I sorta buy it, judging from my recent trip to Paris.
Refelctions from a guy who lived there for a year:
Breakfast bread is loaded with butter and oil. Croissants are essentially sticks of butter that get transmogrified into pastry.
Lunch is considerably more involved than salad and/or bread, especially for the one or two Parisians that hold down a job. If said job requires a degree of client interaction, you can be assured of regular large meals at lunchtime--business and food are intertwined. Even the techs and peons take healthy lunches, though. Since it's techinically illegal to eat or drink at your desk, virtually everybody goes to the cafeteria/brasserie for lunch, and virtually everyone chows down on what would be a very generous lunch by many American standards (1/4 roasted chicken, a big pile o' fries, and creme caramel, for example, is a fairly common lunch.)
Sandwiches are indeed universally big. If you get a crepe or a sandwich grec, you're looking at an even more caloric/fat-filled experience.
You're dead on about dinners--even when my wife and I ate in without guests, we'd generally make dinner the focal point of the evening--prep, eating, enjoying a bottle of cheap, tasty wine, and long conversation. (It's a habit we've brought back to the States with us.)
Cassoulet is the nectar of the gods.
There are indeed fat people in Paris, and there are indeed many places to buy "normal" and "large" clothing in Paris. Tati springs immediately to mind as a prime example, as do any number of shops at Les Halles and La Defense. Tourists generally aren't going to go to these places, though, as they're crowded shopping malls that don't feature anything terribly special.
If you leave Paris, you'll begin to see "larger" people more often. I suspect this has something to do with the mad amount of walking you need to do in Paris, coupled with the stress of living there and the added energy you body uses to combat the chonically bad air in the city.
Go to a restaurant in Europe, and the portions are about a third of what they would be in America.
...Unless, of course, you go to Hungary. (Meat, meat and meat with a side of goulash, all liberally covered with paprika. Mmm...)
Or Germany. (Or perhaps a nice ham hock, with sauerkraut and mashed peas and a beer that takes two hands to lift.)
Or Greece. (Olive oil, with a side of feta cheese and leg of lamb...)
Or England. (Fish, chips, and--oh, what the heck! Another pint! And that quivering blob soaking in grease, please!)
Or Spain. (Tapas! Tapas! Tapas! Perhaps...more tapas? Yes--It's only 4:30 AM!)
Or France. (Please, enjoy this perfectly reasonably-sized entree. It will be followed by a perfectly reasonably-sized plat, which will be followed in turn by a perfectly reasonably-sized salad, which will be followed in turn by a perfectly reasonably-sized cheese plate, which will be followed in turn by a perfectly reasonably-sized dessert. Kir, Wine, Wine, Congac, and Wine will be served.)
Or Italy. (As with France, but with first and second main courses! In your face, France!)
Or the Czech Republic. (Dumplings, meat, and beer that flows like the Vltava!)
Now, it's perfectly true that my fellow Merrikins eat out waaaay too often, far more frequently than your average European. It's also true that the average American gets a lot less exercise than the average European. I'd also wager that the average American eats far more processed/pre-prepared food than the average European; since most pre-fab food is both high in fat and far less tasty and satisfying than a properly-prepared meal, we get the double-whammy of high-fat diets and snacking desires. That, and we drink way too much [pop|soda|Coke] here.
But to claim that restaurant portions in Europe are smaller? I don't buy it, not for a second.
Life means, we have a right to be secure. It's the job of our govt. to enforce this right.
Liberty is second to life but above all others. What kind of liberty does a dead-man enjoy?
Happiness is third. I can't be that happy if I have to worry about terrorism killing a loved one and I'm not free (liberated).
Each of these rights are inalienable rights. How can one inalienable right be more important than another?
Declaring that any one of these rights is higher than another is a dangerous game, as it introduces the concept that the other two can be marginalized for the sake of bolstering the one.
It doesn't work that way.
You (and I) each have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Actually being happy is the sole responsability of the individual. That you lose happiness over worrying about terrorist attacks is not the government's fault; what could the government do to actually make every American happy?
What am I willing to die for?
Not much as I'm a coward (though not anonymous).
