wall, pouring concrete, etc. than be a cubicle dweller."
Indeed, which is why vocational training should be viewed as important instead of a place to dump slow learners. Vocational training is expensive, but welders, machinists, and construction workers can make good money and have a profitable lifelong career path.
"What about the kids who just want to be a carpenter like their dad, and HIS dad, take over the company business?"
High school should have some classes geared to rounding out people like that. Basic business and accounting courses can be a huge help to otherwise skilled people who can "do the work" but aren't business-savvy.
"There are numerous problems, all laptop specific. Like how if I lose network connectivity it takes two minutes to start a terminal. Or how if I unplug the power cord with a full battery, Fedora mis-reads the battery status and pops up a helpful "Your battery power is dangerously low (99%). The system will be shut down." message before shutting off. No, it doesn't give you ten seconds to save what you were doing."
I suggest posting your machine make, model, specs, etc. in this thread and at sites like linuxquestions.org. Surely someone else has a machine like yours and hhas already got it sorted.
Another thing to consider is sampling a few other distros as live CDs. I won't use any that aren't offered as live CDs because they are so convenient. I knew Kanotix and later, Sidux, would work well on my Thinkpad because I tried them live first. It is also quite nice to be able to surf as you install, should any questions come up.
"Sure. You are of the same lot as the whites who don't want blacks in their neighborhood, heterosexuals who are afraid they may catch Gay if a homosexual lives near them, and men who understand that women are subservient to them. You need the world to be divided into neat classes and you know that the bucket you are in is the best. In fact, your group (gender, culture, race, sexual orientation, religion, political party, etc) is the only correct one and has inherent dominance over the lesser groups."
Gender is not ideology. Race is not ideology. Sexual orientation is not ideology. Religion IS political ideology (its basis in superstition does not change that) and I don't object to Islam simply because it is "different" from my atheism. I object to it because it is practiced in a manner that, where it predominates, restricts freedoms I DEMAND from a society. It does not offer me anything I want, does not offer me more freedom, and can not in any way improve my country.
"you are opposed to the organized religion but lumping the faith with it in your fear and ignorance." Faith results in faith-based action. I've seen the results, so I judge the faith. If you disagree, then I defy you to show why I or anyone else not Islamic should welcome it.
That is not the same as living in an Islamic society or an area heavily influenced by Islamic social mores. Have you lived in or visited one at length?
Muslims need not be of the "murderous, extremist" variety to promote Islam, which creates oppressive societies where Muslims have enough people to press the issue. Albert Speer was a presentable Nazi. That did not make Nazism OK.
Consider how Muslim immigration is changing once fiercely secular France. Frenchmen and women died on the barricades for freedom from the strangling grip of Church and King. Now they alter their behaviors and laws to accomodate believers in an ideology that is the exact opposite of what their ancestors for.
"Do you not see it, or do you just not want to see it?"
I've lived long enough to see that in practice, most of these measures are selectively applied. I do not have fairness toward my enemies as a goal, because I understand exactly how they will (and I would, if I were them) exploit the inherent weakness of fair systems.
Let me break it down further: I'm not going to Gitmo. I'm not a Muslim. I don't care what is done to my enemies. I don't care if they are not given trials, for they would be severing my neck if I fell into their hands. None of the "totalitarian" measures affect me or what I do, because I CHOOSE not to be among the affected groups.
I don't give a damn if the CIA/NSA/local PD see everything I do. If they did, they might well hire me because their surveillance would do nothing but prove I'm on their side.
"you don't seem to realize you're bringing about much more negative changes"
I've visited "modern" Islamic countries many times over my military career including Turkey, UAE, KSA, Kuwait, and Bahrain. (I'd rate Turkey the best by far, but it took Kemal Ataturk to make something of it.) I have and use social skills and was received on a very friendly basis. (Fake anti-Israel/Judaism rants work wonders. Try some when you want to really learn what your audience thinks!) "Much more negative" than Islam? Not even close. That's laughable.
No level of US government/public actions against Communism (the obvious historic parallel) ever created a climate as oppressive as that created by modern Islam. The average American is not at all affected by Gitmo or any other anti-Jihadist measures. I am not the least deterred from doing anything I wish.
