Well, I did a brief stint on college as a biology major with a specialty in genetics, and I spent a few semestes running gels, so I think I understand what genetic engineering is. The fact of the matter is, it *is* the same thing. Who says that there's not Roundup proof grass growing in the Amazon now? What about under the ocean? There are Roundup-proof plants that occur naturally. All they're doing is dramatically shortening the process that it takes to get there. Cross-breeding can create dramatically different new species, very few of which have proved harmful, since chances are, there's already another species out there that'll eat or kill them, and if there isn't, one will come along to do so. The fact is that the genes exist already, and all they're doing is manually flipping the switch, as opposed to taking generations and generations of breeding to do the same thing.
Many, many things are "tossed into the market" without FDA approval. They didn't approve the pen I have sitting next to me. I can kill someone with this pen. How is this grass horribly dangerous? The worst thing that can happen is that it grows out of control. Big deal. In the Southern US, we have "kudzu" vines. They're a pain in the ass at times. I'm not aware of anybody killed by kudzu.
And what exactly is that difference? It's faster? It's the same thing. Monsanto could do the same thing through cross breeding over thousands of grass generations, or they could do it in a lab. I *don't* see the difference at all. Care to enlighten me?
You absolutely are buying genetically engineered corn. Every thing you buy in the grocery store has been genetically modified either through selective breeding, or physical gene manipulation. Genetic engineering has allowed cultures to thrive and grow for many thousands of years. We're where we are today because of genetic enginnering. Period. There's no way around that. Can you name a single harmful effect that genetic engineering has had on you? How about the thousands of ways you benefit (ie: cheap & abudant food, affordable building materials, medicine, affordable clothing)? Nuclear weapons have been shown to be able to instantly kill hundreds of thousands of people in an instant. It could happen again. How many people have been slaughtered by corn or apples or wood or medicine or a cotton t-shirt?
I also encourage you to prosecute what's left of the Native American population, since those evil bastards have been using genetic engineering for thousands of years.
With such loose ethics, why not make children smarter before they are born? If we go that far, why not then give parents the right to choose who their children will be before they are concieved? This is very very wrong, and this is what will happen unless congress takes immediate action to fully regulate and restrict this dangerous industry.
Keep your fucking religion/idealism out of my government. I happen to think both of those things are great ideas. As long as you're not being impacted by it, fuck off. The last thing we need is more wackos imposing their own, fucked-up morality on others. We have enough of that already in the US.
You're absolutely right. And to support your claim, I suggest that you stop eating or using any product containing any kind of corn product, since what we call "corn" was created just in the last few hundred years.... and look at the damage it's done to society!!!
Oh yeah, eggplants, too. And most roses. Pretty much all produce you buy at grocery stores.
Oh, I'm not talking about half. I have people shop at my store, then buy online to save like 5%. Happens every single day. So what ends up happening is that I provide the atmosphere, the helpful salespeople, the demos, etc., but then some generic company operating out of a warehouse reaps the rewards. That's a serious problem, and when enough small stores close, and there's -zero- service available, people will scratch their heads wondering how that happened.
On the contrary... our stores encourage shopping and people can play with everything. People who come into our store, learn about the products, get them demonstrated, and then go online where they might be able to buy it for $1 cheaper should be shot, plain and simple.
It's just that what the market dictating sucks. That's like saying "Let the market dictate what OS is the best. There's no need to advocate for OSS". Same thing. I *know* that without small towns, real shopping, human interaction, etc. all you get are Wal-Marts, and again, if you've ever been to a small southern town, it's incredibly depressing, and there's virtually no difference between them. So I guess that what I'm pissed about is that people do what's best for them, right now, right this second, without realizing that as a whole, they're not gonna be left with anything. For example, I can't even begin to count the number of towns that don't have computer stores any more. If you want to zip in for an extra IDE cable or power supply... forget it. you've *got* to get it online, or go to a big box store (which is a whole other nightmare in and of itself). To me, that's a miserable existence.
Our stores do do that. But it's an uphill fight, because we often get "I saw something like it for $1 less online". So we do actively sell, and we do well, but it's a *constant* education.
As far as the manufacturer not selling online... that's an *excellent* idea. What we've found is that people who shop online go for price, and little else.
