"And in WWI, France kicked ass militarily, and remained a major European power."
They "survived" (does not equal "kicking ass"), and had to literally "decimate" mutinous units in 1917 to keep order. Google for plenty of info on both the French and British WW1 mutinies. Interesting stuff.
In 1940 they collapsed in six weeks, an incompetent performance by any standard, but at least they avoided mass casualties.
"when the harsh truth is that the USSR sacrificed nearly 1 in 10 of its people to save Europe."
No, they LOST that percentage, mostly defending the Rodina, but that was not at all a matter of intending to "save" Europe.
Let's not forget that the Soviets were our enemies politically, and allies of convenience only. They were not better than the Nazis, just different and less mediagenic. They didn't have any qualms about splitting Poland with Hitler in 1939.
"They helped finance the Revolution... without France the United States would have been stillborn. They gave us the Statue of Liberty in recognition of the friendship and mutual respect between the two nations."
That is ancient history and has nothing to do with recent interaction. The French BTW were repaid generously. WWI and WWII come to mind....
French gratitude for our efforts was demonstrated by their resistance to the North African landings and eager VIchy cooperation with the Germans. They have done nothing of note since WWII, are Islamizing rapidly (Sarkozy is well-intentioned but too late) and like the rest of Europe hate their own culture and have surrendered to mobs of cultural enemies from the Third World who only want to be in Europe for the money.
I'd like a standard, upgradeable form-factor, but I don't buy new machines. Laptops and toasters are disposable. The labor rate plus parts to work on them makes buying a new one a good choice for most people.
"but I know a mechanic who is doing everything he can to get his son through engineering school (his son is currently a mechanic also), so he can get a white collar job."
There are plenty of auto mechanics that parlay their skill into serious money, especially in vehicle salvage and crash repair. Just being a mechanic isn't enough, you need to advance to higher levels, but you need the mechanic experience to do that.
Get some training on driveability diagnosis while you are at it. The low prestige of car mechanics coupled with demandingly complex new systems means someone with good electronic skills can do well.
"I'm just glad I toughed it out long enough to not become a trucker..."
Don't drive them, do consider fixing them. Even if we have another Depression, freight has to be moved, and truckers will tear up their equipment!
Politicians? How about religious fanatics? Criticizing a religion is controversial enough (as if superstition deserved protection) but these laws will obviously be used to stifle religious debate. Religion IS politics, but the debate will be manipulated (first, by cartoon-hating Muslims since they are the last active religion in the EU) and these laws will be part of that.
"Of course, with a $10 tool, you can open the locks, but I bet the same could be said with your current locks."
An intrusion detection system would be a Good Idea too.:)
Unless the doors are something special, anyone desiring entry can use a (good) cordless holesaw/drill/sawzall and just slice out the lock/frame/whatever.
FWIW I use a cordless 28-volt Milwaukee Sawzall to cut pickup truck frames in half when making trailers. Their cordless drill will cut heavy sheet metal using a good holesaw, and does a fine job of spinning abrasive cutting wheels on a mandrel when snipping rear axle U-bolts. This isn't a Milwaukee commercial, but anyone wanting security should consider the door and frame as well as the lock.
"The problem is, the mainstream is being marginalized by the fanatics these days, and this seems to be a global issue not limited to Islam."
Religions lend themselves to this because "more fanatic" does equal "more religious". Secular democracy is a way of keeping the loons (be they Taliban or TaliBaptist) from ruining life for anyone not them.
Unfortunately, secular democracy isn't suitable to attacking the worst religions. Jihadism for example, does not "compete in the marketplace of ideas", but kills enemy shopkeepers and burns their stalls.
If Jihadists start to play hardball in China or Russia, they can be dealt with because counterproductive rules protecting them are not in place. In the West, the idea that all beliefs are the same thing and nothing may be judged is promoted with great fervor by those who...don't want to judge or be judged.
"That said, forcing change from the outside at gunpoint seldom works well - for any governmental system imposed"
The level of force required to break down social barriers is that we used in WWII. We cannot use that level of violence against civilians nowadays, so we cannot "break" countries as was done to Germany and Japan.
"certain types of people are somehow genetically exempt"
None of the example countries that became modern democracies were Islamic. Religion that demands theocracy cannot tolerate democracy. That isn't a genetic barrier, but a deep, superstitious cultural barrier.
Russian Communists did the right thing in attacking superstition, but the alien goal of personal rights in a culture that never valued individuals was of course overlooked. That's not genetic, but it's real.
Russian culture may be unsuited to democracy. Russia never had it, never had the cultural traditions to make it work, and has always been a harsh and brutal place.
