Again, you're making a false analogy. The "different set of standards" that apply to cell phones are because they are simply not applicable to landlines in most places. How many restaurants have you been to where there are 4 landlines sitting on the table? Or movie theaters? As for electric lighting, air conditioners and "all sorts of other things that make our lives better", I don't think you'll find most people are (or were) against them except for the logistic issues of getting those things. They cost money, the cost time, and yes, they make some people feel uncomfortable with the change. I'm not one of those people. I don't even have a landline, and my cell phone is my primary mode of communication, but I don't answer it when I'm in a restaurant, and I don't interrupt conversation to answer it either. I also never have any ringer set except for vibrate. I just wish more people thought a little more like I do with regard to other people's experiences in public.
I'm not applying these standards to villify cell phones, especially when I (and the original poster) already stated that "silent" cell phone ringers are completely reasonable. And it's completely reasonable to not answer a cell phone too.
Your situation is exactly why most modern email clients have filters. If you set up a couple of simple filters you're down to your 1 or 2 emails that need a response, without any more than a few minutes (one time) effort on your part.
But let's be realistic, cell phones aren't necessary. Yes they can be very helpful, and they are convenient most of the time, but they are often annoying and people are most definitely rude about how they deal with calls.
Asking that people have a little courtesy when dealing with cell phones isn't the same as being a luddite.
It's very easy to limit your junk mail working in large corporations. I work for a company with over 100000 employees and I get no more than 50 emails a day as a project lead. I simply don't respond to junk mail, and I don't send out frivolous questions. For whatever reason people recognize that, at least on a subconscious level, and respond accordingly.
I get all my work accomplished, everyone who needs information from me gets it, and my life is way less stressful than several coworkers who seem to feel a need to respond to every issue, applicable to them or not.
The difference is that most people respect a closed door to a conference room and only interrupt when it is an emergency or important notice. And the phone in the conference room; there's generally only one of those with a ringer set to a human volume. Cell phones can be set to reasonably unobtrusive notifications, but people don't do that. They set the ringer to play "My girlie humps" or whatever the hell the song of their choice is, at max volume. And there are generally 8-10 of them, not one.
It's not "neo-luddite," whatever the hell that's supposed to mean, to respect the people around you more than a stupid device you didn't need 5 years ago. Saying that a cell phone is "MORE polite" is asinine at best. They are obviously more intrusive than not having them ever was, and they have nearly infinite customizability, which simply makes them that much harder to ignore. The GP simply said it's not that hard to turn on a silent ringer, but people don't do that. That's why they are rude and a general nuisance, not because they're "newer than other notifications" or anything remotely similar.
Just because you don't understand respect for other people doesn't mean those of us who do are somehow obsolete.
Yeah, that whole "non-voting" thing... let's just ignore that shall we?
How exactly does that qualify as "most represented" of anyone? The entire congress is no more responsible to DC than I am. Sure they're sort of required to abide by DC laws (except of course gun laws and several driving/parking restrictions) and they work in DC, but how are they responsible to DC in any other way?
The problem with their tactic is my question. Who gets to decide who will be abysmally bad. There are still people who think Bush is doing a good job despite all the crap that has happened. There are people who think Ross Perot would have been an excellent President, and others who thank whatever god they pray to that he wasn't elected. The reason we have the problem we have now is exactly the reason their plan won't work. People just don't agree on things. There's simply too much complexity in the reasons people vote for the candidates they vote for to assume their little pet project will have any effect at all other than wasting a lot of votes.
My take on it is that's what they're hoping for. The people asking you to deliberately vote for the bad candidates have someone they think is good and they want you to take your vote away from his/her candidate. It's a technique (divide and conquer) that has been used to win wars throughout history.
I could be wrong, but I was under the impression the dynema would replace the plates. At 5mm and 7 mm thick, I believe it's about the same thickness (maybe a little less) than the plates and it would definitely be substantially lighter.
If, on the other hand, the dynema just replaces the vest and not the plates, I don't see any significant weight savings, like you said.
Sure you can beat the system, you just have to decide you're not going to buy into the system. It's not that hard to live in this country debt free, it just takes a little discipline. Well, maybe a lot of discipline, but it's certainly possible.