Then, sadly, you will always be subject to the will of those who are willing to die for greater causes. The sheep do not guide the shepard, nor do they eat the wolf.
One of the quotables by Vint with regard to security reads 'We're building in security from end to end,' he says, 'because we don't need headlines saying, '15-year-old takes over Mars.
"...and we're collaborating with Worldcom because we want headlines saying:
Profits From Interplanetary Internet Exceed Wildest Expectations "Hot Stock! Buy Now!" Say Analysts
Overheard whilst trying to assemble a (Zero) Wing Chair:
"HOW ARE YOU GENTLEMEN."
"Uhh...fine?"
"ALL YOUR BASE ARE BELONG TO US."
"Lesse...um...base...base...Ah! Here it is. OK, do I attach the Main Column (E) to the Base (A)?"
"YOU KNOW WHAT YOU DOING."
"Great...OK...now I put the Main Screen (F) here...and the Zigs (M) go...here?"
"MOVE ZIG."
"Oh...here?"
"MOVE ZIG."
"Umm...er...here?"
"TAKE OFF EVERY ZIG."
"No, wait! It goes here, right? Or here?"
"SOMEONE SET UP US THE BOMB."
"Oh, c'mon, It's not that screwed up. Just lemme get my drill...and a hot glue gun..."
"HA HA HA HA."
You're right, and I apologize for failing to make this simple observation at the time of my post. It's such an easy mindframe to slip into, at times. The first generation of AIDS victims did indeed fall to infection seemingly out of the blue, and certainly had no way of knowingly avoiding infection.
I posted out of frustration at the fact that the AIDS epidemic is showing every sign of spiralling out of control, and that this epidemic will be aided every step of the way by undereducation, religious agendas, poverty, politics, and ignorance.
Illnesses seem a bit "different", though. Wars are arguably preventable, illnesses kinda just happen.
Meaning absolutely no disrespect to either you or your late uncle, AIDS does not "kinda just happen"; nor, for that matter, do many other illnesses.
The vast majority of AIDS cases stem from sexual activity and shared needles. It is conceivable that, given enough education, focus and effort, AIDS could be effectively eradicated in the span of a couple of generations with technology that is currently available. AIDS is not something that just kinda turns up in your system one fine morning; is an epidemic that can be effectively prevented with some very basic safeguards.
Again, I say this neither to inflict pain nor insult on you and your family. Rather, I say this to combat the notion that AIDS "just kinda happens", a view that will cause more harm than comfort in the long run.
Looking closely...
on
Want Freedom?
·
· Score: 4, Interesting
In reading through the survey results, the following struck me as interesting.
The question the article makes a lot of noise over (question 2.) Question 2 is basically a recitation of the text of the first amendment, followed by the text:
"Based on your own feelings about the
First Amendment, please tell me whether you agree or
disagree with the following statement: The First Amendment goes too far in the rights it guarantees.'
In this context, more people agreed than disagreed (by 2 points) that the First Amendment goes to far.
Now, if you look at questions 3-9, each of which ask the interviewee to rate the importance of each freedom guaranteed by the First Amendment individually, there's a solid and vociferous defense for the freedoms guaranteed (on average, between 65% and 80% of people feel that any given freedom is 'essential'.)
What does this tell us? It tells me that there is an effective lobby against "The First Amendment", and that, when the freedoms are disassociated from "The First Amendment", Americans are rabidly supportive of their First Amendment rights. This leads me to hope that, while First Amendment attacks are en vogue in a number of circles today, that the people will lash back should the Frist Amendment face too concerted of an attack.
If we want to draw attention to the erosion of First Amendment rights, we need to step away from the "XXXXX is taking away our First Amendment rights" argument and approach the problem from an "XXXXX is taking away your (right to assemble/right to practice religion/right to privacy/right to speak your mind)."
Sadly, it seems that people cherish the First Amendment considerably less than they cherish the rights that amendment provides.
(My views are my own. They do not reflect those of my employer. I am not a real political analyst, I just work with them.)
[Isn't a sign of the times...] and of our continuing infantilism that our political views are expressed through games?
Oh, I don't know. I much prefer political views expressed through games than, say, political views expressed through Dick Cheney.
