And yet, these vastly outnumbered idjits carry incredible weight and influence, especially in the heartland, and people cower in fear of upsetting them
Thank you, thank you. *Someone* remembers their internet history.
As one of the people who voted for Hank after listening to Howard Stern that morning, I can tell you I'm still pissed off at People Magazine for that. I mean, if they aren't going to uphold the results of the contest, why have the contest at all?
Of course, it should be pointed out, that, at the time, probably less than 1% of People Magazine's readership used the internet, while 60% of Howard Stern listeners were online regulars.
These days the percentage of people who are interested in NASA or watch Colbert, and are online users, is probably roughly the same...
Wait a minute... Are you saying the Indians should NOT have cars because it might cause YOU to pay more per gallon so you can fill up your stinking Hummer?
That somehow, you, by virtue of being an American, DESERVE the gasoline more than someone else (and at the ridiculously cheap price of ONLY $4 a gallon, a price the rest of the world would frankly kill for), so you can drive anyplace you like in luxury while the rest of the world can go kiss off??
And you wonder why the rest of the world hates Americans?
You know, for a long time, people drove cars without those things. What the heck would a 600 pound car with 10-inch wheels need power steering? And does a car that's going to go 40mph most of it's life need airbags and ABS?
Wait, let me check my Volkswagen Beetle... Power Steering... No, Airbags, NO, ABS.. NO. And my beetle will go much faster than a Nano, and has more than double the engine, and probably weighs twice as much...
Rest assured, once they get some money, they will demand their share of political power. The only way to prevent that is to keep the bulk of the population ignorant and isolated, and that only works for so long.
---
Bzzzt! Nice try, but wrong. As long as you keep the majority of the populace in a lifestyle that they will accept, you can have any form of government you like. China is doing it EXACTLY right, by giving the population a middle-class lifestyle, stuff to buy, TV programs, etc.
Look at the USA... How many in this country actually demand their share of political power? Very, very few. How many Americans actually vote? How many Americans vote for someone outside of the "two choices" they are offered by the system? How many Americans realize that the two choices they are offered is really no choice, because for the most part, the two options are pretty much the same?
Let's face reality. As long as you have shopping malls, nice cars and dancing with the stars, most Americans are satisfied. Same with China. And the government that's providing the lifestyle doesn't matter, as long as you have the lifestyle.
And with China, most people there think the government is doing a good job. After all, their lifestyle is improving. Therefore, things are going well. Who's going to rock the boat if life is improving?
Politicians have to be the stupidist creatures on earth. Maybe we'd have less terrorism if we banned politcians.
Hey, terrorist were *reading* maps to plan terrorist attacks. Let's outlaw reading!
But if you dare say "Maybe we shouldn't put automatic assault rifles into the hands of anyone with a driver's license", then the gun freaks go ape-shit.
Why is it that they'll ban and outlaw everything, except the obvious?
Secondly, if someone was a terrorist, wouldn't they know then to attack anything on the maps that are blurry?
Oh, my head hurts. Stop the planet, I want to get off.
Yes, and even more unfortunate, the book was written by a woman, who *thinks* she knows what she's talking about and the gender she thinks she's talking to.
But the mysogeny isn't limited to tech/IT crowds. I see way more sexism in a locker room full of jocks than I do with geeks, and yet the jocks get all the dates, so who are the geeks to learn social skills from?
The geeks think it's acceptable to talk that way, because the women put up with the harassment when it's coming from good-looking dipwads.
Frankly; I think there's hostility from both sides; the geek males because they are always dumped in favor of some brainless but handsome jerk, and the women create an aura of "I'm too good for you", which creates frustration, leading to more hostility from the male geeks.
If you think you've really got a handle on the female geek, then please, write a book (or a blog), and set the record straight. There must be a market out there is this kind of trash could get published.
I'd buy a dozen right now at that price. I've never been able to locate any of that stuff at a reasonable price, only via "army/navy" resellers who jack up the price 1000% so they can make a healthy profit.
There are these things called collection agencies. They consist of former telemarketers that just call and call and send letters, and then ruin your credit rating, if you don't cough up the money. It requires no lawyers, no judge, and no jury.
Your fate is sealed before the first phone call. You are guilty as charged, and there's no appeal.
And you will spend years trying to fix the mess they make to your credit history.
They why do we have gun laws? Guns don't kill people, just like pens don't sign contracts. People kill people, like people sign contracts. Maybe we need more laws against people and less laws against guns. And nuclear weapons don't kill people either... Only people can kill people.
Great. If this is actionable, I want to sue every spammer that has sent me mail telling me that my penis is too small. I've been irreprably harmed, and demand damages, preferably, in the millions of dollars.
And while we're at it, maybe Obama can sue Palin because she said he was "pallin' around with terrists", which sounds like an actionable claim.
