I feel exactly as the grandparent poster did. Enterprise was unmitigated shit, IMO. I faithfully have watched every incarnation of Trek, knowing some was great, most was good, and occasionally there was a stinker in the bunch. But that show was unwatchable. I suffered through the first two seasons hoping that the "creative" team could find their stride and start turning out passable television. Not so. It is a shame that it did get better towards the end because it seemed as though they were trying to polish a turd by that point and most of us who left weren't coming back.
That said, your post is condescending and unoriginal in the extreme. You clearly suffer from what I like to call "An Arrogant Trekkie Choad Who Regurgitates A Thoroughly Discredited And Tired Argument Syndrome". I liked the theme song but thought the show blew donkey dick. Other people hated the show AND hated the theme song. I don't think anyone would argue that if they had done a classical theme song in the tradition of earlier Treks, then the show would have been a smash hit. Except you.
Obviously something went horribly wrong with Enterprise that drove away legions of long-time faithful fans. If you're not discerning enough to see a reason other than a contemporary theme song, then I'm not surprised you would label a show "good television" that the rest of us consider a steaming load from Berman & Braga.
I would like to know if this is a learned behavior from an outside source or if this is simply something they have discovered on their own.
You raise an interesting and controversial question. According to an unofficial source on the research team, one of the research assistants allowed several of the chimps to use his PSP and play GTA: Liberty City Stories. Soon after, those same chimps were observed stabbing the bush babies. The source went on to say that the connection is being kept hush-hush as several people on the team are avid gamers and don't want to lend ammunition to the Lieberman argument that violent video games inspire violent behavior. Needless to say, they are very worried about what will happen if the chimps encounter any Senegali automobiles and/or hookers.
For the last year or two, I have heard rumors of "walking in EVE" gameplay. In the latest issue of E-ON and numerous EVE fansites, it seems that there is a real effort at CCP to bring humanoid character gameplay to a game that has always been ship-based. With the load problems that are still being addressed during fleet battles or heavily trafficked systems (400+ ships), does it make sense to begin exploring gameplay modes that could exacerbate a problem that is already causing much frustration in the EVE community? Also, what is the motivation behind what would be a large paradigm shift in how EVE is played? Is this an attempt to satisfy long-time players who may have grown weary of mining or ship combat? Or are you trying to attract players who prefer a World of Warcraft form of gameplay?
We're not talking about someone switching price tags. We're talking about an employee of Amazon who incorrectly priced the product in the point-of-sale system. To labor a point I've already made very clear, this is not theft by any stretch of the imagination.
Interesting quote from a woman who was an icon for an organization that promotes tithing part of one's earnings to them as "good works" that will help gain entry to a mythical afterlife and preaches morality and resistance to sin, all the while knowingly and covertly protecting pedophiles and rapists in their midst who have ruined countless lives. People may cheat you indeed.
Your analogy is completely wrong and not a relevant comparison to what happened in Amazon's case. This was not a human error (as far as a person being involved in the close of the transaction). If you want to make a point-of-sale analogy, it would have been more accurate of you to say that the POS terminal the Wal-Mart employee was using rang the price as $5 instead of $50. The human operator did not catch the difference and the customer silently and happily took a $45 discount on his merchandise. This happens all the time. Is this theft? Was anything stolen? Of course not. It is not the customer's responsibility to insure the retailer is charging the correct price. If the retailer catches it, the only discipline would be directed at the person inputing price codes in the POS system or possibly the clerk who didn't catch the mistake. Most retailers will stand by the price however, and eat the cost lest they piss off their customers.
To continue the proper analogy, retailers must retain receipts of credit transactions by law and it would be synonymous to Wal-Mart trying to bill the customer $45 after the fact unless they returned the merchandise. If this sounds like stealing to you, I suggest you go to Wal-Mart and buy a dictionary (triple-check the price they charge you though, I know you don't want to be a "thief").
I mean, why else would this aphorism exist: "Opinions are like assholes. Everyone has one."
In my experience with daily conversations among a wide cross-section of people, another version I have heard on occasion seems to be more apt: "Opinions are like assholes: Everyone has one and they all stink."
How long have people been walking around listening to Walkmans and CD players while crossing streets? Almost thirty years now? Why do people act like the iPod is the first portable music device ever created? All the problems attributed to the iPod have been around for decades already and they can be attributed to one thing: human stupidity.
Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Joe Lieberman (I-CT) have released a joint press release condemning Senator Krugar for "not going far enough in protecting our citizens from themselves". The pair promised to introduce legislation that would outlaw the practice of day-dreaming while crossing busy intersections.
"Obviously the dangers of random and creative thought are well-documented. Take the videogame industry for example. While we are working towards a comprehensive solution to this problem, this new measure will help provide immediate protection to the clear and present danger of thinking while navigating our busy cities," Lieberman said.