On a bit of a tangent, I'm waiting in horror for the day when Cheney comes storming up to the podium, sweating like a pig, chanting and clapping:
"in-VADE-Iraq! in-VADE-Iraq! Say it with me! in-VADE-Iraq! in-VADE-Iraq! in-VADE-Iraq! in-VADE-Iraq! in-VADE-Iraq! in-VADE-Iraq! in-VADE-Iraq! Whoooooo!!! Yeahhh!!!"
The patent encumbrance of MP3 codecs has worried Free software enthusiasts for a long time; if the recent wording change represents no change in policy, it seems that they really have been right all along.
...and yet, Free software enthusiasts have used MP3 for a long time, knowing full well that it was a proprietary format.
In all honesty, was it not perfectly apparent from the outset that MP3 was very much a proprietary, owned format? Did anyone with brains enough to write MP3 code ever think that MP3 = Free Software/OSS?
MP3 is a proprietary format. MP3 has always been a proprietary format. Did you think that a bunch of geeks wishing really, really hard and writing lots of really cool Free apps would somehow change this fact? Are you really just coming to this startling realization?
Ugh. Cyber dream home, indeed. More like (in my best world-expo style announcer voice) "House...of the future!"
First off: they're using a stylus for the main control panels? Does the designer of this brilliantly planned system use salad tongs to throw light switches in his current house or something?
"You can control your temperature of the flat, you can control lighting..."
Hey, they're onto something here! A method for controlling lighting--patent it while it's hot, lads! And controlling the temperature of one's flat? Sheer brilliance! Can I do all of this with the same stylus, as well??
"If you have a party, and want to control your music sound, you would basically be able to press [a few central] switches instead of walking around the whole flat."
Well hell, looks like I should have held off on buying that "Walk around my whole flat" stereo control system. Of course, I still get a good workout when setting the equalizer...
"The Internet fridge"
I stopped reading the article right here. Anything that talks about the Internet Fridge is doomed to failure. It's like the Goodwin's Law for overuse of technology.
new grassroot network springing up...olden days of the Internet...Free speech, free information are the key features, but I wonder if this is jsut another free DDoS drone as well.
...what, you think they've already set up their own version of Slashdot?
Tim O'Reilly Bashes Open Source Efforts in Govt???
You fscking twit.
Had you even read/bothered to comprehend the submitter's blurb you would have seen that O'Reilly is advocating a non-preferential approach to software selection. He wants a level playing field. Period. He wants to avoid launching the Open Source world into the same shitty realm of back-slapping, handshaking, sure-thing-old-chum crap that we're fighting against right now.
He is not Bashing Open Source Efforts. Ye gads, why on earth are you slandering Tim O'Reilly, of all people? He's on our side!
Would you please, please, please show a modicum of journalistic integrity, and make at least a cursory effort towards real reporting?
Re:These are sooooo last millenium...
on
Gyroscopic Mouse
·
· Score: 1
Do you remember the optical mice of that same time period? I ask because you could say the exact same thing about optical mice, provided you hadn't used a new one.
...I don't doubt that there have been advances for gyro mice in the past two years, but I do remember the optical mice of the same time period as being quite nice, and the gyro mouse I was using was brand-spankin' new...
These are sooooo last millenium...
on
Gyroscopic Mouse
·
· Score: 2
These have been around for a while--I remember using a gyroscopic mouse in a training room once back in late 1999/early 2000. It was nifty, but there were some issues with drift and sensitivity of the gyros. Trying to point with it was like trying to eat with a chopstick in each hand--clunky, awkward, and while you got the sense that enough practice would make you reasonably good at using it, it really wasn't worth the effort. In all, a cute little gadget, but of pretty limited use (not much beyond PowerPointing...)
The owner is responsible even if the face of the driver is clearly visible and clearly not the owner...The person who gets fined is the owner of the car, not necessarily the driver.
I don't consider this implementation of the law a good one. There are jurisdictions where the driver's face must be identifiable, a far better implementation than Maryland's version. That said, there is something to be said for exercising prudence in whom you loan your car out to.
I have no idea what brought on this non-sequitur. The only response it merits is that you make too many assumptions.