"But Christianity and Judaism are okay, despite following the same "God"? I say we get rid of them all, since they've been making countries less free since their conception!
In the real world, Christianity and Judaism have been usefully weakened so they don't pose as much of a threat. (I'm an atheist so I like none of them.) The idea that we should strive equally for some impossible ideal outcome as a matter of principle does not make intelligent social policy.
In which society, right now, would your rather live given the choice between predominately Christian, Jewish, or Muslim countries?
"just because a bunch of misguided lunatics have hijacked the religion doesn't mean the religion leads to lunacy."
That ignores the fact this sort of religion has no checks and balances, making it especially easy for "Bolsheviks" to take over, so they do!
"Europe came out of the dark ages when they tried to annihilate the "barbarian Mohammedans" and returned with new knowledge. the openness of Islamic society at its height allowed ideas to flow and mix from Spain to Malaysia. the scientific, mathematic, medical and philosophical works that modern technology is built on were developed by Muslims, combining what they learned from the ancient Greeks, Indians and Chinese."
Correct, but no longer relevant! The time of which you speak is over, finished, done, dead as dust, and Islam is not al all like that any more. Modern Muslims referring to the past glories of Islam are like Egyptians glorying in the history of the Pharaohs. Wanting to bring back the ancient past, with its primitve customs and tribal outlook, is toxic.
I am not a desert tribesman and do not wish to live by rules appropriate to such "people". I support any level of action necessary to stop this cult of deliberate regression.
"Not necessarily, this is China we're talking about!"
Eventually China will support IP law when it serves their interest. MSFT gets free product dumping from warez installs, but users who only know Windows (and have years of experience on it) will not want to invest time learning something else. This will take many years, but there is plenty of time.
Good. Space exploration is more important than a few casualties. If we must lose a Shuttle to dump that idiotic program, than that's what it takes. It's time we got rid of the desire to shove humans out in front of unmanned systems, but people are stupid so it may take a bloody nose.
NASA can turn into something else, because the people running it have the wrong priorities. We don't need meat in space right now because it is a drag on techno-evolution. Manned systems must have slow development cycles which cripples their ability to evolve quickly. We can RAPIDLY improve unmanned systems, evolve technology quickly, then entertain ourselves with meat in space at leisure. If we were results-oriented instead of entertainment-oriented we'd go slower and as a result, get there with quality systems.
Slashdot Mirror
It does have to do with reducing fuel consumption, which is a huge logistics burden.
The systems previously developed (this research predates FCS by many years) will go far more than a few hundred meters on batteries alone.
Now that decent batteries are available, a hybrid AFV looks much better. They can easily drive heavy electrical loads to provide both weapon system and facility power, they can charge each other via slave cables, they provide full torque at zero RPM allowing very slow creep, and if properly sealed can be used for marine assault and fording rivers (even fully submerged with no snorkel) without fear of drowning out (and destroying) a diesel engine.
This tech will give a huge boost other systems that would benefit from hybridization. Efficient small turbines like Capstone are already charging hybrid buses. These systems can burn clean fuels at optimum rpm, charge batteries, and make for very eco-friendly farm and construction equipment in the future.
"The South never had a "carbon footprint" before yankee glutons moved to Miami and Atlanta."
It sure burned the heck out of wood, Bo! The spelling is "Yankee gluttons", BTW.
"Most of us grew up without air conditioning and were happy that way. We used clothes lines to hang and dry our clothes, not electric driers. Life was good."
HAHAHAHA! When I see local folks volunteering to go back to an AC-free life I'll buy the connection between "no AC" and "happiness".
I still use clothes lines to dry clothes (clothes smell fresher besides the energy savings), but there is good reason AC is popular among non-Yankees. I don't see any nostalgia for doing washing in wooden tubs and ironing it with (aptly named) "sad irons" either. The tubs are planters and the irons are doorstops, the shotgun shacks whose layout helped somewhat with cooling are empty, and (most) of the people don't look the the folks in a James Agee book.
I'm a "Damn Yankee" (the ones that came and stayed) myself, though I'm far more genuinely countrified (and right wing) than most locals.
If you wanted to keep out the sort of Yankees that wouldn't fit, not selling them everything at fire-sale prices would have done it. The Southeast got rich and is getting richer by urban and suburban sprawl, so if ya want things the way they used to be, move into the Deep South and away from the coast.