And hey, it's a good thing that dude from the Author's Guild hasn't read the nasty names we called him a few stories back or we're all toast here on Slashdot.
It is seriously getting to the point where you have to think twice before using the internet.
Time to invent something better and move there. DARPA, we need you!
If you really want to get to the "root of the problem", start shooting lawyers. If you follow the money trail, it really seems this entire situation was set up so that there would be MORE lawsuits, in which case, it's the lawyers that benefit in general.
All of american society is being screwed, to the benefit of the ruling class, aka lawyers. I'm sure it was a lawyer who first proposed ridiculous patenting of obvious ideas "on the itarweb", and it's lawyers who vigorously defend idiots who think they are going to get rich because they hold the patent for "breathing air while browsing".
And in the end, the only people making money off this completely screwed up situation are the lawyers.
That sounds like an absolutely plausible conversation. It's not an issue with malware, it's an issue of pointy-headed-bosses and sheer beaurocracy. The tech was right. If he changes ANYTHING on the embedded box, he'll be fired because the device will no longer be certified.
That's the way this stuff works. In a hospital, proper paperwork is more important than actually saving lives. That's why I have to laugh every time I watch "House" and that doctor does something that no hospital would allow him to do.
I know a vascular tech and he tells me the most amazing stories about how "procedures" actually get in the way of healthcare.
If he wants to get the malware removed, he'd have to send the device back to the manufacturer, they would wipe it and then recertify it, and send it back. He has no authority to change the system himself since he's incapable of recertifying it. The problem is, sending the unit back to have it cleaned of malware and recertified would probably take months.
Welcome to the health care system. Leave your logic at the door.
Which begs the question: How is it that we've got such amazingly smart guys who can piece together tiny bits of wreckage to determine cause of failure, but, apparently none of those smart guys are ever involved with the initial building process to anticipate such failure in the first place?
Or a better question:
How come there's unlimted money to investigate a failure, but never enough money to build the damn thing right in the first place?
It seems to me that we've always got our priorities backwards.
The Model T and Model A were dual-fuel vehicles. The distributor, which sent a spark to each cylinder, was "digital": You used the five digits of your left hand to pull the lever on the steering column to advance the spark timing as you drove. When running on alcohol you would advance the spark timing a great deal more than for gasoline, to accommodate alcohol's cooler-burning, high-octane qualities. The dual-fuel vehicles also had a carburetor that could be adjusted from the inside of the automobile by turning a knob (incorrectly termed the choke) on the dashboard.
Remember that when the Model T was built, gas stations were few and far between. Most farmers ran their cars off pure alcohol because that's all they had access to. The Model T will run off pretty much anything that can burn. It was engineered for a time when there was no infrastructure for cars, i.e., no gas stations, no roads, no highways. If anything, it's a better vehicle than most coming off the line today (as long as we're not counting safety features and comfort).
A few lifetimes ago, I worked with Rick Tumlinson. Let me the first to say that anything he's put his hands into has a 100% chance of never happening. He's a nice enough fellow, but too all over the place to ever actually make anything turn into reality.
I've never figured out *how* that foundation gets any money. I used to think that Rick was knocking over parking meters to meet the bills.
But to be fair, he's still around, so maybe I'm totally wrong about him, but, I've heard him sing that easy access to space is right around the corner, and how we're all about to be rich, and that was more than 15 years ago.
Very little about space travel has changed during that time, other than the ISS and SpaceShipOne, two projects he had zero to do with.
There are all kinds of tastes in this world. Some people don't care about the fit and finish of a fine automobile (although we can appreciate it). But there are those who actually prefer the rough edges, we're happy building our own cars out of whatever materials are at hand, and the results are often surprising and exciting, even if the fit and finish is nowhere close to a high-end car.
The purpose of a shuttle, or any other government built equipment isn't to look nice. It's to get the job done, and usually, be tough as nails about it as well.
Let's see how fine your car is after it's been launched at Mach 25 and been heated to plasma temps, and put a few million miles on it. That's why it looks like hammered dog meat, but frankly, I like the look of hammered dog meat.
There's a culture of people that make "Rat Rods" and trust me when I say that I find these vehicles beautiful, even up close.
The point is, it's all a matter of taste. I like utilitarian, visible welds, and patina. You can't get that "character" from a fine car (unless that fine car is a Deusenberg).
Slashdot Mirror
And yet, these vastly outnumbered idjits carry incredible weight and influence, especially in the heartland, and people cower in fear of upsetting them
---
That's because they have guns.
Thank you, thank you. *Someone* remembers their internet history.
As one of the people who voted for Hank after listening to Howard Stern that morning, I can tell you I'm still pissed off at People Magazine for that. I mean, if they aren't going to uphold the results of the contest, why have the contest at all?