Experts have estimated the number of deaths last month due to day-dreaming while crossing busy intersections is in the ones to teens, nationally. Citing that figure Senator McCain stated, "That number is just too high. In a post-9/11 world, the security of the American is paramount and any threats to the safety of our citizens, even those from within, must be dealt with."
What a perfect parroting of GOP and Fox News talking points. Not only are you a fool, but you are a pussy. It takes guts to live in a country with our level of freedom. America is not for the faint of heart. Despite your overblown claims of the "threat" of terrorism, the only thing that will destroy what America stands for is babies such as yourself willing to sell out the Bill of Rights because you think it will stop some big bad Islamic boogeyman from hurting you. If you bothered to educate yourself beyond what O'Reilly and Hannity tell you to think, you might realize Bush's Iraq War is inflaming the region and giving a whole new generation of young Islamic men a whole new example of American imperialism to fight against. Stop sucking Bush's dick and go back to sucking your mommy's tit because you obviously want a mommy and daddy to keep protecting you. You ain't no American. You're a fucking pussy. Move to Britain if you can't handle the risks of freedom.
You have made a completely cogent and relevant argument in this whole ridiculous debacle. It is something that is so obvious, yet everyone seems to miss it. Thanks for bringing it to the table. I will remember your points in my future discussions of the AOMP3 topic.
Once these files have been transferred from outside sources to the agency's mainframe, Jack asks to have them downloaded to his PDA
I am constantly irritated by the incorrect use of the word "download". Requesting data to be sent from one machine to your machine is "downloading". Sending data from your machine to another machine is "uploading". I don't think Hollywood will ever understand that difference.
"What do you get when you sit 120 people in seats designed for Erkel for 4 hours with 2 bathrooms, no smoking, available alcohol, and constant cell phone use?
"You are fighting a defensive battle in the game," Frichner, whose previous company produced Bible software, said of combatting the Antichrist. "You are a sort of a freedom fighter."
To reverse the cliche, one man's freedom fighter is another man's terrorist. Personally, I don't see much difference between these Christian extremists and the Muslim extremists we're supposedly fighting in Bush's "War on Terra'". These Christians are terrorists in that the worldview they expouse is a violent one, in which non-believers are proselytized by the sword.
That said, now that they have their violent video game of Christian "love", perhaps these lunatics will leave the rest of ours alone. I'm not holding my breath though... after all, it is "do as I say, not as I do", in the bizarro world of Christianity.
It's behavioral profiling - a lot more effective than skin-based profiling.
How is it effective? In order to defeat it, all one needs to do is book a round-trip flight, purchased with a credit card, well in advance of the flight. BOOM. No more plane. The only terrorists such nonsense will stop are those who have procrastination problems.
I saw a bunch of people coming to Best Buy and picking up Gears of War. A few people made some funny remarks. One guy is like, "I hope you guys brought enough food!" Another one said, "Where is the line for PS4? Is it on the other side?"
I don't think the movie industry would be so disingenuous. At the end of the day, this is all about money. They live and breathe in fear of the faceless internet "pirate" and that fear is leading them to be their own worst enemies.
Consider that most average users want a fair price and ease of use. DRM solutions eliminate the second want and the industry's greed eliminates the first want. Everyday that passes is a day where a potential customer will turn to bittorrent and filesharing for their movie needs. "The price is that much? Fine, I'll get it for free from Pirate Bay" or "I have to download another player, can't move it to my laptop, and need to buy it again when I reinstall Windows for the fifth time this year? Fine, I'll figure out how Azureus works and get it from there" could be typical reactions to these crappy online offerings. In the long-run, they are losing more money by turning away customers by not making this cheap and easy.
All their bought-and-paid-for legislation and new DRM technologies won't change anything. They will never be able to win this war on the technological or litigious battlefields. They will only win this when they make it so easy that your grandma could use it and it wouldn't bankrupt her in the process.
But tell me that DOESN'T fuel the pedophile to eventually want to go out and get some real action on a kid?
I don't buy the "feeding the beast" argument. Do you run out and buy a Budweiser everytime you see their commercial? Of course not. You have will power and a measure of self-control over your urges. You could eliminate all the child porn, real or simulated, and you would still have pedophiles. A person can feed his or her own beast through the limitless possibilities of the human imagination. There were pedophiles prior to the internet, the TV, and even the photograph. How did they feed the beast?
"Feeding the beast" is a convenient and completely unsubstantiated argument against something. Almost anything is capable of working on our baser instincts and influencing our behavior. People are responsible for their own actions, regardless of the motivation or catalyst. As another poster pointed out, the Bible has been used to inspire and justify horrific acts of violence and subjugation over the four millenia. Even today, those extreme anti-abortionists who murder OB/GYN doctors for performing abortions use the Bible as inspiration and justification for their behavior. Would you support calls to outlaw the Bible for "feeding the beast" in those cases?