It may be that the only way to hold Russia together and keep order is Putinism.
China is doing well without democracy, and theocratic Islam is expanding. Democracy is fine for the West and countries heavily influenced by it, but for some cultures it may not be of use.
Re:I thought IT workers can telecommute to work?
on
Women Are Fleeing IT Jobs
·
· Score: 2, Insightful
"It simply isn't fair on the IT workforce to have to do 24x7 because management doesn't want to hire a 2nd shift. Having One or two employees for the night is not going to ruin your finance."
The reason they give you money to do a job is that it is a JOB, not "happy fun day". If you feel treated unfairly, be so capable that you can move on.
As for women or anyone else bailing out of IT, those that stay should understand that their competition is leaving. The more people that do what you do, the less what you do is worth.
As an employee, I'd rather be so rare and valuable that I have my employer by the short hairs. To hell with idealism. If I'm maintaining ANYTHING, I want to be the sole source of info on the system, document as little as possible, and generally rule the roost since no one else knows how. I'm friendly, have good social skills, humor the boss, etc. but it's all about me.
What form of law enforcement patrol do you not consider totalitarian? They are watching public space. If a neighborhood patrol used a high vantage point and a telescope, it would simiilar but less efficient.
"I haven't tried Vista, but I'm willing to bet that most of these customers want XP since they're used to using it, not because they think Vista is worse."
If XP is good enough to get work done, it is less imperative to fork out money for another OS. While paying for software is optional for geeks, Joe Sixpack wants a return on his investment.
"We could have "won" if we wiped out every village the VC had ever been seen near, "
The VC didn't win the war themselves, and had largely been expended by the time the _conventional_ NVA forces crashed into the South. The VC helped tire the US into withdrawal, even though they were used up during Tet.
"But software which OpenBSD uses and redistributes must be free to all (be they people or companies), for any purpose they wish to use it, including modification, use, peeing on, or even integration into baby mulching machines or atomic bombs to be dropped on Australia."
I've been maintaining USAF fighter aircraft for 26 years (last day is tomorrow), and IMO training "tractor-fixing rednecks" to use and work on modern systems is a breeze compared to most other folks.
Why? Because working on farm equipment (much of which is complex and not intuitive) teaches cool stuff like physical relationships between components.
Land Warrior may give the troops the option to be aware of some things at the price of distraction and reduced sensory ability. It may suck to wear, and it may be that they would rather have things they perceive as being more useful to them.
"Why drive a jeep into the "front lines" (not that we exactly have "front lines" anymore...) when you can drive a heavily armored tank that travels twice as fast and has a better turning radius, more stability, and more firepower..."
Because HMMWV-promoting lightfighter narcissists didn't learn from Mogadishu that light trucks die in urban combat?
Anyway, while the vehicle analogy is fine when applied to vehicles, soldier gear is carried by the trooper. Whatever in chosen by or inflicted on him means he cannot carry something else. Gear bloat is bad. BTW, nearly all young troops play computer and/or console games. If they don't like the gear it won't be from a resistance to technology. Visit any barracks (well, dormitory nowadays) and you see plenty of tech toys.
"One of the bulldozers uncovered the decomposing body of an enemy soldier, complete with AK47. I happened to be standing right there, looking down into the hole and pulled the AK out of the bog. "Watch this, guys," I said, "and I'll show you how a real infantry weapon works." I pulled the bolt back and fired 30 rounds -- the AK could have been cleaned that day rather than buried in glug for a year or so. That was the kind of weapon our soldiers needed, not the confidence-sapping M16."
Col.David hackworth
There are MANY technophiles in the Army, it's just that they have the odd expectation that technology they use should be simple, robust, effective, and not burdensome to the user.
"A computer-gaming Marilyn Manson obsessed repressed Islamic fundamentalist, inconsistently educated mentalist engineer with an Arabic look about him, does a lot less damage when armed with a toothpick."
If he's an engineer we might be lucky he choose the "shooting" option instead of the "jack a propane truck and have an FAE day" alternative. If one thinks about it, the amount of destruction you can (easily) cause in modern countries with found resources exceeds by far what one armed man can do solo.
Slashdot Mirror
"And in WWI, France kicked ass militarily, and remained a major European power."
They "survived" (does not equal "kicking ass"), and had to literally "decimate" mutinous units in 1917 to keep order. Google for plenty of info on both the French and British WW1 mutinies. Interesting stuff.
In 1940 they collapsed in six weeks, an incompetent performance by any standard, but at least they avoided mass casualties.