Yeah, there's no way to directly compete with BCS... that's what small mom-n-pop stores have slowly learned. You can't compete on price, but you can compete on service, convenience, and maybe even selection.
I know it because I'm doing it. I agree completely. My point is that people increasingly *only* care about price. It's a mad rush to the bottom as far as consumer goods go. Consumers want it cheap as humanly possible, and they want it now, and they don't care how or where they get it. Now, mind you, my stores compete in price too, but it's sad to see so many people who buy *only* on price. Case in point. I have 2 products that do the same thing. One is much better, and costs a bit more. So what do people buy? The cheap one. Always. Then they bitch about it. Well no shit, sherlock, you chose the plastic made-in-Taiwan piece of garbage, and now you're complaining? That happens all the time. So instead, I drop the cheap shit, and only sell decent stuff.
In no way am I asking for protection or not adapting. I do what I have to to pay the bills. I *am* adapting (and thriving). My point is that in the grand scheme of things, if consumers continue to not think about where their money goes, we're gonna be left with a country where the only variety left is how the Starbucks are decorated. If anything, I'm not *just* complaining about anything. I'm fighting back (and winning, at least in my town).
No, it's got nothing to do with books or porn. But it (this industry) is feeling pressure from online shopping (which I also offer, but hate to deal with). It's not even about my industry. It's that this country is turning into a country full of fat, pasty, apartment-dwelling, lazy mouse-clickers who don't really care about where they live and the stores around them. The homogenization of the country is accelerating, and all of this goddamn online shopping is closing stores right and left so that in many small towns, you've got a Wal-Mart, a grocery store, and the same tired string of fast food chains. Call me nuts, but that sounds pretty damn bleak to me.
My point is that it's expensive as fuck to run a retail outfit, and consumers take that for granted. Hell, it's already happened with books. So many jackasses buy books online that you can't find a decent bookstore in real life. No such thing as hanging out at the bookstore, browsing, hitting on chicks, talking about books, etc. It's all plugged into the little glowing box, now, unless you want to go to one of the few remaining big box retailers. I don't know about you, but I sure as shit miss bookstores, and a town without a decent independent bookstore is pretty sad. That's my point. There's more to it than just price. Hell, in 20 years, Amazon will control most of the book market in this country, and if they dont' have it, you're fucked.
As a brick & mortar retailer, I'm sick and tired of losing businesses to cheapskates who want to shave a few pennies off, and don't give a damn about the businesses they choose to support or not to support. I say that that's the price you pay for shopping online (along with not being able to see the product, not know who you're buying it from, shipping cost and time... etc) It's about time that the playing field is leveled. Personally, I can't wait until this country turns into nothing but a bunch of Amazon.com warehouses with residential apartments in between, with little to no retail. THEN consumers will finally understand what they got themselves into, and I'll be long gone.
They're *barely* profitable, and no, I don't have time to give you a crash course in accounting. And, since you're obviously no finacial wizard, there's a big difference between "profitable" and Profitable. A kid's lemonade stand can be profitable, but that doesn't compare with say, Wal-Mart. Linux companies are on par with a kids' lemonade stand right now. No financial person would say that they're on solid financial footing.
Why's it Good if Christians mark it as the day Jesus was killed? I consider it "Good" because it's a good day for business. And I'll respect Good Friday as soon as banks start closing to celebrate my birthday.
Windows Media Player seems to have the startling ability to launch IE to view websites which are somehow embedded in (at least) video files. An ambitious coder could embed a link in a video file to a site which exploits a vulnerability and run arbitrary code.
This was fixed about a year and a half ago with patches, and it's fixed in the newest 2 versions of Windows Media Player. That's kinda' like saying that my version of Slackware from 1996 doesn't have a slick isntaller.
"Outflank == Copy"... Kinda' like Linux, huh? OS's based on 20+ year old technology, trying desperately to copy Windows. Good troll attempt, though. You get an "A" for effort.
