Outstanding! You're absolutely right about this and the obvious corruption inherent in centralized authority. I've had this same argument with many others -- it would seem to be obvious that it's easier for massive corporations to get their way if there's one-stop-shopping in Washington, but most people seem to want a super-powerful, central government that can give them anything they want.
And as Jefferson pointed out, can also take it all away.
There's also the point that distributing government across fifty states gives us all fifty more times to find good solutions to any problem. Rather than pick one solution and apply it to every state along with the hope that it's the right choice, fifty states all seeking their own, best solution increases the chance of actually finding a solution that works. It's a political form of biological diversity.
But what about the risk of waking the sleeping race of prehistoric reptiles buried underground to hide from the impact of the moon? Surely it's too great to take!
Anonymous Coward, why do I see this in every freaking article on Slashdot?! You're always arguing with yourself like a deranged meth addict in withdrawal. Get some help, man... and stop talking to yourself. People are gonna think you're crazy!
And now the same thing is going on within the borders of the United States. Not only do we have to present identification and submit to a search when we travel by air, but Janet Napolitano has indicated that the same procedures are coming for travel by trains and buses. And given the emergence of "border checkpoints" up to 100 miles into the country from any border, it isn't going to be much longer before travel by car, bike, or foot is restricted to only those who can show identification.
For the sake of safety, of course. It's a different world since 9/11!
Of course it can! Not just good, but photorealistic if you know what you're doing!
Re:Just in time!
on
Blender 3D 2.49
·
· Score: 2, Interesting
Absolutely. I no longer pay any attention to documentation that isn't 2.5+ specific. It's hard enough overcoming years of muscle-memory working with the pre-2.5 versions without having to learn anything new and then immediately re-learn it to put it to use.
One good resource is Blender Cookie which has scores of excellent video tutorials and regular updates. An excellent resource for any aspiring CG artist looking to learn to use the newest versions of Blender.
Actually, if you look into the Terry Schiavo case, you'll find that a lot of her brain was still intact, including portions responsible for personality and memory. The brain isn't a homogeneous structure, but a series of complicated parts layered over each other. While it looks like about 70-80% of her brain was liquefied, any (currently nonexistent) treatment that somehow restored the damaged regions and allowed her to start functioning again would have unknown implications for her personality. Certainly, there'd be changes. But "best you've done is manufactured a new person from spare parts" is both speculative and hyperbolic.
But you've completely missed my point in the first place. The "sanctity of life" isn't based in one simple philosophy that can be dismissed as mythological simply because "pro-lifers" are inconvenient to your enlightened preferences. There are folks who think a living, human embryo is a living human being. There are folks that think a brain-dead patient is a tragedy, but still a living human being. There are people who accept that an embryo lacks psychological characteristics of a fully developed human, but still see late-term abortions as murder. And there's a whole continuum of other ideas tangled up this issue. While you've clearly positioned yourself as philosophically superior to each of these individual camps, you're going to find that if you dismiss each group that doesn't agree with you, you'll quickly whittle yourself into such a minority that you'll have no political support for your refined wisdom.
And that's what's at work here: politics. You don't get to choose for the rest of us what's right and wrong. We all do, together, and you get to suck it up and go along with us. You're welcomed to rant and rave about superstitions and brain-dead patients all you want, but, like I said, as long as you chase off everyone else who supports you, you're not going to get anything done but make lone posts on a discussion board somewhere with all the effectiveness of a self-ostracized malcontent. "But without falling back on spirituality..." -- is the core of your problem on this issue: politically, you don't get to disenfranchise the religious of their spirituality just because they honestly and fervently believe that killing human embryos is against the wishes of some gray-whiskered old fart in the sky. They are going to write letters, vote for representatives, and get legislation that enforces their beliefs. Because of 1st amendment guarantees, everyone gets to do that, regardless of what you or anyone else thinks of their reasoning.
Person-to-person, just between you and me? I'd hate to see those embryos wasted, and this seems like a perfect use of them given that they aren't likely to ever get the chance to develop into cooing, giggling, drooling little babies anyway. But I'd also have reservations against instituting any sort of assembly-line process that funds the production of embryos solely for their use in scientific research or pharmaceutical production. That's moving in to Soylent Green territory, and most people think that's creepy.
So I suppose we should keep the shell that once held a now-dead brain alive via life support for as long as possible? I mean, according to your definition it's a human life, right? It still has "a unique DNA sequence". So "pulling the plug" should be universally wrong, period.