Of course, it should be pointed out, that, at the time, probably less than 1% of People Magazine's readership used the internet, while 60% of Howard Stern listeners were online regulars.
These days the percentage of people who are interested in NASA or watch Colbert, and are online users, is probably roughly the same...
Wait a minute... Are you saying the Indians should NOT have cars because it might cause YOU to pay more per gallon so you can fill up your stinking Hummer?
That somehow, you, by virtue of being an American, DESERVE the gasoline more than someone else (and at the ridiculously cheap price of ONLY $4 a gallon, a price the rest of the world would frankly kill for), so you can drive anyplace you like in luxury while the rest of the world can go kiss off??
And you wonder why the rest of the world hates Americans?
You know, for a long time, people drove cars without those things. What the heck would a 600 pound car with 10-inch wheels need power steering? And does a car that's going to go 40mph most of it's life need airbags and ABS?
Wait, let me check my Volkswagen Beetle... Power Steering... No, Airbags, NO, ABS.. NO. And my beetle will go much faster than a Nano, and has more than double the engine, and probably weighs twice as much...
Now, get off my lawn...
Sneakers...
Jonny Mneumonic
The Lawnmower Man
Weird Science
Swordfish
Never underestimate the power of a good accessory...
When did Slashdot become "Fashion for nerds, things that matter"?
Rest assured, once they get some money, they will demand their share of political power. The only way to prevent that is to keep the bulk of the population ignorant and isolated, and that only works for so long.
---
Bzzzt! Nice try, but wrong. As long as you keep the majority of the populace in a lifestyle that they will accept, you can have any form of government you like. China is doing it EXACTLY right, by giving the population a middle-class lifestyle, stuff to buy, TV programs, etc.
Look at the USA... How many in this country actually demand their share of political power? Very, very few. How many Americans actually vote? How many Americans vote for someone outside of the "two choices" they are offered by the system? How many Americans realize that the two choices they are offered is really no choice, because for the most part, the two options are pretty much the same?
Let's face reality. As long as you have shopping malls, nice cars and dancing with the stars, most Americans are satisfied. Same with China. And the government that's providing the lifestyle doesn't matter, as long as you have the lifestyle.
And with China, most people there think the government is doing a good job. After all, their lifestyle is improving. Therefore, things are going well. Who's going to rock the boat if life is improving?
The person that does the asking out to dinner pays.
After all, the other party was gracious enough to accept.
Politicians have to be the stupidist creatures on earth.
Maybe we'd have less terrorism if we banned politcians.
Hey, terrorist were *reading* maps to plan terrorist attacks. Let's outlaw reading!
But if you dare say "Maybe we shouldn't put automatic assault rifles into the hands of anyone with a driver's license", then the gun freaks go ape-shit.
Why is it that they'll ban and outlaw everything, except the obvious?
Secondly, if someone was a terrorist, wouldn't they know then to attack anything on the maps that are blurry?
Oh, my head hurts. Stop the planet, I want to get off.
they probably should have come out with a line of hypoallergenic mild soaps
----
Don't be ridiculous. Everyone knows Star Trek fans don't use soap.
Yes, and even more unfortunate, the book was written by a woman, who *thinks* she knows what she's talking about and the gender she thinks she's talking to.
But the mysogeny isn't limited to tech/IT crowds. I see way more sexism in a locker room full of jocks than I do with geeks, and yet the jocks get all the dates, so who are the geeks to learn social skills from?
The geeks think it's acceptable to talk that way, because the women put up with the harassment when it's coming from good-looking dipwads.
Frankly; I think there's hostility from both sides; the geek males because they are always dumped in favor of some brainless but handsome jerk, and the women create an aura of "I'm too good for you", which creates frustration, leading to more hostility from the male geeks.
If you think you've really got a handle on the female geek, then please, write a book (or a blog), and set the record straight. There must be a market out there is this kind of trash could get published.
In all seriousness, where are those $15 jeeps?
I'd buy a dozen right now at that price. I've never been able to locate any of that stuff at a reasonable price, only via "army/navy" resellers who jack up the price 1000% so they can make a healthy profit.
Even "Cheaperthandirt" isn't all that cheap.
Dude;
There are these things called collection agencies. They consist of former telemarketers that just call and call and send letters, and then ruin your credit rating, if you don't cough up the money. It requires no lawyers, no judge, and no jury.
Your fate is sealed before the first phone call.
You are guilty as charged, and there's no appeal.
And you will spend years trying to fix the mess they make to your credit history.
They why do we have gun laws? Guns don't kill people, just like pens don't sign contracts. People kill people, like people sign contracts. Maybe we need more laws against people and less laws against guns. And nuclear weapons don't kill people either... Only people can kill people.
So why can't I have a nuclear weapon?
Great. If this is actionable, I want to sue every spammer that has sent me mail telling me that my penis is too small. I've been irreprably harmed, and demand damages, preferably, in the millions of dollars.
