"Where he's reporting from is irrelevant. I'm not wasting my airtime to tell people where Gary is."
I a standard my mom taught me probably would let him know: if you can't admit what you are doing, then you probably aren't doing the right thing.
In the article they make statements like "location doesn't affect reporting," and "the DJ never actually says he's shivering."
OK. If you don't think it makes a difference, take two seconds to say "my name is John Deaux, and I'm coming to you from Northern Florida. In Where-ever-you-are, USA, it's a bone-chilling five degrees..." If you are afraid to make that little disclosure, then you are implicitly admitting that it does make a difference.
Of course, I've been thinking that Clear Channel is evil for a while now, for totally different reasons.
There is a palm version out there, too, though, IMHO, it doesn't work all that well. Or, more accurately, it doesn't meet the standard set by this program.
Actually, I would think they would want to block VPN. I don't know exactly the through-put requirements, but, if you are using a free/"tip jar" model, it strikes me there is potential for a coffee house to subsidize a business's remote access costs.
Allowing for some recreational web surfing or some web-accessible business tools (web e-mail, etc.) is probably the goal. Having a Citrix client, synchronizing a large mailbox (Notes, Outlook, whatever, with lots of attachments), or X session might break the bank, so to speak.
Now, if we're talking $10/hour at Starbucks, it seems more equitable.
Making meaningful monetary contributions makes sense if you get something in return.
I'm sorry, you can't have it both ways. You can't advertise to companies that open source offers you an opportunity to get software without the high, high license fees, then complain when they don't contribute anything--money, time, or other.
Could companies hire consultants or give money to open source projects? Sure. Is it a nice thing to do? Absolutely. Is it wrong if they don't? No. Every time you hear advocates speak of entering corporate space, the license costs are a major perk--not paying the "Microsoft tax." If you win by that rule, you must accept the defeats.
Unfortunately, this is the risk you take when you write software and give it away: you cannon ensure you will get something tangible in return.
The software is presented as free-as-in-beer, with no one actually making money off the source (I know there is a free-as-in-freedom angle, too. However, it is always the cost-of-license advantage I see advertised to corporations). No one who uses the software is obliged to do anything--don't complain if there isn't a feature you want (you have the source), but there is no license cost, and no legal obligation. The ethical one is debatable.
Many companies lack the skills to maintain code--they simply don't have developers (or at least not the right sort of developer). To meaningfully contribute monetarily would erode at the cost savings. If the company is public, there may even be further complications.
If you create a model where software is available with no license fee, then you need to accept that is the rules you play by. Certainly you can go after the company if the start to make money off extensions to the software (i.e. violate the license), but, as someone noted earlier, you can't put a sign that says "free food," and complain that someone didn't chip in.
I submit a simple thesis: all (well, most) bicycle inovation is driven by professional racing (like many sports). Though you will find occasional things that make it into wide- or semi-wide adoption (say, recumbants), it it is not used by top amatures or pros, it won't get serious attention to develop or migrate to lower price points in a quality fashion.
So, for a planetary gear to be developed and become widely used, it would first have to prove value to professionals beyond the cost (i.e. better performance for weight, less weight, etc.). Then, it would need to be raced a bunch. Then, other companies/teams will use it. Finally, it will make it to amatures/recreation cyclists.
(Both suspension for mountain bikes and "dual control" brake levers/shifters for road bikes followed such a pattern--they started at the high end professional use, and now, ten years later, almost every bike of the class include it.)
You might be able to get this as a desired feature for pros. Might even get a few demo bikes to use it. However, it will be a long while before it is raced.
Why? Professional/elite amature cycling is controled by the UCI at the international level (both road and mountain). The UCI is very hesitent to allow inovation (recently banning disk brakes on cycle-cross bikes). The do tend to be more flexible for mountain biking (and, as it isn't an American invention, might be greeted more warmly).
However, it doesn't conform to the notion of a "traditional" bicycle, and thus, it won't get raced. And I regret that it will be stuck as a "fringe" idea.
(Yes, there are exceptions--areo bars and mountain bikes themselves. Still doubt it).
The 172t has a 700:1 contrast ratio. The 173t has a 450:1. My guess is this was a typo. Never attribute to malice what can adequately be explained by stupidity.
