The current system is self serving. Its serving lawyers under the pretense of protecting inventors.
I don't like this vilification of lawyers. Not because I'm a big fan of lawyers, but because it defines the problem as a fundamentally legal one, rather than one of power. The patent system serves powerful corporations.
Lawyers benefit, but they and the law they lawyer (can I use lawyer as a verb?) are symptomatic of who's really in charge.
The whole concept of “being manly and fighting is bad” smells of the matriarchal sexism that is so fashionable nowadays.
I'd say it's your idea of "being manly" that's sexist. Saying that fighting is bad is neither sexist, nor is it going with the mainstream; our culture fucking loves violence.
Rather than high-tech indiscriminate non-lethal weapons, the US should invest much more in intelligence gathering and infiltration.
Or better yet, invest in medicine, green technology, cleaning up the Gulf Coast and whatever funding is necessary to transport overseas troops back home.
You are reading this wrong. The problem is that the army is used to disperse unarmed crowds.
Agreed. If you see a soldier shooting at civilians and think "isn't it a shame that shooing civilians hurts them so much?", you're not quite seeing the whole problem.
I don't know what the "people" you're talking about believe, but my problem is with the act itself: armed forces being used to put down misbehaving civilians. New weapons like this only make political violence by those using them appear more palatable.
At current interest rates, borrowing is a BETTER idea than to use their own cash. The cash they have can sit in a bank account and collect interest that's higher than the interest rate at which they are borrowing.
So I could make money by borrowing it and putting it in a bank?
The main difference between Free Software and Open Source is that Free Software requires you to use a free license on the derived work, and Open Source only gives you the right to do so.
You're wrong. That's the difference between copyleft and non-copyleft free/open source software. The Free Software Foundation maintains a list of licenses it considers free software, many of which do not require you to release derivative work as free software, including the BSD licenses.
You can agree or disagree with Chavez, but he's not "drunk on power". He's been pushing for years now to create a system and culture of direct democracy. Indeed, the greatest threat to his socialist program is how much it is still "his" program, rather than a popular ("grass-roots") one, and Chavez knows it.
Well, it apparently got lots of great reviews (according to the game's website). But the video of it makes it looks like it's just a less interesting version of the first stage in Spore
Slashdot Mirror
How about somebody first tells what the hell a "glossy screen" is?
I think Slashdot needs a "+/-0, WTF" mod.
The current system is self serving. Its serving lawyers under the pretense of protecting inventors.
I don't like this vilification of lawyers. Not because I'm a big fan of lawyers, but because it defines the problem as a fundamentally legal one, rather than one of power. The patent system serves powerful corporations.
Lawyers benefit, but they and the law they lawyer (can I use lawyer as a verb?) are symptomatic of who's really in charge.
The whole concept of “being manly and fighting is bad” smells of the matriarchal sexism that is so fashionable nowadays.
I'd say it's your idea of "being manly" that's sexist. Saying that fighting is bad is neither sexist, nor is it going with the mainstream; our culture fucking loves violence.
Rather than high-tech indiscriminate non-lethal weapons, the US should invest much more in intelligence gathering and infiltration.
Or better yet, invest in medicine, green technology, cleaning up the Gulf Coast and whatever funding is necessary to transport overseas troops back home.
You are reading this wrong. The problem is that the army is used to disperse unarmed crowds.
Agreed. If you see a soldier shooting at civilians and think "isn't it a shame that shooing civilians hurts them so much?", you're not quite seeing the whole problem.
I don't know what the "people" you're talking about believe, but my problem is with the act itself: armed forces being used to put down misbehaving civilians. New weapons like this only make political violence by those using them appear more palatable.
I have to admit, I really don't see the point of Wine. If you want to run Windows apps, why not use Windows?
Because I want to run Windows apps and use Linux. What's there to not understand about that?
That the 'experts' are worrying about
What's with the scare quotes? Are you implying that you're the *real* expert here?
Many might view Christian "sins" as moral or even virtuous, too. The analogy holds up.
At current interest rates, borrowing is a BETTER idea than to use their own cash. The cash they have can sit in a bank account and collect interest that's higher than the interest rate at which they are borrowing.
So I could make money by borrowing it and putting it in a bank?
They could use the extra 89 cents to pay somebody to teach them the difference between "sense" and "cents".
I get the cents you're mocking me.
Which is pretty *scary* itself. Curse you, accustomization to the preview button.
I'm horrified by this, but in terms of technological innovations that horrify me, this is pretty low down the list. Which is pretty itself...
I like your style of argument. "Sure, this could lead to the next AIDS or T-Virus, but don't worry. It probably won't work in the first place anyway!"
Nobody said anything about the First Amendment. "Free speech" and "First Amendment" are not synonyms.
However, I think 99 cents is a little excessive.
Agreed. Just think of all the things people could do with that extra 89 sense. Then tell me what they are.
The main difference between Free Software and Open Source is that Free Software requires you to use a free license on the derived work, and Open Source only gives you the right to do so.
You're wrong. That's the difference between copyleft and non-copyleft free/open source software. The Free Software Foundation maintains a list of licenses it considers free software, many of which do not require you to release derivative work as free software, including the BSD licenses.
honestly, this is 20 years overdue. Especially with the new reactor designs.
I hear modern offshore oil rig designs are completely, reliably safe too.
*Waits for Troll moderation from nuclear zealots*
Correct. Fun fact: After the fallout with the Soviet Union, the Maoists had their own Three Words theory:
*The First World was the United States and Soviet Union
*The Second World was their various allies, roughly corresponding to everyone else in the First and Second Worlds in the other system.
*The Third World was roughly the same as in the other system.
You can agree or disagree with Chavez, but he's not "drunk on power". He's been pushing for years now to create a system and culture of direct democracy. Indeed, the greatest threat to his socialist program is how much it is still "his" program, rather than a popular ("grass-roots") one, and Chavez knows it.
I first read "contraption" as "contraception". Seems almost as accurate.
Ethics are not there just to be there, they are there because they make business sense.
That's called business. Please don't confuse it with ethics.
The emails they SHOULD be using are HOPEFULLY throwaway addresses.
I just wonder how many aren't though.
Mine.
Well, it apparently got lots of great reviews (according to the game's website). But the video of it makes it looks like it's just a less interesting version of the first stage in Spore