While I find simulated child-porn to be offensive, as a true freedom-loving American (not the Bush variety), I cannot think of a reason it should be outlawed. If no "actual" children are involved, the fact that most of us find it disgusting is not sufficient reason to criminalize it.
Star Trek already broke that ground by going TV-series to Movie-series spin-off to TV-series spin-off back to Movie-series spin-off. (TOS -> TOS movies -> TNG -> TNG movies)
After reading about ASBO and the linked articles from the Wiki, it sounds more like you're breeding future criminals and anti-government terrorists. Britain seems to building a police state for their children with institutionalized fear and oppression. Lots of kids get in trouble when they're young but you folks are exhibiting the kind of irrational response that I thought only my fellow Americans were capable of. Labeling children so young as "criminal" or "anti-social" for relatively minor infractions could easily become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Most kids will staighten themselves out if given the opportunity. I was a awful hellion until the age of 14 when activities and sports in my high school got me on the proper track. I can't imagine what would have happened to me had I been that same kid in this day and age.
Slashdot Mirror
That said, your post is condescending and unoriginal in the extreme. You clearly suffer from what I like to call "An Arrogant Trekkie Choad Who Regurgitates A Thoroughly Discredited And Tired Argument Syndrome". I liked the theme song but thought the show blew donkey dick. Other people hated the show AND hated the theme song. I don't think anyone would argue that if they had done a classical theme song in the tradition of earlier Treks, then the show would have been a smash hit. Except you.
Obviously something went horribly wrong with Enterprise that drove away legions of long-time faithful fans. If you're not discerning enough to see a reason other than a contemporary theme song, then I'm not surprised you would label a show "good television" that the rest of us consider a steaming load from Berman & Braga.
You raise an interesting and controversial question. According to an unofficial source on the research team, one of the research assistants allowed several of the chimps to use his PSP and play GTA: Liberty City Stories. Soon after, those same chimps were observed stabbing the bush babies. The source went on to say that the connection is being kept hush-hush as several people on the team are avid gamers and don't want to lend ammunition to the Lieberman argument that violent video games inspire violent behavior. Needless to say, they are very worried about what will happen if the chimps encounter any Senegali automobiles and/or hookers.
For the last year or two, I have heard rumors of "walking in EVE" gameplay. In the latest issue of E-ON and numerous EVE fansites, it seems that there is a real effort at CCP to bring humanoid character gameplay to a game that has always been ship-based. With the load problems that are still being addressed during fleet battles or heavily trafficked systems (400+ ships), does it make sense to begin exploring gameplay modes that could exacerbate a problem that is already causing much frustration in the EVE community? Also, what is the motivation behind what would be a large paradigm shift in how EVE is played? Is this an attempt to satisfy long-time players who may have grown weary of mining or ship combat? Or are you trying to attract players who prefer a World of Warcraft form of gameplay?
We're not talking about someone switching price tags. We're talking about an employee of Amazon who incorrectly priced the product in the point-of-sale system. To labor a point I've already made very clear, this is not theft by any stretch of the imagination.
Interesting quote from a woman who was an icon for an organization that promotes tithing part of one's earnings to them as "good works" that will help gain entry to a mythical afterlife and preaches morality and resistance to sin, all the while knowingly and covertly protecting pedophiles and rapists in their midst who have ruined countless lives. People may cheat you indeed.
To continue the proper analogy, retailers must retain receipts of credit transactions by law and it would be synonymous to Wal-Mart trying to bill the customer $45 after the fact unless they returned the merchandise. If this sounds like stealing to you, I suggest you go to Wal-Mart and buy a dictionary (triple-check the price they charge you though, I know you don't want to be a "thief").
In my experience with daily conversations among a wide cross-section of people, another version I have heard on occasion seems to be more apt: "Opinions are like assholes: Everyone has one and they all stink."
How long have people been walking around listening to Walkmans and CD players while crossing streets? Almost thirty years now? Why do people act like the iPod is the first portable music device ever created? All the problems attributed to the iPod have been around for decades already and they can be attributed to one thing: human stupidity.
Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Joe Lieberman (I-CT) have released a joint press release condemning Senator Krugar for "not going far enough in protecting our citizens from themselves". The pair promised to introduce legislation that would outlaw the practice of day-dreaming while crossing busy intersections.
"Obviously the dangers of random and creative thought are well-documented. Take the videogame industry for example. While we are working towards a comprehensive solution to this problem, this new measure will help provide immediate protection to the clear and present danger of thinking while navigating our busy cities," Lieberman said.