Political debates are not for the benefit of people with critical thinking skills.
What matters is to damage the opponent and (in this case) pin them down as either favoring science or superstition.
Even if some of us loathe Karl Rove, he understands how to manipulate the proles and so should we. The masses of simple people can only be manipulated by ideology and pandering to their preferred vision of self.
"and an audience that is willing and able to think about the evidence presented."
If one's preferred group is to achieve influence, it is necessary to deal with people as they are. Winning in an academic debate is one thing. Selling ideas to some of the boobery is another, and (I know this is difficult for some people) it requires a certain contempt for the people you are trying to motivate.
"I am sure that you have no experience with scientific research, because any researcher will tell you that to do something yourself, or to have a machine do it, is worlds apart."
:)
I'm sure you didn't answer the question.
For terrestrial research, perhaps, but in space one interfaces with the environment via machines and sensors. Therefore, the difference is human proximity to the sensor. The machine is not doing things for you, it is the mechanism by which you do things.
"Exploring..."
That is not a specific reply.
This is why we need school choice, and vouchers so parents can more easily rescue their kids from public schools and the people in them.
Smart people are more valuable than 'tards, who get special help mostly to make their folks feel good, and more valuable than the mass of average drones.
"benefit to having high powered satellites within orbit that we can maintain."
Which does not, in principle, require humans to do the work. The investment in bringing up humans to fix their appliances could be redirected into more developed, less expensive appliances that are expendable.
Home computers are "maintainable", but they are now so cheap they are routinely thrown away. As we move into space, we'll need lots of expendable hardware to avoid wasting expensive travel time on repairs that may or may not work.
"Plus shuttle missions have the added benefit of being able to observe the effects of outer space on people, and what limitations they have. You know...something that might be important for when the tourists go up..."
My point being that there is no rush to send those tourists up and hurrying to do so at the expense of other more useful programs is inefficient.
"No amount of data will make up for the lack of information we get from seeing, and touching things."
Cameras can see more than the human eye, and everything we "touch" will be through a barrier such as a glove. If you want tactile feedback, machines can offer that as well.
"Never send a machine to do a man's job."
What job can man do hands-on that must be done for space exploration and is not possible to do by machine?
"Erasing traumatic events is not helpful."
Been around anyone with real,no shit PTSD?
"People that run and hide aren't people that we need around, we already have too many of them without the advent of memory wipes."
Since when is "running and hiding" to be equated with the removal of a memory? One need not run or hide from something that does not exist.
Sure make me want to do business with him!
http://blogadswap.com/
I found it annoying because I wanted to test ABP against the site. ABP should have left it open for ABP user convenience. No one who matters is going to stop blocking adverts because it annoys this guy. Let his message be heard that we may laugh at him.
:)
"Learning that ABP is blocking not only ads but also sites that badmouth ABP, though, might."
I have plenty of time to forgive them while I download all the blocklists I can find.
"But most betas don't run the risk of killing 7 people. There are serious risks involved in -doing- the patch too."
Yet another reason manned exploration using primitive technology is so limiting. We should park the shuttle and develop unmanned systems with self-repair capabilities.
"Yes, it's important to minimize risk... but sometimes you have to accept a reasonable amount of risk, take a deep breath, and just go."
The problem isn't the risk to people.
The current problem is that making systems that carry people is so expensive it eats up the budget we could be using for unmanned exploration. It ties us to primitive systems and slows development.
No matter how many people we send into space, we'll need advanced unmanned systems to exploit what we find. If we begin by focusing on unmanned systems, we can develop equipment much more rapidly and deploy it at much less cost.
There is no inherent reason we cannot focus on unmanned, robotic systems and develop them to do everything we'll need, then send the tourists later. If we need astronauts to "do" anything, that indicates we should build an appropriate machine.
Terrestrial exploration used people because we didn't have anything else. Supporting those people was a burden, they had a high loss rate, when they were lost so was their data, so why replicate those conditions?
Want to explore space? Here's the way to go:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voyager_1
Think how many, and how much more advanced, unmanned systems could have been deployed if the Shuttle program hadn't gobbled up NASA funding.
"As a former USAF avionics specialist and later crew chief"
Egads, there's another one???