Perhaps I went overboard with the bile, but it's no non-sequitur. Are you suggesting that racial profiling isn't one of the biggest civil rights issues facing law enforcement today? Remove the human from a citation and you remove the racial profiling, and the attitudes that fuel racial profiling are, sadly, very much alive and well today. There's an overwhelming sense of traffic laws/speeding laws as being for 'the other guy', and an automated citation system would force people to dramatically change both their driving style and their attitude towards road laws.
I refuse to apologize for demanding that statutes on the books as criminal (albeit summary) offenses be enforced as criminal offenses and not as regulatory violations. It is shockingly unfair to my sense of justice to change the rules so dramatically and to remove the protections enjoyed by the accused.
But by automating the system, you're dealing with a major problem with how we do things now: currently, the accused are prejudicially selected to begin with! I won't say that an automated system is the perfect solution, but I -do- think it's a step in the right direction.
(P.S. Maryland? No wonder. I walk to and from the Metro along Wisconsin Avenue in Maryland every day. Traffic in MD is scary and pretty much anarchistic; the few red light cameras there are do an excellent job of keeping assholes from running reds at those particular stoplights. I would -love- to see -any- kind of enforcement of traffic laws around here, automated or otherwise!)
The way to pay for this fancy new traffic monitoring is clearly to send tickets to everyone that goes from point A to point B in less time than it should take per the posted speed limit. Considering that we already have automatic red light and speeding traffic tickets (no police intervention required!), this seems like the next step for the "coddle you to death" bureaucrats to take.
Yeah, nothing like taking steps toward reliable, equitable enforcement of existing laws. Just think, you could suddenly start receiving tickets for breaking speed limit laws every time you break speed limit laws! Those fucking bureaucrats!
How the hell is some automated timer system supposed to differentiate between you, a good, God-fearin', tax-payin', hard-workin' Merr-kinn in a nice new Ford Explorer and that damned migrant worker in the shitbox VW Minibus?
It's a slippery slope. Next thing you know, they'll be enforcing all the laws on the books in an equitable, reliable manner, and all us decent folk will get sent upriver, too!
Come on! They must be leaving out ALL kinds of information here!
We're talking about USA Today here. You know, the "All The News That's Fit To Distill Into Cute Little Piture Graphs Somewhere Beneath The Full-Color Ads That Run At The Top Of The Front Page Every Fscking Day"-paper.
Be thankful that it was at least a favorable mangling of facts...
I agree peer to peer should allow us to pay if we CHOOSE to pay, If i listen to a song I like i should be able to push a button, and 25 cents should go DIRECTLY to the musician who made that song, no RIAA, no middleman, DIRECT payment via paypal or some other system not built yet.
Umm...dude? Paypal is -- wait for it -- a third party. Some Other System Not Built Yet, unless either you or the artist in question ran it personally, would also be a third party system.
Since you want your push-button system that can deliver twenty-five cents on demand to whichever artist you choose, you'll probably want to build and maintain it yourself. You may want to consider using a Very Large Quarter Catapult, a Good Pair of Running Shoes, or even possibly an Envelope Bearing The Artist's Name And Address With Proper Postage And A Check Enclosed Which You Then Carry All The Way To A Mailbox, You Lazy Cretin.
Wait, no, that last one would go through a third party. My bad.
Slashdot Mirror
Refelctions from a guy who lived there for a year:
- Breakfast bread is loaded with butter and oil. Croissants are essentially sticks of butter that get transmogrified into pastry.
- Lunch is considerably more involved than salad and/or bread, especially for the one or two Parisians that hold down a job. If said job requires a degree of client interaction, you can be assured of regular large meals at lunchtime--business and food are intertwined. Even the techs and peons take healthy lunches, though. Since it's techinically illegal to eat or drink at your desk, virtually everybody goes to the cafeteria/brasserie for lunch, and virtually everyone chows down on what would be a very generous lunch by many American standards (1/4 roasted chicken, a big pile o' fries, and creme caramel, for example, is a fairly common lunch.)
- Sandwiches are indeed universally big. If you get a crepe or a sandwich grec, you're looking at an even more caloric/fat-filled experience.