And while we're at it, maybe Obama can sue Palin because she said he was "pallin' around with terrists", which sounds like an actionable claim.
And hey, it's a good thing that dude from the Author's Guild hasn't read the nasty names we called him a few stories back or we're all toast here on Slashdot.
It is seriously getting to the point where you have to think twice before using the internet.
Time to invent something better and move there. DARPA, we need you!
Most insightful commnent on Slashdot in years!!!!
OK, 10 years late... but
"This Episode... This Episode.... This Episode..."
Rock music, explosions, Eagle spacecraft spinning, Martin Landau... Barbara Bain....
JSBiff's comment is highly insightful
Dude;
This is MICROSOFT.
If you really want to get to the "root of the problem", start shooting lawyers. If you follow the money trail, it really seems this entire situation was set up so that there would be MORE lawsuits, in which case, it's the lawyers that benefit in general.
All of american society is being screwed, to the benefit of the ruling class, aka lawyers. I'm sure it was a lawyer who first proposed ridiculous patenting of obvious ideas "on the itarweb", and it's lawyers who vigorously defend idiots who think they are going to get rich because they hold the patent for "breathing air while browsing".
And in the end, the only people making money off this completely screwed up situation are the lawyers.
That sounds like an absolutely plausible conversation. It's not an issue with malware, it's an issue of pointy-headed-bosses and sheer beaurocracy. The tech was right. If he changes ANYTHING on the embedded box, he'll be fired because the device will no longer be certified.
That's the way this stuff works. In a hospital, proper paperwork is more important than actually saving lives. That's why I have to laugh every time I watch "House" and that doctor does something that no hospital would allow him to do.
I know a vascular tech and he tells me the most amazing stories about how "procedures" actually get in the way of healthcare.
If he wants to get the malware removed, he'd have to send the device back to the manufacturer, they would wipe it and then recertify it, and send it back. He has no authority to change the system himself since he's incapable of recertifying it. The problem is, sending the unit back to have it cleaned of malware and recertified would probably take months.
Welcome to the health care system. Leave your logic at the door.
Which begs the question: How is it that we've got such amazingly smart guys who can piece together tiny bits of wreckage to determine cause of failure, but, apparently none of those smart guys are ever involved with the initial building process to anticipate such failure in the first place?
Or a better question:
How come there's unlimted money to investigate a failure, but never enough money to build the damn thing right in the first place?
It seems to me that we've always got our priorities backwards.
The Model T and Model A were dual-fuel vehicles. The distributor, which sent a spark to each cylinder, was "digital": You used the five digits of your left hand to pull the lever on the steering column to advance the spark timing as you drove. When running on alcohol you would advance the spark timing a great deal more than for gasoline, to accommodate alcohol's cooler-burning, high-octane qualities. The dual-fuel vehicles also had a carburetor that could be adjusted from the inside of the automobile by turning a knob (incorrectly termed the choke) on the dashboard.
Remember that when the Model T was built, gas stations were few and far between. Most farmers ran their cars off pure alcohol because that's all they had access to. The Model T will run off pretty much anything that can burn. It was engineered for a time when there was no infrastructure for cars, i.e., no gas stations, no roads, no highways. If anything, it's a better vehicle than most coming off the line today (as long as we're not counting safety features and comfort).
A few lifetimes ago, I worked with Rick Tumlinson. Let me the first to say that anything he's put his hands into has a 100% chance of never happening. He's a nice enough fellow, but too all over the place to ever actually make anything turn into reality.
I've never figured out *how* that foundation gets any money. I used to think that Rick was knocking over parking meters to meet the bills.
But to be fair, he's still around, so maybe I'm totally wrong about him, but, I've heard him sing that easy access to space is right around the corner, and how we're all about to be rich, and that was more than 15 years ago.
Very little about space travel has changed during that time, other than the ISS and SpaceShipOne, two projects he had zero to do with.
There are all kinds of tastes in this world. Some people don't care about the fit and finish of a fine automobile (although we can appreciate it). But there are those who actually prefer the rough edges, we're happy building our own cars out of whatever materials are at hand, and the results are often surprising and exciting, even if the fit and finish is nowhere close to a high-end car.
The purpose of a shuttle, or any other government built equipment isn't to look nice. It's to get the job done, and usually, be tough as nails about it as well.
Let's see how fine your car is after it's been launched at Mach 25 and been heated to plasma temps, and put a few million miles on it. That's why it looks like hammered dog meat, but frankly, I like the look of hammered dog meat.
There's a culture of people that make "Rat Rods" and trust me when I say that I find these vehicles beautiful, even up close.
The point is, it's all a matter of taste. I like utilitarian, visible welds, and patina. You can't get that "character" from a fine car (unless that fine car is a Deusenberg).