In fact, I am left handed! I've never had that as an issue as a fountian pen user, save for some of my 1890s pens that are very wet. I ascribe that more to me being a bit of a klutz.
I am an "under the line" lefty, though, as opposed to a "hooky." That might make a difference.
Same difference applies for word processors. Because I can select fonts and fully justify and all that happy nonsense doesn't make them more acceptable for some of the important social notes.
OK, to get back to the very original post, and eliminate the social graces, heirlooms, and the one-off post-its, why a pen as opposed to a text editor/word processor? The circumstance presented implied, at least to me, that a lot of words had to be processed and not only was Word or Star Office MIA, but the whole bloody computer! VI may do a great job, but it doesn't work when the computer is gone, down, or out of electricity. Pens and paper don't break (well, pens do, but are more resiliant...you get my point).
Besides, why use VI when you can have EMACS.;)
(That last one was a joke--please don't start a flame war over that one!)
I'll ignore the million-and-one exampels where "plain ASCII and a printer" are impractical (a post-it on someone's door to remind them to feed the cat, checks, jotting a number of a business contact at a part (don't give me the PDA answer), etc.). There is one thing you can't ignore, unless you are such a nerd that you take pride in being socially inept: there are situations that simply call for a hand-written note.
Simply sitting down with a pen and stationary and writing a note by hand conveys respect and care to many. I know that there are those in the Slashdot crowd who will claim they don't care. Bully for them. Others care, and, let's face it: impressions matter. You spend the night at your soon-to-be finance's parent's house for the first time, and then type up something that could just as easily be a form letter doesn't convey the same impression than a hand-written note. They know. They care. It is a simple matter of etiquette.
You see, it is not the message in and of itself. It is the time and care put into it.
You may not think it is important, but others do. To say you don't have time for someone who can't take your ASCII-gram simply shows your lack of respect, closed-mindedness, and lack of social grace.
One more use for a pen: we are requried to sign scores of legal documents in our lives. Why not do it with something better than a bic? I have one pen that I signed all our house documents, our marriage license, and my new car with. We'll have kids, and the birth certificates will be signed with this pen. And report cards, college entrance docs, etc. Hey look--an heirloom.
(Not to mention, the photos of our wedding, where a nice Parker Duofold fountain pen was used to sign, look much better than my sister, who used a random disposable ball point.)
When it comes to writing, if you are truely interested in the best tool for putting your message to paper (rather than just something to smear ink around), I can't think of anything better than a fountain pen. It provides vibrant color, expressive flow, and an elegant look.
Perhaps the best all-around fountain pen is the Namiki Vanishing Point. For a street price of around $100, you get a nice pen. It has a gold nib, takes both a cartridge or a convertor (for bottled ink), and is a good size (not too large, not to small). It has a very sharp look. I personally perfer the pre-2000 models, but I hear the current ones are pretty good.
Oh! I forgot to tell you the best part. In its own right, the VP is a great pen--perhaps the best to be had for that price point. It earned this on the basis I described above. The really cool thing is, it is retractable--the only retractable foutain pen in current production! So, no cap to have to manipulate. Since I get a lot of golf shirts, it is particularly nice.
A runner up for a fount is a vintage Parker 51. The areometric ones (produced from 1948-1970ish) are generally regarded as the best fountain pen ever. They can typically be had for under $100.
Mont Blanc used to make very good pens. However, as they became hyped as "the best" (a dubious claim to begin with), the quality went down, support became worse, and only the rep had remained. They are said among collectors to have a very brittle plastic (I know from first hand reports), and the service is iffy.
If you need a ballpoint, might I suggest the rotring 600 tri? Two ball points and a.7mm pencil in one nice, hexagonal tube. Quite cool!
We've prety much forsaken newspapers, dictionaries, and encyclopedias for the Net. I haven't totally given up the phone book, mostly because we don't have a computer downstairs.
There are several things, such as IMDB, that I don't think we'd get that information any other way. Typically, we don't care enough to have such a reference around the house, nor to go to a library to find out.
There is a certain understanding of when to take it from a grain of salt, or recognize there may be limitations (direction-sites are notorious for that). Likewise, for in-depth knowledge, we can't rely exclusively on that, instead needing a book or an expert.