- You're dead on about dinners--even when my wife and I ate in without guests, we'd generally make dinner the focal point of the evening--prep, eating, enjoying a bottle of cheap, tasty wine, and long conversation. (It's a habit we've brought back to the States with us.)
- Cassoulet is the nectar of the gods.
- There are indeed fat people in Paris, and there are indeed many places to buy "normal" and "large" clothing in Paris. Tati springs immediately to mind as a prime example, as do any number of shops at Les Halles and La Defense. Tourists generally aren't going to go to these places, though, as they're crowded shopping malls that don't feature anything terribly special.
- If you leave Paris, you'll begin to see "larger" people more often. I suspect this has something to do with the mad amount of walking you need to do in Paris, coupled with the stress of living there and the added energy you body uses to combat the chonically bad air in the city.
Cordially,American AC in Paris
Simple as that.
Psssh--I bet you're still using one of those piddly 5-liter mugs, aren't you?
Or Germany. (Or perhaps a nice ham hock, with sauerkraut and mashed peas and a beer that takes two hands to lift.)
Or Greece. (Olive oil, with a side of feta cheese and leg of lamb...)
Or England. (Fish, chips, and--oh, what the heck! Another pint! And that quivering blob soaking in grease, please!)
Or Spain. (Tapas! Tapas! Tapas! Perhaps...more tapas? Yes--It's only 4:30 AM!)
Or France. (Please, enjoy this perfectly reasonably-sized entree. It will be followed by a perfectly reasonably-sized plat, which will be followed in turn by a perfectly reasonably-sized salad, which will be followed in turn by a perfectly reasonably-sized cheese plate, which will be followed in turn by a perfectly reasonably-sized dessert. Kir, Wine, Wine, Congac, and Wine will be served.)
Or Italy. (As with France, but with first and second main courses! In your face, France!)
Or the Czech Republic. (Dumplings, meat, and beer that flows like the Vltava!)
Now, it's perfectly true that my fellow Merrikins eat out waaaay too often, far more frequently than your average European. It's also true that the average American gets a lot less exercise than the average European. I'd also wager that the average American eats far more processed/pre-prepared food than the average European; since most pre-fab food is both high in fat and far less tasty and satisfying than a properly-prepared meal, we get the double-whammy of high-fat diets and snacking desires. That, and we drink way too much [pop|soda|Coke] here.
But to claim that restaurant portions in Europe are smaller? I don't buy it, not for a second.
Liberty is second to life but above all others. What kind of liberty does a dead-man enjoy?
Happiness is third. I can't be that happy if I have to worry about terrorism killing a loved one and I'm not free (liberated).
Each of these rights are inalienable rights. How can one inalienable right be more important than another?
Declaring that any one of these rights is higher than another is a dangerous game, as it introduces the concept that the other two can be marginalized for the sake of bolstering the one. It doesn't work that way.
You (and I) each have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Actually being happy is the sole responsability of the individual. That you lose happiness over worrying about terrorist attacks is not the government's fault; what could the government do to actually make every American happy?
What am I willing to die for?
Not much as I'm a coward (though not anonymous).
Then, sadly, you will always be subject to the will of those who are willing to die for greater causes. The sheep do not guide the shepard, nor do they eat the wolf.
"...and we're collaborating with Worldcom because we want headlines saying:
Profits From Interplanetary Internet Exceed Wildest Expectations
"Hot Stock! Buy Now!" Say Analysts
"HOW ARE YOU GENTLEMEN."
"Uhh...fine?"
"ALL YOUR BASE ARE BELONG TO US."
"Lesse...um...base...base...Ah! Here it is. OK, do I attach the Main Column (E) to the Base (A)?"
"YOU KNOW WHAT YOU DOING."
"Great...OK...now I put the Main Screen (F) here...and the Zigs (M) go...here?"
"MOVE ZIG."
"Oh...here?"
"MOVE ZIG."
"Umm...er...here?"
"TAKE OFF EVERY ZIG."
"No, wait! It goes here, right? Or here?"
"SOMEONE SET UP US THE BOMB."
"Oh, c'mon, It's not that screwed up. Just lemme get my drill...and a hot glue gun..."
"HA HA HA HA."
