If you enjoy Herbert's Dune worlds, you should check out his 'The Jesus Incident' and 'The Lazarus Effect' (Part of the Voidship series) or 'The Dosadi Experiment' (you may need a bit of background from 'Whipping Star' though).
His Voidship sequence is by far my favourite sci-fi. Excellent worlds (or world, really) and some good character building. Can't give much away really, or I'd spoil it.
So, after reading all the comments, I have come to the following conclusion:
The poster's personal comment was exclusively for US readers.
Everyone else posting to this forum from around the world (from Iceland to India) has access to a far greater number of environmentally-friendly fuels than citizens of the good ol' US of A.
Soes this tell you something, ladies and gentlemen?
I completely agree. My first ever (and just changed because it was stolen - from my closed bag inside a hospital operating theatre changing room, no less) cellphone was the Samsung SGH-600.
And did that thing ever last! I had it for more than 3 years, and wasn't planning to change it out until Q1/2 2003 when the new 'Christmas Phones' had gotten over their teething troubles.
But then it was stolen and I had to get reconnected. So, the best thing I could do was to stick with Voda and get a ten quid upgrade to a Nokia 6310i. And this machine looks like it's going the same way - so far so good. It has crashed once or twice, but nothing I cant put up with.
I think any cellphone that has to be changed out within the year is not even worth laying your fingers on. It's not that far removed from that microwave oven you've had sat in your kitchen for the past 8 years...or perhaps that pager you've had lying around since the mid-90s. It's a few chips and a transmitter attached to an LCD. Simple, old technology - just queezed down and repackaged, that's all.
And if a company can't make them last, they don't deserve your business. Personally, I'd have stuck with Samsung (don't work for them, btw) because my God are they reliable - from my printer, scanner, memory chips, screen, TV to my air conditioning unit - these things do not break! Unfortunately, when it comes to cellphones, the things they've been putting out recently really do suck. I was hoping they'd get away from the clamshell design, but so far no good.
Just because America has an ass-backwards approach to medical biotechnology that the rest of the developed world refuses to share, don't you dare tar us with the 'Frankenstein' brush.
Oh my God, you're so right! Now I see the problem with my connection that's been there all along - It's nothing to do with a failed deployment policy or massicve underinvestment, mismanagement and attempted monopolisation; it's actually ALL MY OWN FAULT for not sticking to one of those suitcase sized thingies they had in the mid-80's.
I am with you brother! Let us abandon these soulless 'horseless buggies' and return to simpler times of man and animal, united by the bond of reins.
You dick.
-Nano.
Re:Wow. How disgusting ( -1 insensitive )
on
ALICE vs. ALICE
·
· Score: 1
Umm, you must be a little on the thick side of normal, because you clearly failed to (or purposely ignored for the sake of a rant) the second part of the statement forming the joke.
To paraphrase: 'People converse in a more intelligent manner amongst members of the opposite sex than amongst groups formed exclusively of members of their own sex'
Now, if this is not the most basic social truism ON THE FUCKING PLANET, then I don't know what is. The fact that you got into a goddamned blobstrop because 'Sex A' happened to be 'Female' and 'Sex B' 'Male' then you need to go and learn to think outside the box.
- Read an entire statement before jumping to conclusions about its meaning. - Try rephrasing the statement in a manner which you can understand. - Buy a sense of humour and realise that nothing in the world is, nor should it be, taboo. Such is the variety and enjoyment of life.
I've just got to ask...have you ever actually talked to a woman? Or overheard a conversation between two women on their own?
Because the original 'joke' is a very accurate representation of what happens in these two situations.
Much like when men talk amongst themselves, it tends to be about women, drinking, money and having a good time. Only when there seems to be personal gain involved do we tend to switch our brains on. I'm sure Freud, Desmond or Dawkins would have more to say on this.
This is a accurate sociological insight, and as such makes for an amusing joke.
So go piss up a rope, shitstick.
-Nano.
Swearing is the last resort of the ignorant motherfucker.
Isn't that just inherantly MORE dangerous. You're instantly creating a 'trusted class' of people with access to very sensitive and powerful positions.
As stated by many a philosopher, and repeatedly proven in everyday life - an idea may be intellectually valid, but people are ultimately corruptable and untrustworthy.
The second we stop paying attention or become complacent is when something VERY BAD can happen, and this system invites such complacency.
Did you guys know they just took 'gullible' out of the dictionary? No, seriously!
I mean, come on - can't you tell a photoshopped image when you see one? (and it's a pretty bad one at that).
And the text just reeks of '16 year old's prank'. Excerpt:
Question: How does the drinking water run up, waste water run down and the electric wires hook to the airplane if it spins around? Won't the wires get twisted? Answer: We use a device called a multi-port swivel.
A 'multi-port swivel'? Sure it's not a 'flux capacitor' you're talking about?
And the fact that the wings are perfect for parties of 71 people or more, and can be refitted with railings.
To *anyone* who took this seriously...you need hitting with my 2x4 cluestick.
How come this guy gets labelled as flamebait? Did you actually read his comment - it's entirely valid.