Typically, if a web search doesn't yeild a result and we give up, it is a sign that we really don't care that much about the answer. On the other hand, the threshold to find the right answer is lower. Turning to the computer to query IMDB, a dictionary, or something else happens quite readily.
Unfortunately, the history of the space program, aside from an exciting-but-wasteful run like the moon program has been par for the course for the space program. We have some idea that needs some investment, but no real desire to follow-though with funding beyond a point.
I have a dream that, if we were to have built the X-20 back in the sixties (as opposed to Mercury), and grew from that, we would have a sustainable, safer space fleet today. We might have a diverse set of launch vehicals--truck-like shuttles with large payload bays, smaller crew-transport vehicals, etc. Rather than using the first-generation winged space vehical, we'd be on the fifth or sixth. A space station would have been operational for a while. The moon might not have been a flash-in-the-pan.
Unfortunately, there is no commitment. I dare say that the long-term strategy of the government is to phase out that capability. The Susan B. Anthony dollar coins had the Apollo 11 mission patch emblem on the "tails" side--an eagle landing on the moon. When the SBA was replaced with the new one, the Apollo 11 eagle was replaced with just a gliding eagle.
Not only are they taking away the future, they are trying to forget the past.
Unfortunately, the FAQ probably is a legitimate point. I've done too much desktop support where things just as stupid have come up.
There was the time (many, many years ago) I sent a 3.5" floppy to someone with both a 3.5" and 5.25" drive. She calls me up and asks which one to put it in, claiming the big one looks ike it can hold both sizes.
Of course, the any key one is a bit of a mystery. Not so much because I don't think people would ask that question, but rather becuase it's been years since I've seen that asked (usually it's the "click OK to continue").
It's on the corner of 4th and Main...northeasy (corner by Wendy's, accross from Atrium 1). The toynbee.net site says there are two others downtown that I've also seen...it's just that I don't step on it on my way to lunch.
OK, if downloading music were soley impacting CD sales, then downloaders-who-don't-buy-CDs-in-protest should barely register. After all, as a downloader, I might not be buying anything anyway.
But CD sales are down--amid an economic recovery, no less! Though it would require studies (and they have been cited here bfore), it would imply to me that these downloader/boycotters actually buy a significant amount of music!
My question: if downloading is down, and music sales are down even further, who can the music industry blame?
In relation to an earlier query, this artical points out it was the auto road.
Of course, a bicycle got up in in under an hour--40% the Segway time. And to think that one day, I might be on a multi-use path, having to shout at these morons to yeild right-of-way!
I really question the hype around the "Blackout of '03." Let's see: everything west of the Mississippi was in tact. Everything south of the Mason-Dixon was fine. For the most part, East of the Mississippi and North of the M-D was fine, too (most of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Main, Vermont, etc.).
The outage was basically contained to Onterio, New York, and portions of other states. Since New York was affected, and lots of news outlets are based in New York, it got a lot of press and seemed particularlly dramtic. However, as most of the grid as a whole stayed up, it strikes me that this "Third World Power System" (as one govenor put it) did its job, and contained the problem.
(Given how electricity-dependent the US is, quite a feat!)
Talk amongst yourselves, I will give you a topic: if this outage happened in the South or West, with either the same geographic area or same population affected, but not in the self-proclaimed "Greatest City in the World," would it have gotten the media attention. Discuss.
I actually have a surename that ends in an "x". The legend is that I had an illterate ancestor. So, someone would write their name on the legal document, and my forefather would make their mark--and "x."
There was an artical on Slate not too long ago about how historians are losing all sorts of data about Gulf War I/II due to the fact that so many docuements were electronic only.
This is in contrast to Clara Barton's description of the treament of Union Soldiers by the traitors during the US Civil war. Her handwriting was absolutely beautiful! The documents are still around.
I'm not saying that we should forsake electronics for the sake of history, but I also know that I keep a few letters and cards that are hand written; many e-mails I was keeping went away with a hard drive crash (yes, I know, backups. Still...). I wrote two thank you notes yesterday--I wouldn't dream to simply type those as an e-mail.
I've been in consulting or contracting for eight years. There is one rule:
You can never sa "no." You can only say "yes," then lead them to the conclusion that really isn't the best option.