I posted out of frustration at the fact that the AIDS epidemic is showing every sign of spiralling out of control, and that this epidemic will be aided every step of the way by undereducation, religious agendas, poverty, politics, and ignorance.
Meaning absolutely no disrespect to either you or your late uncle, AIDS does not "kinda just happen"; nor, for that matter, do many other illnesses.
The vast majority of AIDS cases stem from sexual activity and shared needles. It is conceivable that, given enough education, focus and effort, AIDS could be effectively eradicated in the span of a couple of generations with technology that is currently available. AIDS is not something that just kinda turns up in your system one fine morning; is an epidemic that can be effectively prevented with some very basic safeguards.
Again, I say this neither to inflict pain nor insult on you and your family. Rather, I say this to combat the notion that AIDS "just kinda happens", a view that will cause more harm than comfort in the long run.
The question the article makes a lot of noise over (question 2.) Question 2 is basically a recitation of the text of the first amendment, followed by the text:
"Based on your own feelings about the First Amendment, please tell me whether you agree or disagree with the following statement: The First Amendment goes too far in the rights it guarantees.'
In this context, more people agreed than disagreed (by 2 points) that the First Amendment goes to far.
Now, if you look at questions 3-9, each of which ask the interviewee to rate the importance of each freedom guaranteed by the First Amendment individually, there's a solid and vociferous defense for the freedoms guaranteed (on average, between 65% and 80% of people feel that any given freedom is 'essential'.)
What does this tell us? It tells me that there is an effective lobby against "The First Amendment", and that, when the freedoms are disassociated from "The First Amendment", Americans are rabidly supportive of their First Amendment rights. This leads me to hope that, while First Amendment attacks are en vogue in a number of circles today, that the people will lash back should the Frist Amendment face too concerted of an attack.
If we want to draw attention to the erosion of First Amendment rights, we need to step away from the "XXXXX is taking away our First Amendment rights" argument and approach the problem from an "XXXXX is taking away your (right to assemble/right to practice religion/right to privacy/right to speak your mind)."
Sadly, it seems that people cherish the First Amendment considerably less than they cherish the rights that amendment provides.
(My views are my own. They do not reflect those of my employer. I am not a real political analyst, I just work with them.)
Oh, I don't know. I much prefer political views expressed through games than, say, political views expressed through Dick Cheney.
On a bit of a tangent, I'm waiting in horror for the day when Cheney comes storming up to the podium, sweating like a pig, chanting and clapping:
"in-VADE-Iraq! in-VADE-Iraq! Say it with me!
in-VADE-Iraq! in-VADE-Iraq! in-VADE-Iraq! in-VADE-Iraq! in-VADE-Iraq! in-VADE-Iraq! in-VADE-Iraq!
Whoooooo!!!
Yeahhh!!!"
Gack, to stop the pedants before they start...swap "patented" for "proprietary", and please excuse the brain fart.
In all honesty, was it not perfectly apparent from the outset that MP3 was very much a proprietary, owned format? Did anyone with brains enough to write MP3 code ever think that MP3 = Free Software/OSS?
MP3 is a proprietary format. MP3 has always been a proprietary format. Did you think that a bunch of geeks wishing really, really hard and writing lots of really cool Free apps would somehow change this fact? Are you really just coming to this startling realization?
First off: they're using a stylus for the main control panels? Does the designer of this brilliantly planned system use salad tongs to throw light switches in his current house or something?
"You can control your temperature of the flat, you can control lighting..."
Hey, they're onto something here! A method for controlling lighting--patent it while it's hot, lads! And controlling the temperature of one's flat? Sheer brilliance! Can I do all of this with the same stylus, as well??
"If you have a party, and want to control your music sound, you would basically be able to press [a few central] switches instead of walking around the whole flat."
Well hell, looks like I should have held off on buying that "Walk around my whole flat" stereo control system. Of course, I still get a good workout when setting the equalizer...
"The Internet fridge"
I stopped reading the article right here. Anything that talks about the Internet Fridge is doomed to failure. It's like the Goodwin's Law for overuse of technology.
Got thirty seconds?
Google has a few suggestions regarding monitor disposal.