SG-1 now is weak and anaemic compared to how it first began, and farscape was just getting good. As for the screening time dictating audience figures, his comment is right on the ball.
I just hope someone metamoderates your ass to the junkpile.
I'm from the UK, where new CDs cost about 13-15 pounds each (around US$20 for god's sakes!). However, I'm lucky enough to go visiting family in South East Asia once a year, where I can buy original, RIAA licensed, locally pressed CDs (read: NOT copies, but the same things you buy in Europe) for about 5 pounds a pop (around US$7.50).
We're talking a third the price here, and yes, I do buy 3 times as many CDs as I would back home, with 3 times the variety of music that entails. Sometimes I don't even care what I pick off the shelves (yeah, I'm an occasional manic) and that's broadened my musical tastes over the years.
So listen up RIAA: If it's cheaper, there's less incentive to copy, more copies are shifted, brining in economies of scale, and people develop broader musical tastes which ultimately increase your long-term sales.
So stop being a bunch of money-grubbing arseholes or we'll keep hitting you where it hurts: In the mp3s.
To use the US rhetoric on drugs as my stance on firearms - 'There is no situation in which I can envision said articles being safe for public use'
Of course, I don't hold this viewpoint myself, but it's good to see how 'the land of the free' can use one standard for one thing and then completely backfoot over another...
You want me define - ok, I define: "Gun to kill person from long way away is not needed for to protect home and so shall only be used inside gun club. Hunting also for stupid men with small penis who need to exert control over lesser animals and so big gun not to be saved by this argument."
I agree, but the scientific community must not be forbidden from seeking that knowledge.
It's like saying "I'm not going to let you research a cure for the common cold, but until you can prove that one exists, I won't believe you." And this is simply an illogical stance on such an important issue.
Slashdot Mirror
If you enjoy Herbert's Dune worlds, you should check out his 'The Jesus Incident' and 'The Lazarus Effect' (Part of the Voidship series) or 'The Dosadi Experiment' (you may need a bit of background from 'Whipping Star' though).
His Voidship sequence is by far my favourite sci-fi. Excellent worlds (or world, really) and some good character building. Can't give much away really, or I'd spoil it.
-Nano.
So, after reading all the comments, I have come to the following conclusion:
The poster's personal comment was exclusively for US readers.
Everyone else posting to this forum from around the world (from Iceland to India) has access to a far greater number of environmentally-friendly fuels than citizens of the good ol' US of A.
Soes this tell you something, ladies and gentlemen?
-Nano.
I completely agree. My first ever (and just changed because it was stolen - from my closed bag inside a hospital operating theatre changing room, no less) cellphone was the Samsung SGH-600.
And did that thing ever last! I had it for more than 3 years, and wasn't planning to change it out until Q1/2 2003 when the new 'Christmas Phones' had gotten over their teething troubles.
But then it was stolen and I had to get reconnected. So, the best thing I could do was to stick with Voda and get a ten quid upgrade to a Nokia 6310i. And this machine looks like it's going the same way - so far so good. It has crashed once or twice, but nothing I cant put up with.
I think any cellphone that has to be changed out within the year is not even worth laying your fingers on. It's not that far removed from that microwave oven you've had sat in your kitchen for the past 8 years...or perhaps that pager you've had lying around since the mid-90s. It's a few chips and a transmitter attached to an LCD. Simple, old technology - just queezed down and repackaged, that's all.
And if a company can't make them last, they don't deserve your business. Personally, I'd have stuck with Samsung (don't work for them, btw) because my God are they reliable - from my printer, scanner, memory chips, screen, TV to my air conditioning unit - these things do not break! Unfortunately, when it comes to cellphones, the things they've been putting out recently really do suck. I was hoping they'd get away from the clamshell design, but so far no good.
Anyway, just my 1.3p ($0.02)
-Nano.
I do believe that given a long enough timescale, the death tolls in all of these nations will be exactly 100%.
-Nano.
Just because America has an ass-backwards approach to medical biotechnology that the rest of the developed world refuses to share, don't you dare tar us with the 'Frankenstein' brush.
-Nano.
'Laputa' means 'The whore' or 'The bitch' in Spanish.
Sorry, IANASOS (...not a speaker of Spanish)
-Nano
This is probably a *good* thing...or do you not remember 'Godzilla'?
-Nano.
Well, mine would be called 'MyLifeBites'...
-Nano.
Oh my God, you're so right! Now I see the problem with my connection that's been there all along - It's nothing to do with a failed deployment policy or massicve underinvestment, mismanagement and attempted monopolisation; it's actually ALL MY OWN FAULT for not sticking to one of those suitcase sized thingies they had in the mid-80's.
You dick.
-Nano.
I am with you brother! Let us abandon these soulless 'horseless buggies' and return to simpler times of man and animal, united by the bond of reins.
You dick.
-Nano.
Umm, you must be a little on the thick side of normal, because you clearly failed to (or purposely ignored for the sake of a rant) the second part of the statement forming the joke.