Presenting options, explaining the risks, and showing why something isn't the best way are certainly valid (and expected) actions. If done appropriately and tactfully, it is certainly worth doing. If the person telling you to do this significantly outranks you (i.e. their CIO, you would match do a junior level), take it to your leadership.
Be sure to listen to what you are being told before acting (and even after). You may find that, while it doesn't make sense in the abstract, but, in the context of the clients business, it may make more sense (for technical, legal, political, or financial reasons).
Also, make sure that whatever opinion you are going forward with has the client in mind. For instance, don't push a certain tool just because you personally favor it.
If they still insist on whatever it is you have a problem with, you have two choices: just do it, or quit.
Ain't It Cool News had a fairly favorable script review a few months ago.
I remember "Galactica" from my youth, but I just remember the spaceships zooming around. I was like 7 or so, so I don't remember much. I was excited when they were going to bring it back...but then, we don't speak of "Galactica 1980." (My God! It's been over 20 years)
When I went back in the last few years and caught it on SciFi, I was surprised how detailed the series was--the polictical infighting, the "civilian control of the military" overtones, etc.
The new script sounds like it picks up on its legacy, and expands on it immencely.
Remember: twenty-five years ago, SciFi was not nearly as generally accepted as it is today. There is such diversity out there now, and the audiences are much more mature. It could be said that it is much more accepted. So, more sophisticated plotlines can be accepted.
Slashdot Mirror
"Where he's reporting from is irrelevant. I'm not wasting my airtime to tell people where Gary is."
I a standard my mom taught me probably would let him know: if you can't admit what you are doing, then you probably aren't doing the right thing.
In the article they make statements like "location doesn't affect reporting," and "the DJ never actually says he's shivering."
OK. If you don't think it makes a difference, take two seconds to say "my name is John Deaux, and I'm coming to you from Northern Florida. In Where-ever-you-are, USA, it's a bone-chilling five degrees..." If you are afraid to make that little disclosure, then you are implicitly admitting that it does make a difference.
Of course, I've been thinking that Clear Channel is evil for a while now, for totally different reasons.
Done and done.
There is a palm version out there, too, though, IMHO, it doesn't work all that well. Or, more accurately, it doesn't meet the standard set by this program.
Actually, I would think they would want to block VPN. I don't know exactly the through-put requirements, but, if you are using a free/"tip jar" model, it strikes me there is potential for a coffee house to subsidize a business's remote access costs.
Allowing for some recreational web surfing or some web-accessible business tools (web e-mail, etc.) is probably the goal. Having a Citrix client, synchronizing a large mailbox (Notes, Outlook, whatever, with lots of attachments), or X session might break the bank, so to speak.
Now, if we're talking $10/hour at Starbucks, it seems more equitable.
I'm sorry, you can't have it both ways. You can't advertise to companies that open source offers you an opportunity to get software without the high, high license fees, then complain when they don't contribute anything--money, time, or other.
Could companies hire consultants or give money to open source projects? Sure. Is it a nice thing to do? Absolutely. Is it wrong if they don't? No. Every time you hear advocates speak of entering corporate space, the license costs are a major perk--not paying the "Microsoft tax." If you win by that rule, you must accept the defeats.
Unfortunately, this is the risk you take when you write software and give it away: you cannon ensure you will get something tangible in return.
Many companies lack the skills to maintain code--they simply don't have developers (or at least not the right sort of developer). To meaningfully contribute monetarily would erode at the cost savings. If the company is public, there may even be further complications.
If you create a model where software is available with no license fee, then you need to accept that is the rules you play by. Certainly you can go after the company if the start to make money off extensions to the software (i.e. violate the license), but, as someone noted earlier, you can't put a sign that says "free food," and complain that someone didn't chip in.
PalmApple has been written. My poor Handspring doesn't do it justice, so I really can't speak to performance.
Oregon Trail sold seperately.
So, for a planetary gear to be developed and become widely used, it would first have to prove value to professionals beyond the cost (i.e. better performance for weight, less weight, etc.). Then, it would need to be raced a bunch. Then, other companies/teams will use it. Finally, it will make it to amatures/recreation cyclists.
(Both suspension for mountain bikes and "dual control" brake levers/shifters for road bikes followed such a pattern--they started at the high end professional use, and now, ten years later, almost every bike of the class include it.)