Is it really so hard for you to see why some people might not see anything wrong with that statement? That treatments may yet become available that will someday restore that person to life? You should go back and have a look at the Terri Schiavo case. Or -- arguing from more of a continuum of gray areas -- that perhaps the destruction of an embryo that could become a fully functional human being today is unsavory for a variety of ethical reasons that don't necessarily share common territory with allowing a brain-dead patient to stop being a burden on perpetually grieving families.
You're going to find a large range of positions both pro and against embryonic stem cell research, and it's a lot more complicated than a mis-characterization that it's just them stupid Christians agin us smart atheists. Oversimplifying this issue only marginalizes groups that don't conveniently fit within your model, and they aren't likely to sit quietly in a corner just to be nice.
"Riot" was slang for fun or funny. Such vernacularisms often appear confusing or even contradictory in meaning to the uninitiated, and thus their use demonstrates a deliberate attempt to exclude outsiders from a particular community. Slang and similar sociolects also serve to bind sociological groups together by allowing such groups to participate in a shared culture.
I'd be up for a RAID array of solid state lungs if they're more efficient than normal lungs. Up to now, I've been hoping for re-engineered lungs based on those used by birds. I figure the high-efficiency of bird lungs will allow me to opt for smaller lungs and then give me room for a second heart (because it just doesn't make sense to have only one organ doing such an important job). Now with hyper-efficient lungs and two hearts spreading all that oxygenated blood through my circulatory system, I expect to be extra alert and a bit more sharp. Then I'll finally be able to figure out how to make my garden shed bigger on the inside. WHO knows where that could lead!
What if I -- assuming I were a terrorist or one of the other monsters-under-the-bed these legislators are trying to scare us with -- kill the teenager and just steal his phone regardless of the calling plan? As a corpse, he won't be reporting it stolen, and his parents are likely to keep the phone in service for a while in the hopes that dear Billy will call home eventually. I could collect several phones this way and even pull the batteries until just before I'm ready to blow up a building, score a big drug sale, rat on a local government official anonymously, or otherwise do something terrible.
Slashdot Mirror
Outstanding! You're absolutely right about this and the obvious corruption inherent in centralized authority. I've had this same argument with many others -- it would seem to be obvious that it's easier for massive corporations to get their way if there's one-stop-shopping in Washington, but most people seem to want a super-powerful, central government that can give them anything they want.
And as Jefferson pointed out, can also take it all away.
There's also the point that distributing government across fifty states gives us all fifty more times to find good solutions to any problem. Rather than pick one solution and apply it to every state along with the hope that it's the right choice, fifty states all seeking their own, best solution increases the chance of actually finding a solution that works. It's a political form of biological diversity.
A weird coincidence ... if that.
Trend of strong to violent tornadoes 1950 - 2007 courtesy of NOAA.
But what about the risk of waking the sleeping race of prehistoric reptiles buried underground to hide from the impact of the moon? Surely it's too great to take!
Anonymous Coward, why do I see this in every freaking article on Slashdot?! You're always arguing with yourself like a deranged meth addict in withdrawal. Get some help, man ... and stop talking to yourself. People are gonna think you're crazy!
I'll be in mah bunk.
Wouldn't the host's body act like a Faraday cage?
I wish you'd stop arguing with yourself. It's ... weird.
I did. At least until you pointed it out. May the Moderation Gods smile upon your Karma.
And now the same thing is going on within the borders of the United States. Not only do we have to present identification and submit to a search when we travel by air, but Janet Napolitano has indicated that the same procedures are coming for travel by trains and buses. And given the emergence of "border checkpoints" up to 100 miles into the country from any border, it isn't going to be much longer before travel by car, bike, or foot is restricted to only those who can show identification.
For the sake of safety, of course. It's a different world since 9/11!
It's a different world since 1776, too.
Then do us both a favor and bring me along with you ... I have some personal fantasies about things I'd like to see happen to them!
The malformed URL in the above post should have pointed to Blender Cookie.
Of course it can! Not just good, but photorealistic if you know what you're doing!
Absolutely. I no longer pay any attention to documentation that isn't 2.5+ specific. It's hard enough overcoming years of muscle-memory working with the pre-2.5 versions without having to learn anything new and then immediately re-learn it to put it to use.
One good resource is Blender Cookie which has scores of excellent video tutorials and regular updates. An excellent resource for any aspiring CG artist looking to learn to use the newest versions of Blender.
Oh you're just jealous. Here, sit down and have some roast pork.
I made it myself.
Actually, if you look into the Terry Schiavo case, you'll find that a lot of her brain was still intact, including portions responsible for personality and memory. The brain isn't a homogeneous structure, but a series of complicated parts layered over each other. While it looks like about 70-80% of her brain was liquefied, any (currently nonexistent) treatment that somehow restored the damaged regions and allowed her to start functioning again would have unknown implications for her personality. Certainly, there'd be changes. But "best you've done is manufactured a new person from spare parts" is both speculative and hyperbolic.