"when the harsh truth is that the USSR sacrificed nearly 1 in 10 of its people to save Europe."
No, they LOST that percentage, mostly defending the Rodina, but that was not at all a matter of intending to "save" Europe.
Let's not forget that the Soviets were our enemies politically, and allies of convenience only. They were not better than the Nazis, just different and less mediagenic. They didn't have any qualms about splitting Poland with Hitler in 1939.
"They helped finance the Revolution ... without France the United States would have been stillborn. They gave us the Statue of Liberty in recognition of the friendship and mutual respect between the two nations."
That is ancient history and has nothing to do with recent interaction. The French BTW were repaid generously. WWI and WWII come to mind....
French gratitude for our efforts was demonstrated by their resistance to the North African landings and eager VIchy cooperation with the Germans.
They have done nothing of note since WWII, are Islamizing rapidly (Sarkozy is well-intentioned but too late) and like the rest of Europe hate their own culture and have surrendered to mobs of cultural enemies from the Third World who only want to be in Europe for the money.
I would also accumulate as much evidence as I could, and look for other irregularities. Revenge is sweet if revenge is legal.
"So a bad driver caused him to give up on W2K, then he proceeds to spend endless hours of creating drivers for those crappy webcams?"
It would appear that he enjoys the challenge muchly. If scratching one itch feels good, why not scratch a few hundred more?
I'd like a standard, upgradeable form-factor, but I don't buy new machines.
Laptops and toasters are disposable. The labor rate plus parts to work on them makes buying a new one a good choice for most people.
"but I know a mechanic who is doing everything he can to get his son through engineering school (his son is currently a mechanic also), so he can get a white collar job."
There are plenty of auto mechanics that parlay their skill into serious money, especially in vehicle salvage and crash repair.
Just being a mechanic isn't enough, you need to advance to higher levels, but you need the mechanic experience to do that.
Get some training on driveability diagnosis while you are at it. The low prestige of car mechanics coupled with demandingly complex new systems means someone with good electronic skills can do well.
"I'm just glad I toughed it out long enough to not become a trucker..."
Don't drive them, do consider fixing them. Even if we have another Depression, freight has to be moved, and truckers will tear up their equipment!
Politicians?
How about religious fanatics? Criticizing a religion is controversial enough (as if superstition deserved protection) but these laws will obviously be used to stifle religious debate. Religion IS politics, but the debate will be manipulated (first, by cartoon-hating Muslims since they are the last active religion in the EU) and these laws will be part of that.
"Of course, with a $10 tool, you can open the locks, but I bet the same could be said with your current locks."
:)
An intrusion detection system would be a Good Idea too.
Unless the doors are something special, anyone desiring entry can use a (good) cordless holesaw/drill/sawzall and just slice out the lock/frame/whatever.
FWIW I use a cordless 28-volt Milwaukee Sawzall to cut pickup truck frames in half when making trailers. Their cordless drill will cut heavy sheet metal using a good holesaw, and does a fine job of spinning abrasive cutting wheels on a mandrel when snipping rear axle U-bolts. This isn't a Milwaukee commercial, but anyone wanting security should consider the door and frame as well as the lock.
"The problem is, the mainstream is being marginalized by the fanatics these days, and this seems to be a global issue not limited to Islam."
Religions lend themselves to this because "more fanatic" does equal "more religious". Secular democracy is a way of keeping the loons (be they Taliban or TaliBaptist) from ruining life for anyone not them.
Unfortunately, secular democracy isn't suitable to attacking the worst religions. Jihadism for example, does not "compete in the marketplace of ideas", but kills enemy shopkeepers and burns their stalls.
If Jihadists start to play hardball in China or Russia, they can be dealt with because counterproductive rules protecting them are not in place. In the West, the idea that all beliefs are the same thing and nothing may be judged is promoted with great fervor by those who...don't want to judge or be judged.
"That said, forcing change from the outside at gunpoint seldom works well - for any governmental system imposed"
The level of force required to break down social barriers is that we used in WWII. We cannot use that level of violence against civilians nowadays, so we cannot "break" countries as was done to Germany and Japan.
"certain types of people are somehow genetically exempt"
None of the example countries that became modern democracies were Islamic. Religion that demands theocracy cannot tolerate democracy. That isn't a genetic barrier, but a deep, superstitious cultural barrier.
Russian Communists did the right thing in attacking superstition, but the alien goal of personal rights in a culture that never valued individuals was of course overlooked. That's not genetic, but it's real.
Russian culture may be unsuited to democracy. Russia never had it, never had the cultural traditions to make it work, and has always been a harsh and brutal place.