There are definitely areas where it's easier than others, and the system is making the socio-economic gaps bigger but you can do it. I know several people who are completely debt free (excluding their mortgages) and living on modest (for the DC area) incomes quite well. The trick is to make the decision not to become a consumer whore and think you have to "keep up with the Joneses". If you can resist the urge to live a "desparate housewife" type of lifestyle, then living within your means and staying debt free really isn't that hard at all.
Because if you carry less weight in body armor, you carry more weight in ammunition, med supplies, whatever. The protection they have today is generally sufficient for small arms rounds, so they don't usually need more protection. Reducing the weight of current equipment, however, goes a long way toward making your troops more mobile, responsive, and better prepared to face an enemy. Not to mention, it makes them feel better to not lift a 35 pound vest over their head.
I've worn the modern vests, and while they aren't nearly as bad as they were 10 years ago, they still aren't good. If I could get the same protection from something even a quarter less weight, I'd make the switch without a second thought. That two or three extra pounds can mean the difference of being able to march my ass another couple of kilometers to safety or have a few extra rounds of ammunition when I really need it. That's a huge mental advantage, and despite all we say about war, it's the mental aspects (on the soldier) that make it difficult in the long run.
If it's the same dynema used for rock and ice-climbing gear, I'd be worried about it melting. The stuff traditionally has a negative reaction to UV (as most synthetics do) and it melts pretty easily. I'm sure they've figured that out though.
I presume that public schools are public because the name says they are, and they are paid for with tax dollars. By definition, that makes them public.
The general public is, in fact, allowed to go to public schools, though access is limited and often restricted without an escort assigned by the school. Anyone, however, can request (and is often granted) access through the proper channels. Limiting access isn't the same as saying the location isn't public.
Public parks are definitely public property, but they often have access restrictions after dark, and other similar guidelines.
I think you need to read again. What I said was "so there couldn't have been too much disruption of the class, as far as she was concerned."
I'm not arguing your point about a "learning environment" because I agree. My point was: sure the kids knew about the disruption, but I doubt in a class where the teacher was that clueless, disruption was anything out of the ordinary. Your argument was my point exactly, that the teacher was incompetent and thus the disruption, probably wasn't much of one anyway. We've all sat through classes that were a mandatory waste of our time. From what the article implied, this was one of those classes.
As for the rest of your comment, I was suspended for 3 days because someone else hit me. I didn't retaliate (it wasn't worth the effort) and went directly to the office and waited for the teacher (who had seen it) to arrive and report it. I still got suspended for fighting. At another school I had to make an official apology for cursing in front of (not at) a teacher whom I thought was a student because he was so young. I was speaking to a friend, after school, in the parking lot, but I still got in trouble.
Punishment is part of growing up, and it's as much a learning tool as anything else in school. It teaches us tact, and common sense about when to keep our mouths shut. It teaches us about consequences for our actions, but that doesn't mean it's a reasonable thing we shouldn't argue or disagree with when it's appropriate to do so. Do I think the kids involved should be punished? Yes. Should it be this severe? No.
You obviously haven't priced out many graphics software suites, or video editing suites lately, have you? Let's not even get into the engineering suites like OrCad or AutoCAD etc.
15k is very easy to accomplish on a high end laptop and software.
Seriously, was there ever any doubt that the linux community is out of touch with the "average" user? We can spout all we want about how great it is, but the average user doesn't give a damn. They just want it to work, preferably the way that they are used to it working.
"This idea that teachers deserve some kind of respect is a large part of what's wrong with our public schools.'
Let me disagree. The fact that we allow people who deserve no respect to become teachers is what's wrong with our public schools. Teachers should have a measure of respect but they should be held accountable to a higher standard than they are.
Teaching is considered a low paying, low skill job in the US and that's the real problem. Make teachers earn their teaching degree with more difficult testing, don't give them tenure, and pay them better. You'll see a drastic turn-around in the education system because the people who are actually good at it will excel, while those who suck will be culled, just like what happens in most other jobs.
Agreed, the punishment (after reading the article) is a bit ridiculous, even if the kid did film it and cause the disruption. The article also mentions the teacher wasn't even aware she was filmed, so there couldn't have been too much disruption of the class, as far as she was concerned.
My point was that being punished for doing something wrong shouldn't be considered a bad thing. The saying "don't do the crime if you can't do the time" doesn't seem to hold in our society any more and it's frightening. People should be held accountable for their actions.