Slashdot Mirror
Well, I did a brief stint on college as a biology major with a specialty in genetics, and I spent a few semestes running gels, so I think I understand what genetic engineering is. The fact of the matter is, it *is* the same thing. Who says that there's not Roundup proof grass growing in the Amazon now? What about under the ocean? There are Roundup-proof plants that occur naturally. All they're doing is dramatically shortening the process that it takes to get there. Cross-breeding can create dramatically different new species, very few of which have proved harmful, since chances are, there's already another species out there that'll eat or kill them, and if there isn't, one will come along to do so. The fact is that the genes exist already, and all they're doing is manually flipping the switch, as opposed to taking generations and generations of breeding to do the same thing.
Many, many things are "tossed into the market" without FDA approval. They didn't approve the pen I have sitting next to me. I can kill someone with this pen. How is this grass horribly dangerous? The worst thing that can happen is that it grows out of control. Big deal. In the Southern US, we have "kudzu" vines. They're a pain in the ass at times. I'm not aware of anybody killed by kudzu.
And what exactly is that difference? It's faster? It's the same thing. Monsanto could do the same thing through cross breeding over thousands of grass generations, or they could do it in a lab. I *don't* see the difference at all. Care to enlighten me?
You absolutely are buying genetically engineered corn. Every thing you buy in the grocery store has been genetically modified either through selective breeding, or physical gene manipulation. Genetic engineering has allowed cultures to thrive and grow for many thousands of years. We're where we are today because of genetic enginnering. Period. There's no way around that. Can you name a single harmful effect that genetic engineering has had on you? How about the thousands of ways you benefit (ie: cheap & abudant food, affordable building materials, medicine, affordable clothing)? Nuclear weapons have been shown to be able to instantly kill hundreds of thousands of people in an instant. It could happen again. How many people have been slaughtered by corn or apples or wood or medicine or a cotton t-shirt?
I also encourage you to prosecute what's left of the Native American population, since those evil bastards have been using genetic engineering for thousands of years.
Sick fucks.
With such loose ethics, why not make children smarter before they are born? If we go that far, why not then give parents the right to choose who their children will be before they are concieved? This is very very wrong, and this is what will happen unless congress takes immediate action to fully regulate and restrict this dangerous industry.
Keep your fucking religion/idealism out of my government. I happen to think both of those things are great ideas. As long as you're not being impacted by it, fuck off. The last thing we need is more wackos imposing their own, fucked-up morality on others. We have enough of that already in the US.
You're absolutely right. And to support your claim, I suggest that you stop eating or using any product containing any kind of corn product, since what we call "corn" was created just in the last few hundred years.... and look at the damage it's done to society!!!
Oh yeah, eggplants, too. And most roses. Pretty much all produce you buy at grocery stores.
Good luck!
People are switching to Linux in droves
Riiiight....
Oh, I'm not talking about half. I have people shop at my store, then buy online to save like 5%. Happens every single day. So what ends up happening is that I provide the atmosphere, the helpful salespeople, the demos, etc., but then some generic company operating out of a warehouse reaps the rewards. That's a serious problem, and when enough small stores close, and there's -zero- service available, people will scratch their heads wondering how that happened.
On the contrary... our stores encourage shopping and people can play with everything. People who come into our store, learn about the products, get them demonstrated, and then go online where they might be able to buy it for $1 cheaper should be shot, plain and simple.
It's just that what the market dictating sucks. That's like saying "Let the market dictate what OS is the best. There's no need to advocate for OSS". Same thing. I *know* that without small towns, real shopping, human interaction, etc. all you get are Wal-Marts, and again, if you've ever been to a small southern town, it's incredibly depressing, and there's virtually no difference between them. So I guess that what I'm pissed about is that people do what's best for them, right now, right this second, without realizing that as a whole, they're not gonna be left with anything. For example, I can't even begin to count the number of towns that don't have computer stores any more. If you want to zip in for an extra IDE cable or power supply... forget it. you've *got* to get it online, or go to a big box store (which is a whole other nightmare in and of itself). To me, that's a miserable existence.
Our stores do do that. But it's an uphill fight, because we often get "I saw something like it for $1 less online". So we do actively sell, and we do well, but it's a *constant* education.
As far as the manufacturer not selling online... that's an *excellent* idea. What we've found is that people who shop online go for price, and little else.
Yeah, there's no way to directly compete with BCS... that's what small mom-n-pop stores have slowly learned. You can't compete on price, but you can compete on service, convenience, and maybe even selection.