You might be able to get this as a desired feature for pros. Might even get a few demo bikes to use it. However, it will be a long while before it is raced.
Why? Professional/elite amature cycling is controled by the UCI at the international level (both road and mountain). The UCI is very hesitent to allow inovation (recently banning disk brakes on cycle-cross bikes). The do tend to be more flexible for mountain biking (and, as it isn't an American invention, might be greeted more warmly).
However, it doesn't conform to the notion of a "traditional" bicycle, and thus, it won't get raced. And I regret that it will be stuck as a "fringe" idea.
(Yes, there are exceptions--areo bars and mountain bikes themselves. Still doubt it).
Caveat emptor also comes to mind.
I am an "under the line" lefty, though, as opposed to a "hooky." That might make a difference.
OK, to get back to the very original post, and eliminate the social graces, heirlooms, and the one-off post-its, why a pen as opposed to a text editor/word processor? The circumstance presented implied, at least to me, that a lot of words had to be processed and not only was Word or Star Office MIA, but the whole bloody computer! VI may do a great job, but it doesn't work when the computer is gone, down, or out of electricity. Pens and paper don't break (well, pens do, but are more resiliant...you get my point).
Besides, why use VI when you can have EMACS.
(That last one was a joke--please don't start a flame war over that one!)
Simply sitting down with a pen and stationary and writing a note by hand conveys respect and care to many. I know that there are those in the Slashdot crowd who will claim they don't care. Bully for them. Others care, and, let's face it: impressions matter. You spend the night at your soon-to-be finance's parent's house for the first time, and then type up something that could just as easily be a form letter doesn't convey the same impression than a hand-written note. They know. They care. It is a simple matter of etiquette.
You see, it is not the message in and of itself. It is the time and care put into it.
You may not think it is important, but others do. To say you don't have time for someone who can't take your ASCII-gram simply shows your lack of respect, closed-mindedness, and lack of social grace.
One more use for a pen: we are requried to sign scores of legal documents in our lives. Why not do it with something better than a bic? I have one pen that I signed all our house documents, our marriage license, and my new car with. We'll have kids, and the birth certificates will be signed with this pen. And report cards, college entrance docs, etc. Hey look--an heirloom.
(Not to mention, the photos of our wedding, where a nice Parker Duofold fountain pen was used to sign, look much better than my sister, who used a random disposable ball point.)
Perhaps the best all-around fountain pen is the Namiki Vanishing Point. For a street price of around $100, you get a nice pen. It has a gold nib, takes both a cartridge or a convertor (for bottled ink), and is a good size (not too large, not to small). It has a very sharp look. I personally perfer the pre-2000 models, but I hear the current ones are pretty good.
Oh! I forgot to tell you the best part. In its own right, the VP is a great pen--perhaps the best to be had for that price point. It earned this on the basis I described above. The really cool thing is, it is retractable--the only retractable foutain pen in current production! So, no cap to have to manipulate. Since I get a lot of golf shirts, it is particularly nice.
A runner up for a fount is a vintage Parker 51. The areometric ones (produced from 1948-1970ish) are generally regarded as the best fountain pen ever. They can typically be had for under $100.
Mont Blanc used to make very good pens. However, as they became hyped as "the best" (a dubious claim to begin with), the quality went down, support became worse, and only the rep had remained. They are said among collectors to have a very brittle plastic (I know from first hand reports), and the service is iffy.
If you need a ballpoint, might I suggest the rotring 600 tri? Two ball points and a
There are several things, such as IMDB, that I don't think we'd get that information any other way. Typically, we don't care enough to have such a reference around the house, nor to go to a library to find out.
There is a certain understanding of when to take it from a grain of salt, or recognize there may be limitations (direction-sites are notorious for that). Likewise, for in-depth knowledge, we can't rely exclusively on that, instead needing a book or an expert.
Typically, if a web search doesn't yeild a result and we give up, it is a sign that we really don't care that much about the answer. On the other hand, the threshold to find the right answer is lower. Turning to the computer to query IMDB, a dictionary, or something else happens quite readily.
Or the X-30? X-20? Apollo 18?
Unfortunately, the history of the space program, aside from an exciting-but-wasteful run like the moon program has been par for the course for the space program. We have some idea that needs some investment, but no real desire to follow-though with funding beyond a point.