But you've completely missed my point in the first place. The "sanctity of life" isn't based in one simple philosophy that can be dismissed as mythological simply because "pro-lifers" are inconvenient to your enlightened preferences. There are folks who think a living, human embryo is a living human being. There are folks that think a brain-dead patient is a tragedy, but still a living human being. There are people who accept that an embryo lacks psychological characteristics of a fully developed human, but still see late-term abortions as murder. And there's a whole continuum of other ideas tangled up this issue. While you've clearly positioned yourself as philosophically superior to each of these individual camps, you're going to find that if you dismiss each group that doesn't agree with you, you'll quickly whittle yourself into such a minority that you'll have no political support for your refined wisdom.
And that's what's at work here: politics. You don't get to choose for the rest of us what's right and wrong. We all do, together, and you get to suck it up and go along with us. You're welcomed to rant and rave about superstitions and brain-dead patients all you want, but, like I said, as long as you chase off everyone else who supports you, you're not going to get anything done but make lone posts on a discussion board somewhere with all the effectiveness of a self-ostracized malcontent. "But without falling back on spirituality..." -- is the core of your problem on this issue: politically, you don't get to disenfranchise the religious of their spirituality just because they honestly and fervently believe that killing human embryos is against the wishes of some gray-whiskered old fart in the sky. They are going to write letters, vote for representatives, and get legislation that enforces their beliefs. Because of 1st amendment guarantees, everyone gets to do that, regardless of what you or anyone else thinks of their reasoning.
Person-to-person, just between you and me? I'd hate to see those embryos wasted, and this seems like a perfect use of them given that they aren't likely to ever get the chance to develop into cooing, giggling, drooling little babies anyway. But I'd also have reservations against instituting any sort of assembly-line process that funds the production of embryos solely for their use in scientific research or pharmaceutical production. That's moving in to Soylent Green territory, and most people think that's creepy.
No, it's more like pork, with a slight hint of veal.
So I suppose we should keep the shell that once held a now-dead brain alive via life support for as long as possible? I mean, according to your definition it's a human life, right? It still has "a unique DNA sequence". So "pulling the plug" should be universally wrong, period.
Is it really so hard for you to see why some people might not see anything wrong with that statement? That treatments may yet become available that will someday restore that person to life? You should go back and have a look at the Terri Schiavo case. Or -- arguing from more of a continuum of gray areas -- that perhaps the destruction of an embryo that could become a fully functional human being today is unsavory for a variety of ethical reasons that don't necessarily share common territory with allowing a brain-dead patient to stop being a burden on perpetually grieving families.
You're going to find a large range of positions both pro and against embryonic stem cell research, and it's a lot more complicated than a mis-characterization that it's just them stupid Christians agin us smart atheists. Oversimplifying this issue only marginalizes groups that don't conveniently fit within your model, and they aren't likely to sit quietly in a corner just to be nice.
How many of those IVF treatments are funded by the federal government?
Herbert.
We reach, brother.
"Riot" was slang for fun or funny. Such vernacularisms often appear confusing or even contradictory in meaning to the uninitiated, and thus their use demonstrates a deliberate attempt to exclude outsiders from a particular community. Slang and similar sociolects also serve to bind sociological groups together by allowing such groups to participate in a shared culture.
I'd be up for a RAID array of solid state lungs if they're more efficient than normal lungs. Up to now, I've been hoping for re-engineered lungs based on those used by birds. I figure the high-efficiency of bird lungs will allow me to opt for smaller lungs and then give me room for a second heart (because it just doesn't make sense to have only one organ doing such an important job). Now with hyper-efficient lungs and two hearts spreading all that oxygenated blood through my circulatory system, I expect to be extra alert and a bit more sharp. Then I'll finally be able to figure out how to make my garden shed bigger on the inside. WHO knows where that could lead!
Let the record show that I do not know Commodore64_love and that I am in no way involved with any enterprise or activity he pursues.
Plutonium.
GPL doesn't work like that.
What if I -- assuming I were a terrorist or one of the other monsters-under-the-bed these legislators are trying to scare us with -- kill the teenager and just steal his phone regardless of the calling plan? As a corpse, he won't be reporting it stolen, and his parents are likely to keep the phone in service for a while in the hopes that dear Billy will call home eventually. I could collect several phones this way and even pull the batteries until just before I'm ready to blow up a building, score a big drug sale, rat on a local government official anonymously, or otherwise do something terrible.