To paraphrase: 'People converse in a more intelligent manner amongst members of the opposite sex than amongst groups formed exclusively of members of their own sex'
Now, if this is not the most basic social truism ON THE FUCKING PLANET, then I don't know what is. The fact that you got into a goddamned blobstrop because 'Sex A' happened to be 'Female' and 'Sex B' 'Male' then you need to go and learn to think outside the box.
- Read an entire statement before jumping to conclusions about its meaning.
- Try rephrasing the statement in a manner which you can understand.
- Buy a sense of humour and realise that nothing in the world is, nor should it be, taboo. Such is the variety and enjoyment of life.
-Nano.
I've just got to ask...have you ever actually talked to a woman? Or overheard a conversation between two women on their own?
Because the original 'joke' is a very accurate representation of what happens in these two situations.
Much like when men talk amongst themselves, it tends to be about women, drinking, money and having a good time. Only when there seems to be personal gain involved do we tend to switch our brains on. I'm sure Freud, Desmond or Dawkins would have more to say on this.
This is a accurate sociological insight, and as such makes for an amusing joke.
So go piss up a rope, shitstick.
-Nano.
Swearing is the last resort of the ignorant motherfucker.
How did this get +5 Funny? Well, I must welcome the 5 Frenchmen who've had the dishonour of learning English to Slashdot.
You arrogant bastards.
-Nano.
Well when on earth is the TOS super-deluxe DVD collection set going to come out?
THAT was the best trek ever made (and if you disagree, it doesn't matter because is SHOULD be released in a collection format anyway).
-Nano.
Isn't that just inherantly MORE dangerous. You're instantly creating a 'trusted class' of people with access to very sensitive and powerful positions.
As stated by many a philosopher, and repeatedly proven in everyday life - an idea may be intellectually valid, but people are ultimately corruptable and untrustworthy.
The second we stop paying attention or become complacent is when something VERY BAD can happen, and this system invites such complacency.
-Nano.
Sounds like 5g = personal consumption, 10g = dealer...
-Nano.
mead...i just wonder what an 'obot' is, besides some cool anime.
-Nano.
Did you guys know they just took 'gullible' out of the dictionary? No, seriously!
I mean, come on - can't you tell a photoshopped image when you see one? (and it's a pretty bad one at that).
And the text just reeks of '16 year old's prank'.
Excerpt:
Question: How does the drinking water run up, waste water run down and the electric wires hook to the airplane if it spins around? Won't the wires get twisted?
Answer: We use a device called a multi-port swivel.
A 'multi-port swivel'? Sure it's not a 'flux capacitor' you're talking about?
And the fact that the wings are perfect for parties of 71 people or more, and can be refitted with railings.
To *anyone* who took this seriously...you need hitting with my 2x4 cluestick.
-Nano.
How come this guy gets labelled as flamebait? Did you actually read his comment - it's entirely valid.
SG-1 now is weak and anaemic compared to how it first began, and farscape was just getting good. As for the screening time dictating audience figures, his comment is right on the ball.
I just hope someone metamoderates your ass to the junkpile.
-Nano.
I completely agree.
I'm from the UK, where new CDs cost about 13-15 pounds each (around US$20 for god's sakes!). However, I'm lucky enough to go visiting family in South East Asia once a year, where I can buy original, RIAA licensed, locally pressed CDs (read: NOT copies, but the same things you buy in Europe) for about 5 pounds a pop (around US$7.50).
We're talking a third the price here, and yes, I do buy 3 times as many CDs as I would back home, with 3 times the variety of music that entails. Sometimes I don't even care what I pick off the shelves (yeah, I'm an occasional manic) and that's broadened my musical tastes over the years.
So listen up RIAA: If it's cheaper, there's less incentive to copy, more copies are shifted, brining in economies of scale, and people develop broader musical tastes which ultimately increase your long-term sales.
So stop being a bunch of money-grubbing arseholes or we'll keep hitting you where it hurts: In the mp3s.
-Nano.
To use the US rhetoric on drugs as my stance on firearms - 'There is no situation in which I can envision said articles being safe for public use'
Of course, I don't hold this viewpoint myself, but it's good to see how 'the land of the free' can use one standard for one thing and then completely backfoot over another...
-Nano.
Semantics. Wow! What a killer argument.
You want me define - ok, I define: "Gun to kill person from long way away is not needed for to protect home and so shall only be used inside gun club. Hunting also for stupid men with small penis who need to exert control over lesser animals and so big gun not to be saved by this argument."
-Nano.
Hmm...perhaps banning high powered sniper rifles could be an option?
Oh, I'm sorry - of course you *need* them for home protection, don't you?
Just like those assault weapons Clinton banned, boy are those sure missed...like a hole in the head.
-Nano.
I agree, but the scientific community must not be forbidden from seeking that knowledge.
It's like saying "I'm not going to let you research a cure for the common cold, but until you can prove that one exists, I won't believe you." And this is simply an illogical stance on such an important issue.
-Nano.
Umm....I think you totally misunderstood me - my question is 'What the fuck is a monkey automaton?'
We don't have them in this country, that's what I was asking about.
-Nano.