Whether or not the kid was actually involved is more important, in my opinion, than the amount of time the punishment was for, or why they set that time frame. From the article it certainly looks as though that fact is debatable.
If you are in a public space, and presumably public schools are considered public space, you have no right or expectation of control over media that includes you.
I found a picture of myself in a book last summer, completely uncredited, and certainly unasked. The same truth holds for video or audio as well.
As for the whole "not allowed to take pictures in schools without express permission", that depends upon the school district, and the specific school in question. Most students are not discouraged from taking pictures, however, as long as it's not a disruption of the classroom environment. According to the article though, this kid wasn't even involved in the filming, he simply put it up on youtube and/or myspace. Suspension for disruption of class; fine, but not for 40 days. Suspension for thinking the disruption is funny and telling people about it? Not fine.
"What happens if all the students produce a video of this nature? Expell all of them?"
Yes. Disruption of the classroom is a common reason for detention, and in extreme cases, expulsion. As a first offense, it might be a bit much, but if the offenders are continuously causing problems, they deserve the punishments they receive, even harsh ones. Pandering to the crowd of "save the children" and "no child left behind" is a mistake we're beginning to see the results of now. It will only get worse if we keep it up.
Have you ever heard Ben Folds live? You might change your mind about the "talent" part of that. Unless you just mean song-writing, then I'd agree. His live performance that I saw seriously sucked though. He was off key, his sound tech was horrible, and you generally couldn't understand him, when you could even hear him. Not that it was bad to not hear him, because, like I said, he couldn't hit the right note to save his life that night. Granted, it was only one show...
Which is different, how, exactly? There's a reason people say music sucks these days, and it's not just because we are getting older and turning into our parents. There is much more selection these days than ever before, we just don't get to hear it because most of the radio stations (in the US) are owned by two companies. They dictate what gets played on their "alternative" stations and their "rock" stations, and their "oldies" stations, and it's the same music everywhere. Hell, it's the same rotation, not just the same music. It's pretty ridiculous.
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Again, you're making a false analogy. The "different set of standards" that apply to cell phones are because they are simply not applicable to landlines in most places. How many restaurants have you been to where there are 4 landlines sitting on the table? Or movie theaters? As for electric lighting, air conditioners and "all sorts of other things that make our lives better", I don't think you'll find most people are (or were) against them except for the logistic issues of getting those things. They cost money, the cost time, and yes, they make some people feel uncomfortable with the change. I'm not one of those people. I don't even have a landline, and my cell phone is my primary mode of communication, but I don't answer it when I'm in a restaurant, and I don't interrupt conversation to answer it either. I also never have any ringer set except for vibrate. I just wish more people thought a little more like I do with regard to other people's experiences in public.
I'm not applying these standards to villify cell phones, especially when I (and the original poster) already stated that "silent" cell phone ringers are completely reasonable. And it's completely reasonable to not answer a cell phone too.
Your situation is exactly why most modern email clients have filters. If you set up a couple of simple filters you're down to your 1 or 2 emails that need a response, without any more than a few minutes (one time) effort on your part.
Yes it is, and it certainly wasn't intentional.
But let's be realistic, cell phones aren't necessary. Yes they can be very helpful, and they are convenient most of the time, but they are often annoying and people are most definitely rude about how they deal with calls.
Asking that people have a little courtesy when dealing with cell phones isn't the same as being a luddite.
It's very easy to limit your junk mail working in large corporations. I work for a company with over 100000 employees and I get no more than 50 emails a day as a project lead. I simply don't respond to junk mail, and I don't send out frivolous questions. For whatever reason people recognize that, at least on a subconscious level, and respond accordingly.
I get all my work accomplished, everyone who needs information from me gets it, and my life is way less stressful than several coworkers who seem to feel a need to respond to every issue, applicable to them or not.
The difference is that most people respect a closed door to a conference room and only interrupt when it is an emergency or important notice. And the phone in the conference room; there's generally only one of those with a ringer set to a human volume. Cell phones can be set to reasonably unobtrusive notifications, but people don't do that. They set the ringer to play "My girlie humps" or whatever the hell the song of their choice is, at max volume. And there are generally 8-10 of them, not one.