It may be that the only way to hold Russia together and keep order is Putinism.
China is doing well without democracy, and theocratic Islam is expanding. Democracy is fine for the West and countries heavily influenced by it, but for some cultures it may not be of use.
"It simply isn't fair on the IT workforce to have to do 24x7 because management doesn't want to hire a 2nd shift. Having One or two employees for the night is not going to ruin your finance."
The reason they give you money to do a job is that it is a JOB, not "happy fun day". If you feel treated unfairly, be so capable that you can move on.
As for women or anyone else bailing out of IT, those that stay should understand that their competition is leaving. The more people that do what you do, the less what you do is worth.
As an employee, I'd rather be so rare and valuable that I have my employer by the short hairs. To hell with idealism. If I'm maintaining ANYTHING, I want to be the sole source of info on the system, document as little as possible, and generally rule the roost since no one else knows how. I'm friendly, have good social skills, humor the boss, etc. but it's all about me.
What form of law enforcement patrol do you not consider totalitarian?
They are watching public space. If a neighborhood patrol used a high vantage point and a telescope, it would simiilar but less efficient.
I will influence ME to vocally advocate a return to the custom of institutionalizing the mentally ill.
They don't get better, we don't need them on the street, and the only way to keep them in line is heavy meds and iron bars.
"I haven't tried Vista, but I'm willing to bet that most of these customers want XP since they're used to using it, not because they think Vista is worse."
If XP is good enough to get work done, it is less imperative to fork out money for another OS. While paying for software is optional for geeks, Joe Sixpack wants a return on his investment.
The Phillipines is not a rich country. This is an opportunity for people to get their skills noticed and add to their resume.
"We could have "won" if we wiped out every village the VC had ever been seen near, "
The VC didn't win the war themselves, and had largely been expended by the time the _conventional_ NVA forces crashed into the South.
The VC helped tire the US into withdrawal, even though they were used up during Tet.
Theo de Raadt:
"But software which OpenBSD uses and redistributes must be free to all (be they people or companies), for any purpose they wish to use it, including modification, use, peeing on, or even integration into baby mulching machines or atomic bombs to be dropped on Australia."
* cvs@openbsd.org mailing list, May 29, 2001
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Theo_de_Raadt
I've been maintaining USAF fighter aircraft for 26 years (last day is tomorrow), and IMO training "tractor-fixing rednecks" to use and work on modern systems is a breeze compared to most other folks.
Why? Because working on farm equipment (much of which is complex and not intuitive) teaches cool stuff like physical relationships between components.
Land Warrior may give the troops the option to be aware of some things at the price of distraction and reduced sensory ability. It may suck to wear, and it may be that they would rather have things they perceive as being more useful to them.
"Why drive a jeep into the "front lines" (not that we exactly have "front lines" anymore...) when you can drive a heavily armored tank that travels twice as fast and has a better turning radius, more stability, and more firepower..."
Because HMMWV-promoting lightfighter narcissists didn't learn from Mogadishu that light trucks die in urban combat?
Anyway, while the vehicle analogy is fine when applied to vehicles, soldier gear is carried by the trooper.
Whatever in chosen by or inflicted on him means he cannot carry something else. Gear bloat is bad. BTW, nearly all young troops play computer and/or console games. If they don't like the gear it won't be from a resistance to technology. Visit any barracks (well, dormitory nowadays) and you see plenty of tech toys.
"Bitching about newly issued equipment is army tradition."
As is issuing bitchworthy new equipment!
"One of the bulldozers uncovered the decomposing body of an enemy soldier, complete with AK47. I happened to be standing right there, looking down into the hole and pulled the AK out of the bog. "Watch this, guys," I said, "and I'll show you how a real infantry weapon works." I pulled the bolt back and fired 30 rounds -- the AK could have been cleaned that day rather than buried in glug for a year or so. That was the kind of weapon our soldiers needed, not the confidence-sapping M16."
Col.David hackworth
There are MANY technophiles in the Army, it's just that they have the odd expectation that technology they use should be simple, robust, effective, and not burdensome to the user.
"A computer-gaming Marilyn Manson obsessed repressed Islamic fundamentalist, inconsistently educated mentalist engineer with an Arabic look about him, does a lot less damage when armed with a toothpick."
If he's an engineer we might be lucky he choose the "shooting" option instead of the "jack a propane truck and have an FAE day" alternative. If one thinks about it, the amount of destruction you can (easily) cause in modern countries with found resources exceeds by far what one armed man can do solo.
"Sadly, boycotting the major labels would require more sacrifice than these kids are willing to make."
People unwilling to fight for freedom do not deserve it.