While working on an embedded printer driver board, I had just burned new firmware and installed it, tested it, and, because we had had an incident where the internals of another printer had melted together, left it off and unplugged. Five minutes later one of the applications programmers came storming into my office claiming that my new firmware was crap. I calmly walked back out to the lab, looked over the machine, and commented "it works better if you plug it in..."
Actually Verizon is already trying to head off competition from VOIP services by offering a "Freedom" package (I don't know what the other Baby Bells are doing) which includes DSL, unlimited local and long distance for a set price (wireless as well.) I expect that this is to stop encroachment of VOIP into the lower end of the market (residential / small business.)
I did a google on "toynbee tile". Some of the hits are web pages referencing Toynbee with the word "tile" randomly inserted here and there. For example, http://www.victorianlondon.org/education/toynbee.h tm has "They welcomed, therefore, tile proposal for a settlement"
I agree with your point, but don't like the fact that you singled out the "right wing". The reason laws like this get passed is this country believes in freedom and free speech for mebut not for you. Both the left and right wings (and the middle too:) find it easier to try to censor their opponent's opinions than engage in open and free debate. Gee, if that happened people might actually find common ground and agree on what needs to be done. This point was hammered home by a book called Free Speech for Me, But Not For Thee: How The American Left And Right Relentlessly Censor Each Other by Nat Hentoff (Out of Print, ISBN: 0-06-019006-X, try your library)
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While working on an embedded printer driver board, I had just burned new firmware and installed it, tested it, and, because we had had an incident where the internals of another printer had melted together, left it off and unplugged. Five minutes later one of the applications programmers came storming into my office claiming that my new firmware was crap. I calmly walked back out to the lab, looked over the machine, and commented "it works better if you plug it in..."
Actually Verizon is already trying to head off competition from VOIP services by offering a "Freedom" package (I don't know what the other Baby Bells are doing) which includes DSL, unlimited local and long distance for a set price (wireless as well.) I expect that this is to stop encroachment of VOIP into the lower end of the market (residential / small business.)
I looked at the other posts and decided my subject didn't differentiate my post from people with pointers to toynbee.net
I did a google on "toynbee tile". Some of the hits are web pages referencing Toynbee with the word "tile" randomly inserted here and there. For example, http://www.victorianlondon.org/education/toynbee.h tm has "They welcomed, therefore, tile proposal for a settlement"
I agree with your point, but don't like the fact that you singled out the "right wing". The reason laws like this get passed is this country believes in freedom and free speech for me but not for you. Both the left and right wings (and the middle too :) find it easier to try to censor their opponent's opinions than engage in open and free debate. Gee, if that happened people might actually find common ground and agree on what needs to be done. This point was hammered home by a book called Free Speech for Me, But Not For Thee: How The American Left And Right Relentlessly Censor Each Other by Nat Hentoff (Out of Print, ISBN: 0-06-019006-X, try your library)