It's not "neo-luddite," whatever the hell that's supposed to mean, to respect the people around you more than a stupid device you didn't need 5 years ago. Saying that a cell phone is "MORE polite" is asinine at best. They are obviously more intrusive than not having them ever was, and they have nearly infinite customizability, which simply makes them that much harder to ignore. The GP simply said it's not that hard to turn on a silent ringer, but people don't do that. That's why they are rude and a general nuisance, not because they're "newer than other notifications" or anything remotely similar.
Just because you don't understand respect for other people doesn't mean those of us who do are somehow obsolete.
Only if the person bothers to answer the call. Otherwise, it's the exact same annoyance.
"iAnal"
You do? Maybe we should talk.
Yeah, that whole "non-voting" thing... let's just ignore that shall we?
How exactly does that qualify as "most represented" of anyone? The entire congress is no more responsible to DC than I am. Sure they're sort of required to abide by DC laws (except of course gun laws and several driving/parking restrictions) and they work in DC, but how are they responsible to DC in any other way?
The problem with their tactic is my question. Who gets to decide who will be abysmally bad. There are still people who think Bush is doing a good job despite all the crap that has happened. There are people who think Ross Perot would have been an excellent President, and others who thank whatever god they pray to that he wasn't elected. The reason we have the problem we have now is exactly the reason their plan won't work. People just don't agree on things. There's simply too much complexity in the reasons people vote for the candidates they vote for to assume their little pet project will have any effect at all other than wasting a lot of votes.
My take on it is that's what they're hoping for. The people asking you to deliberately vote for the bad candidates have someone they think is good and they want you to take your vote away from his/her candidate. It's a technique (divide and conquer) that has been used to win wars throughout history.
"You are only not represented if you did not vote"
Or you live in Washington DC. But that's no big deal...
I could be wrong, but I was under the impression the dynema would replace the plates. At 5mm and 7 mm thick, I believe it's about the same thickness (maybe a little less) than the plates and it would definitely be substantially lighter.
If, on the other hand, the dynema just replaces the vest and not the plates, I don't see any significant weight savings, like you said.
Sure you can beat the system, you just have to decide you're not going to buy into the system. It's not that hard to live in this country debt free, it just takes a little discipline. Well, maybe a lot of discipline, but it's certainly possible.
There are definitely areas where it's easier than others, and the system is making the socio-economic gaps bigger but you can do it. I know several people who are completely debt free (excluding their mortgages) and living on modest (for the DC area) incomes quite well. The trick is to make the decision not to become a consumer whore and think you have to "keep up with the Joneses". If you can resist the urge to live a "desparate housewife" type of lifestyle, then living within your means and staying debt free really isn't that hard at all.
Because if you carry less weight in body armor, you carry more weight in ammunition, med supplies, whatever. The protection they have today is generally sufficient for small arms rounds, so they don't usually need more protection. Reducing the weight of current equipment, however, goes a long way toward making your troops more mobile, responsive, and better prepared to face an enemy. Not to mention, it makes them feel better to not lift a 35 pound vest over their head.
I've worn the modern vests, and while they aren't nearly as bad as they were 10 years ago, they still aren't good. If I could get the same protection from something even a quarter less weight, I'd make the switch without a second thought. That two or three extra pounds can mean the difference of being able to march my ass another couple of kilometers to safety or have a few extra rounds of ammunition when I really need it. That's a huge mental advantage, and despite all we say about war, it's the mental aspects (on the soldier) that make it difficult in the long run.
If it's the same dynema used for rock and ice-climbing gear, I'd be worried about it melting. The stuff traditionally has a negative reaction to UV (as most synthetics do) and it melts pretty easily. I'm sure they've figured that out though.
I presume that public schools are public because the name says they are, and they are paid for with tax dollars. By definition, that makes them public.
The general public is, in fact, allowed to go to public schools, though access is limited and often restricted without an escort assigned by the school. Anyone, however, can request (and is often granted) access through the proper channels. Limiting access isn't the same as saying the location isn't public.
Public parks are definitely public property, but they often have access restrictions after dark, and other similar guidelines.
I think you need to read again. What I said was "so there couldn't have been too much disruption of the class, as far as she was concerned."
I'm not arguing your point about a "learning environment" because I agree. My point was: sure the kids knew about the disruption, but I doubt in a class where the teacher was that clueless, disruption was anything out of the ordinary. Your argument was my point exactly, that the teacher was incompetent and thus the disruption, probably wasn't much of one anyway. We've all sat through classes that were a mandatory waste of our time. From what the article implied, this was one of those classes.