"328Xwhatevers x-trained to Nosepickers" represent!
I did it to escape Moody in the F-4 days, but it sure made promotion testing easier.
"And you also need to realize that NASA needs to be extra cautious. A repeat of the Columbia disaster would raise some serious concerns about their credibility and may be detrimental to the future of space exploration in general."
They don't care enough about space exploration to halt the use of old systems like the Shuttle, continue exploration with unmanned systems, then send meat into space with more mature technology.
This isn't 1492, and we are under no pressure to send crews off in the modern equivalent of a wooden ship. We can learn and observe and manipulate with unmanned systems that have a much more rapid rate of evolution than that of man-constrained systems. If we want humans to see the process we can record it.
If an unmanned system is lost we don't have to deal with the hysteria that the public expectation of zero casualties engenders. (Good thing we didn't expect zero casualties in the era of test pilots, or aviation would not have gotten very far.)
"(though I would maybe add that they should know the basic principles and beliefs of all major religions). "
That's disgusting. Exposing children to superstition (even "comparative superstition") is toxic. We want them to advance into the future, not wallow in a past of backward and degenerate tribalism.
Teach them to think for themselves, teach them to question everything, teach them never to trust any human that tries to lead them spiritually.
"Where does that leave the trades? The trades that we NEED as a country?"
Often, in the hands of non-gifted amateurs. Some states have sponsorhip programs for community colleges. For example, where I live industry will pay 100% tuition for people taking structural and pipe welding. Start pay for noobs is aobut 18 bucks and hour after a three-month course, but because they don't capture high school students, the folks they DO get are often those who have failed at other things and have no aptitude for the job.
"We need people who will physically build our homes, businesses, highways, etc. The infrastructure of our country. The bottom line is that there are many people who would rather sweat in 100 degree heat building a brick wall, pouring concrete, etc. than be a cubicle dweller."
Indeed, which is why vocational training should be viewed as important instead of a place to dump slow learners. Vocational training is expensive, but welders, machinists, and construction workers can make good money and have a profitable lifelong career path.
"What about the kids who just want to be a carpenter like their dad, and HIS dad, take over the company business?"
High school should have some classes geared to rounding out people like that. Basic business and accounting courses can be a huge help to otherwise skilled people who can "do the work" but aren't business-savvy.
"There are numerous problems, all laptop specific. Like how if I lose network connectivity it takes two minutes to start a terminal. Or how if I unplug the power cord with a full battery, Fedora mis-reads the battery status and pops up a helpful "Your battery power is dangerously low (99%). The system will be shut down." message before shutting off. No, it doesn't give you ten seconds to save what you were doing."
I suggest posting your machine make, model, specs, etc. in this thread and at sites like linuxquestions.org. Surely someone else has a machine like yours and hhas already got it sorted.
Another thing to consider is sampling a few other distros as live CDs. I won't use any that aren't offered as live CDs because they are so convenient. I knew Kanotix and later, Sidux, would work well on my Thinkpad because I tried them live first. It is also quite nice to be able to surf as you install, should any questions come up.
"Sure. You are of the same lot as the whites who don't want blacks in their neighborhood, heterosexuals who are afraid they may catch Gay if a homosexual lives near them, and men who understand that women are subservient to them. You need the world to be divided into neat classes and you know that the bucket you are in is the best. In fact, your group (gender, culture, race, sexual orientation, religion, political party, etc) is the only correct one and has inherent dominance over the lesser groups."
Gender is not ideology.
Race is not ideology.
Sexual orientation is not ideology.
Religion IS political ideology (its basis in superstition does not change that) and I don't object to Islam simply because it is "different" from my atheism.
I object to it because it is practiced in a manner that, where it predominates, restricts freedoms I DEMAND from a society. It does not offer me anything I want, does not offer me more freedom, and can not in any way improve my country.
"you are opposed to the organized religion but lumping the faith with it in your fear and ignorance."
Faith results in faith-based action. I've seen the results, so I judge the faith.
If you disagree, then I defy you to show why I or anyone else not Islamic should welcome it.
"I've worked with many Muslims over the years."
That is not the same as living in an Islamic society or an area heavily influenced by Islamic social mores.
Have you lived in or visited one at length?