I know it because I'm doing it. I agree completely. My point is that people increasingly *only* care about price. It's a mad rush to the bottom as far as consumer goods go. Consumers want it cheap as humanly possible, and they want it now, and they don't care how or where they get it. Now, mind you, my stores compete in price too, but it's sad to see so many people who buy *only* on price. Case in point. I have 2 products that do the same thing. One is much better, and costs a bit more. So what do people buy? The cheap one. Always. Then they bitch about it. Well no shit, sherlock, you chose the plastic made-in-Taiwan piece of garbage, and now you're complaining? That happens all the time. So instead, I drop the cheap shit, and only sell decent stuff.
In no way am I asking for protection or not adapting. I do what I have to to pay the bills. I *am* adapting (and thriving). My point is that in the grand scheme of things, if consumers continue to not think about where their money goes, we're gonna be left with a country where the only variety left is how the Starbucks are decorated. If anything, I'm not *just* complaining about anything. I'm fighting back (and winning, at least in my town).
You're such a good little Starbucks/Wal-Mart/McDonalds/Microsoft/Amazon/eBay consumer aren't you?
Welcome to the free market. Thanks for playing.
I guess I could say the same thing about Linux. All hail the free market, huh?
No, it's got nothing to do with books or porn. But it (this industry) is feeling pressure from online shopping (which I also offer, but hate to deal with). It's not even about my industry. It's that this country is turning into a country full of fat, pasty, apartment-dwelling, lazy mouse-clickers who don't really care about where they live and the stores around them. The homogenization of the country is accelerating, and all of this goddamn online shopping is closing stores right and left so that in many small towns, you've got a Wal-Mart, a grocery store, and the same tired string of fast food chains. Call me nuts, but that sounds pretty damn bleak to me.
My point is that it's expensive as fuck to run a retail outfit, and consumers take that for granted. Hell, it's already happened with books. So many jackasses buy books online that you can't find a decent bookstore in real life. No such thing as hanging out at the bookstore, browsing, hitting on chicks, talking about books, etc. It's all plugged into the little glowing box, now, unless you want to go to one of the few remaining big box retailers. I don't know about you, but I sure as shit miss bookstores, and a town without a decent independent bookstore is pretty sad. That's my point. There's more to it than just price. Hell, in 20 years, Amazon will control most of the book market in this country, and if they dont' have it, you're fucked.
As a brick & mortar retailer, I'm sick and tired of losing businesses to cheapskates who want to shave a few pennies off, and don't give a damn about the businesses they choose to support or not to support. I say that that's the price you pay for shopping online (along with not being able to see the product, not know who you're buying it from, shipping cost and time... etc) It's about time that the playing field is leveled. Personally, I can't wait until this country turns into nothing but a bunch of Amazon.com warehouses with residential apartments in between, with little to no retail. THEN consumers will finally understand what they got themselves into, and I'll be long gone.
They're *barely* profitable, and no, I don't have time to give you a crash course in accounting. And, since you're obviously no finacial wizard, there's a big difference between "profitable" and Profitable.
A kid's lemonade stand can be profitable, but that doesn't compare with say, Wal-Mart. Linux companies are on par with a kids' lemonade stand right now. No financial person would say that they're on solid financial footing.
Why's it Good if Christians mark it as the day Jesus was killed? I consider it "Good" because it's a good day for business. And I'll respect Good Friday as soon as banks start closing to celebrate my birthday.
Happy Jesus Killing Day!
Windows Media Player seems to have the startling ability to launch IE to view websites which are somehow embedded in (at least) video files. An ambitious coder could embed a link in a video file to a site which exploits a vulnerability and run arbitrary code.
This was fixed about a year and a half ago with patches, and it's fixed in the newest 2 versions of Windows Media Player. That's kinda' like saying that my version of Slackware from 1996 doesn't have a slick isntaller.
"Outflank == Copy"... Kinda' like Linux, huh? OS's based on 20+ year old technology, trying desperately to copy Windows. Good troll attempt, though. You get an "A" for effort.
Makeup? CGI? Willen Defoe is so creepy looking, he could've been the Green Goblin with no makeup or CGI whatsoever!
Give me a bit and I'll make a .torrent for that one.