As for the rest of your comment, I was suspended for 3 days because someone else hit me. I didn't retaliate (it wasn't worth the effort) and went directly to the office and waited for the teacher (who had seen it) to arrive and report it. I still got suspended for fighting. At another school I had to make an official apology for cursing in front of (not at) a teacher whom I thought was a student because he was so young. I was speaking to a friend, after school, in the parking lot, but I still got in trouble.
Punishment is part of growing up, and it's as much a learning tool as anything else in school. It teaches us tact, and common sense about when to keep our mouths shut. It teaches us about consequences for our actions, but that doesn't mean it's a reasonable thing we shouldn't argue or disagree with when it's appropriate to do so. Do I think the kids involved should be punished? Yes. Should it be this severe? No.
You obviously haven't priced out many graphics software suites, or video editing suites lately, have you? Let's not even get into the engineering suites like OrCad or AutoCAD etc.
15k is very easy to accomplish on a high end laptop and software.
Seriously, was there ever any doubt that the linux community is out of touch with the "average" user? We can spout all we want about how great it is, but the average user doesn't give a damn. They just want it to work, preferably the way that they are used to it working.
"This idea that teachers deserve some kind of respect is a large part of what's wrong with our public schools.'
Let me disagree. The fact that we allow people who deserve no respect to become teachers is what's wrong with our public schools. Teachers should have a measure of respect but they should be held accountable to a higher standard than they are.
Teaching is considered a low paying, low skill job in the US and that's the real problem. Make teachers earn their teaching degree with more difficult testing, don't give them tenure, and pay them better. You'll see a drastic turn-around in the education system because the people who are actually good at it will excel, while those who suck will be culled, just like what happens in most other jobs.
Agreed, the punishment (after reading the article) is a bit ridiculous, even if the kid did film it and cause the disruption. The article also mentions the teacher wasn't even aware she was filmed, so there couldn't have been too much disruption of the class, as far as she was concerned.
My point was that being punished for doing something wrong shouldn't be considered a bad thing. The saying "don't do the crime if you can't do the time" doesn't seem to hold in our society any more and it's frightening. People should be held accountable for their actions.
Whether or not the kid was actually involved is more important, in my opinion, than the amount of time the punishment was for, or why they set that time frame. From the article it certainly looks as though that fact is debatable.
If you are in a public space, and presumably public schools are considered public space, you have no right or expectation of control over media that includes you.
I found a picture of myself in a book last summer, completely uncredited, and certainly unasked. The same truth holds for video or audio as well.
As for the whole "not allowed to take pictures in schools without express permission", that depends upon the school district, and the specific school in question. Most students are not discouraged from taking pictures, however, as long as it's not a disruption of the classroom environment. According to the article though, this kid wasn't even involved in the filming, he simply put it up on youtube and/or myspace. Suspension for disruption of class; fine, but not for 40 days. Suspension for thinking the disruption is funny and telling people about it? Not fine.
"What happens if all the students produce a video of this nature? Expell all of them?"
Yes. Disruption of the classroom is a common reason for detention, and in extreme cases, expulsion. As a first offense, it might be a bit much, but if the offenders are continuously causing problems, they deserve the punishments they receive, even harsh ones. Pandering to the crowd of "save the children" and "no child left behind" is a mistake we're beginning to see the results of now. It will only get worse if we keep it up.
Have you ever heard Ben Folds live? You might change your mind about the "talent" part of that. Unless you just mean song-writing, then I'd agree. His live performance that I saw seriously sucked though. He was off key, his sound tech was horrible, and you generally couldn't understand him, when you could even hear him. Not that it was bad to not hear him, because, like I said, he couldn't hit the right note to save his life that night. Granted, it was only one show...
Which is different, how, exactly? There's a reason people say music sucks these days, and it's not just because we are getting older and turning into our parents. There is much more selection these days than ever before, we just don't get to hear it because most of the radio stations (in the US) are owned by two companies. They dictate what gets played on their "alternative" stations and their "rock" stations, and their "oldies" stations, and it's the same music everywhere. Hell, it's the same rotation, not just the same music. It's pretty ridiculous.
Coffin meet Nail.