Question: What is the opposite of investigative reporting?
When do we get to see the real-world equivalent of that?
You fscking twit.
Had you even read/bothered to comprehend the submitter's blurb you would have seen that O'Reilly is advocating a non-preferential approach to software selection. He wants a level playing field. Period. He wants to avoid launching the Open Source world into the same shitty realm of back-slapping, handshaking, sure-thing-old-chum crap that we're fighting against right now.
He is not Bashing Open Source Efforts. Ye gads, why on earth are you slandering Tim O'Reilly, of all people? He's on our side!
Would you please, please, please show a modicum of journalistic integrity, and make at least a cursory effort towards real reporting?
These have been around for a while--I remember using a gyroscopic mouse in a training room once back in late 1999/early 2000. It was nifty, but there were some issues with drift and sensitivity of the gyros. Trying to point with it was like trying to eat with a chopstick in each hand--clunky, awkward, and while you got the sense that enough practice would make you reasonably good at using it, it really wasn't worth the effort. In all, a cute little gadget, but of pretty limited use (not much beyond PowerPointing...)
"Honey, can you fast-forward NPR to 7:00 am? I want to see what my commute is going to be like tomorrow..."
I don't consider this implementation of the law a good one. There are jurisdictions where the driver's face must be identifiable, a far better implementation than Maryland's version. That said, there is something to be said for exercising prudence in whom you loan your car out to.
I have no idea what brought on this non-sequitur. The only response it merits is that you make too many assumptions.
Perhaps I went overboard with the bile, but it's no non-sequitur. Are you suggesting that racial profiling isn't one of the biggest civil rights issues facing law enforcement today? Remove the human from a citation and you remove the racial profiling, and the attitudes that fuel racial profiling are, sadly, very much alive and well today. There's an overwhelming sense of traffic laws/speeding laws as being for 'the other guy', and an automated citation system would force people to dramatically change both their driving style and their attitude towards road laws.
I refuse to apologize for demanding that statutes on the books as criminal (albeit summary) offenses be enforced as criminal offenses and not as regulatory violations. It is shockingly unfair to my sense of justice to change the rules so dramatically and to remove the protections enjoyed by the accused.
But by automating the system, you're dealing with a major problem with how we do things now: currently, the accused are prejudicially selected to begin with! I won't say that an automated system is the perfect solution, but I -do- think it's a step in the right direction.
(P.S. Maryland? No wonder. I walk to and from the Metro along Wisconsin Avenue in Maryland every day. Traffic in MD is scary and pretty much anarchistic; the few red light cameras there are do an excellent job of keeping assholes from running reds at those particular stoplights. I would -love- to see -any- kind of enforcement of traffic laws around here, automated or otherwise!)
Yeah, nothing like taking steps toward reliable, equitable enforcement of existing laws. Just think, you could suddenly start receiving tickets for breaking speed limit laws every time you break speed limit laws! Those fucking bureaucrats!
How the hell is some automated timer system supposed to differentiate between you, a good, God-fearin', tax-payin', hard-workin' Merr-kinn in a nice new Ford Explorer and that damned migrant worker in the shitbox VW Minibus?
It's a slippery slope. Next thing you know, they'll be enforcing all the laws on the books in an equitable, reliable manner, and all us decent folk will get sent upriver, too!
We're talking about USA Today here. You know, the "All The News That's Fit To Distill Into Cute Little Piture Graphs Somewhere Beneath The Full-Color Ads That Run At The Top Of The Front Page Every Fscking Day"-paper.
Be thankful that it was at least a favorable mangling of facts...
Umm...dude? Paypal is -- wait for it -- a third party. Some Other System Not Built Yet, unless either you or the artist in question ran it personally, would also be a third party system.
Since you want your push-button system that can deliver twenty-five cents on demand to whichever artist you choose, you'll probably want to build and maintain it yourself. You may want to consider using a Very Large Quarter Catapult, a Good Pair of Running Shoes, or even possibly an Envelope Bearing The Artist's Name And Address With Proper Postage And A Check Enclosed Which You Then Carry All The Way To A Mailbox, You Lazy Cretin.
Wait, no, that last one would go through a third party. My bad.