Experts have estimated the number of deaths last month due to day-dreaming while crossing busy intersections is in the ones to teens, nationally. Citing that figure Senator McCain stated, "That number is just too high. In a post-9/11 world, the security of the American is paramount and any threats to the safety of our citizens, even those from within, must be dealt with."
Look at the pictures posted of one of these things - they have a row of D-batteries covered in duct tape.
By that definition, then the flashlight in the trunk of my car is a bomb. Shit, I hope I don't get pulled over tonight. Guantanomo, here I come!
If we hold a press conference about a piece of guerrilla marketing that some fool mistook for a bomb, then the advertisers have already won.
Hey Boston, way to embolden the enemy. Dumbasses.
You have made a completely cogent and relevant argument in this whole ridiculous debacle. It is something that is so obvious, yet everyone seems to miss it. Thanks for bringing it to the table. I will remember your points in my future discussions of the AOMP3 topic.
I am constantly irritated by the incorrect use of the word "download". Requesting data to be sent from one machine to your machine is "downloading". Sending data from your machine to another machine is "uploading". I don't think Hollywood will ever understand that difference.
"What do you get when you sit 120 people in seats designed for Erkel for 4 hours with 2 bathrooms, no smoking, available alcohol, and constant cell phone use?
Aluminum-Tube Deathmatch at 36,000 Feet!
Premiering this July on SPIKE TV!"
What do you mean? A Dyslexic?
To reverse the cliche, one man's freedom fighter is another man's terrorist. Personally, I don't see much difference between these Christian extremists and the Muslim extremists we're supposedly fighting in Bush's "War on Terra'". These Christians are terrorists in that the worldview they expouse is a violent one, in which non-believers are proselytized by the sword.
That said, now that they have their violent video game of Christian "love", perhaps these lunatics will leave the rest of ours alone. I'm not holding my breath though... after all, it is "do as I say, not as I do", in the bizarro world of Christianity.
How is it effective? In order to defeat it, all one needs to do is book a round-trip flight, purchased with a credit card, well in advance of the flight. BOOM. No more plane. The only terrorists such nonsense will stop are those who have procrastination problems.
Are you referring to AllofMP3.com or the Recording Industry?
Who knew even gaming geeks had an underclass?
I don't think the movie industry would be so disingenuous. At the end of the day, this is all about money. They live and breathe in fear of the faceless internet "pirate" and that fear is leading them to be their own worst enemies.
Consider that most average users want a fair price and ease of use. DRM solutions eliminate the second want and the industry's greed eliminates the first want. Everyday that passes is a day where a potential customer will turn to bittorrent and filesharing for their movie needs. "The price is that much? Fine, I'll get it for free from Pirate Bay" or "I have to download another player, can't move it to my laptop, and need to buy it again when I reinstall Windows for the fifth time this year? Fine, I'll figure out how Azureus works and get it from there" could be typical reactions to these crappy online offerings. In the long-run, they are losing more money by turning away customers by not making this cheap and easy.
All their bought-and-paid-for legislation and new DRM technologies won't change anything. They will never be able to win this war on the technological or litigious battlefields. They will only win this when they make it so easy that your grandma could use it and it wouldn't bankrupt her in the process.
But tell me that DOESN'T fuel the pedophile to eventually want to go out and get some real action on a kid?
I don't buy the "feeding the beast" argument. Do you run out and buy a Budweiser everytime you see their commercial? Of course not. You have will power and a measure of self-control over your urges. You could eliminate all the child porn, real or simulated, and you would still have pedophiles. A person can feed his or her own beast through the limitless possibilities of the human imagination. There were pedophiles prior to the internet, the TV, and even the photograph. How did they feed the beast?
"Feeding the beast" is a convenient and completely unsubstantiated argument against something. Almost anything is capable of working on our baser instincts and influencing our behavior. People are responsible for their own actions, regardless of the motivation or catalyst. As another poster pointed out, the Bible has been used to inspire and justify horrific acts of violence and subjugation over the four millenia. Even today, those extreme anti-abortionists who murder OB/GYN doctors for performing abortions use the Bible as inspiration and justification for their behavior. Would you support calls to outlaw the Bible for "feeding the beast" in those cases?
While I find simulated child-porn to be offensive, as a true freedom-loving American (not the Bush variety), I cannot think of a reason it should be outlawed. If no "actual" children are involved, the fact that most of us find it disgusting is not sufficient reason to criminalize it.
Star Trek already broke that ground by going TV-series to Movie-series spin-off to TV-series spin-off back to Movie-series spin-off. (TOS -> TOS movies -> TNG -> TNG movies)
Most kids will staighten themselves out if given the opportunity. I was a awful hellion until the age of 14 when activities and sports in my high school got me on the proper track. I can't imagine what would have happened to me had I been that same kid in this day and age.
... won't someone please think of the strippers?!