Muslims need not be of the "murderous, extremist" variety to promote Islam, which creates oppressive societies where Muslims have enough people to press the issue. Albert Speer was a presentable Nazi. That did not make Nazism OK.
Consider how Muslim immigration is changing once fiercely secular France. Frenchmen and women died on the barricades for freedom from the strangling grip of Church and King. Now they alter their behaviors and laws to accomodate believers in an ideology that is the exact opposite of what their ancestors for.
"Do you not see it, or do you just not want to see it?"
I've lived long enough to see that in practice, most of these measures are selectively applied. I do not have fairness toward my enemies as a goal, because I understand exactly how they will (and I would, if I were them) exploit the inherent weakness of fair systems.
Let me break it down further:
I'm not going to Gitmo. I'm not a Muslim.
I don't care what is done to my enemies. I don't care if they are not given trials, for they would be severing my neck if I fell into their hands. None of the "totalitarian" measures affect me or what I do, because I CHOOSE not to be among the affected groups.
I don't give a damn if the CIA/NSA/local PD see everything I do. If they did, they might well hire me because their surveillance would do nothing but prove I'm on their side.
"you don't seem to realize you're bringing about much more negative changes"
I've visited "modern" Islamic countries many times over my military career including Turkey, UAE, KSA, Kuwait, and Bahrain. (I'd rate Turkey the best by far, but it took Kemal Ataturk to make something of it.)
I have and use social skills and was received on a very friendly basis. (Fake anti-Israel/Judaism rants work wonders. Try some when you want to really learn what your audience thinks!)
"Much more negative" than Islam? Not even close. That's laughable.
No level of US government/public actions against Communism (the obvious historic parallel) ever created a climate as oppressive as that created by modern Islam. The average American is not at all affected by Gitmo or any other anti-Jihadist measures.
I am not the least deterred from doing anything I wish.
"But Christianity and Judaism are okay, despite following the same "God"? I say we get rid of them all, since they've been making countries less free since their conception!
In the real world, Christianity and Judaism have been usefully weakened so they don't pose as much of a threat. (I'm an atheist so I like none of them.) The idea that we should strive equally for some impossible ideal outcome as a matter of principle does not make intelligent social policy.
In which society, right now, would your rather live given the choice between predominately Christian, Jewish, or Muslim countries?
"just because a bunch of misguided lunatics have hijacked the religion doesn't mean the religion leads to lunacy."
That ignores the fact this sort of religion has no checks and balances, making it especially easy for "Bolsheviks" to take over, so they do!
"Europe came out of the dark ages when they tried to annihilate the "barbarian Mohammedans" and returned with new knowledge.
the openness of Islamic society at its height allowed ideas to flow and mix from Spain to Malaysia.
the scientific, mathematic, medical and philosophical works that modern technology is built on were developed by Muslims, combining what they learned from the ancient Greeks, Indians and Chinese."
Correct, but no longer relevant!
The time of which you speak is over, finished, done, dead as dust, and Islam is not al all like that any more. Modern Muslims referring to the past glories of Islam are like Egyptians glorying in the history of the Pharaohs.
Wanting to bring back the ancient past, with its primitve customs and tribal outlook, is toxic.
I am not a desert tribesman and do not wish to live by rules appropriate to such "people". I support any level of action necessary to stop this cult of deliberate regression.
"Not necessarily, this is China we're talking about!"
Eventually China will support IP law when it serves their interest. MSFT gets free product dumping from warez installs, but users who only know Windows (and have years of experience on it) will not want to invest time learning something else. This will take many years, but there is plenty of time.
"it will be the end of NASA."
Good. Space exploration is more important than a few casualties. If we must lose a Shuttle to dump that idiotic program, than that's what it takes. It's time we got rid of the desire to shove humans out in front of unmanned systems, but people are stupid so it may take a bloody nose.
NASA can turn into something else, because the people running it have the wrong priorities.
We don't need meat in space right now because it is a drag on techno-evolution.
Manned systems must have slow development cycles which cripples their ability to evolve quickly. We can RAPIDLY improve unmanned systems, evolve technology quickly, then entertain ourselves with meat in space at leisure.
If we were results-oriented instead of entertainment-oriented we'd go slower and as a result, get there with quality systems.