I have a dream that, if we were to have built the X-20 back in the sixties (as opposed to Mercury), and grew from that, we would have a sustainable, safer space fleet today. We might have a diverse set of launch vehicals--truck-like shuttles with large payload bays, smaller crew-transport vehicals, etc. Rather than using the first-generation winged space vehical, we'd be on the fifth or sixth. A space station would have been operational for a while. The moon might not have been a flash-in-the-pan.
Unfortunately, there is no commitment. I dare say that the long-term strategy of the government is to phase out that capability. The Susan B. Anthony dollar coins had the Apollo 11 mission patch emblem on the "tails" side--an eagle landing on the moon. When the SBA was replaced with the new one, the Apollo 11 eagle was replaced with just a gliding eagle.
Not only are they taking away the future, they are trying to forget the past.
...is one determined kitten to throw another team off-track!
I pondered that at the time, as I was worried someone would try it (this was early-nineties, and the computer-to-user ratio was like 1:2).
So I grabbed a 3.5" disk, and tried to put it in a larger drive. The disk was too think to go in more than a quarter-inch.
Unfortunately, the FAQ probably is a legitimate point. I've done too much desktop support where things just as stupid have come up.
There was the time (many, many years ago) I sent a 3.5" floppy to someone with both a 3.5" and 5.25" drive. She calls me up and asks which one to put it in, claiming the big one looks ike it can hold both sizes.
Of course, the any key one is a bit of a mystery. Not so much because I don't think people would ask that question, but rather becuase it's been years since I've seen that asked (usually it's the "click OK to continue").
It's on the corner of 4th and Main...northeasy (corner by Wendy's, accross from Atrium 1). The toynbee.net site says there are two others downtown that I've also seen...it's just that I don't step on it on my way to lunch.
It's in front of my office here in Cincinnati. In fact, the local alternative weekly ran an artical a few years ago.
Creepy.
OK, if downloading music were soley impacting CD sales, then downloaders-who-don't-buy-CDs-in-protest should barely register. After all, as a downloader, I might not be buying anything anyway.
But CD sales are down--amid an economic recovery, no less! Though it would require studies (and they have been cited here bfore), it would imply to me that these downloader/boycotters actually buy a significant amount of music!
My question: if downloading is down, and music sales are down even further, who can the music industry blame?
Of course, a bicycle got up in in under an hour--40% the Segway time. And to think that one day, I might be on a multi-use path, having to shout at these morons to yeild right-of-way!
I really question the hype around the "Blackout of '03." Let's see: everything west of the Mississippi was in tact. Everything south of the Mason-Dixon was fine. For the most part, East of the Mississippi and North of the M-D was fine, too (most of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Main, Vermont, etc.).
The outage was basically contained to Onterio, New York, and portions of other states. Since New York was affected, and lots of news outlets are based in New York, it got a lot of press and seemed particularlly dramtic. However, as most of the grid as a whole stayed up, it strikes me that this "Third World Power System" (as one govenor put it) did its job, and contained the problem.
(Given how electricity-dependent the US is, quite a feat!)
Talk amongst yourselves, I will give you a topic: if this outage happened in the South or West, with either the same geographic area or same population affected, but not in the self-proclaimed "Greatest City in the World," would it have gotten the media attention. Discuss.
I actually have a surename that ends in an "x". The legend is that I had an illterate ancestor. So, someone would write their name on the legal document, and my forefather would make their mark--and "x."
There was an artical on Slate not too long ago about how historians are losing all sorts of data about Gulf War I/II due to the fact that so many docuements were electronic only.
This is in contrast to Clara Barton's description of the treament of Union Soldiers by the traitors during the US Civil war. Her handwriting was absolutely beautiful! The documents are still around.
I'm not saying that we should forsake electronics for the sake of history, but I also know that I keep a few letters and cards that are hand written; many e-mails I was keeping went away with a hard drive crash (yes, I know, backups. Still...). I wrote two thank you notes yesterday--I wouldn't dream to simply type those as an e-mail.
Let's not give up on the pen!!!
You can never sa "no." You can only say "yes," then lead them to the conclusion that really isn't the best option.
Presenting options, explaining the risks, and showing why something isn't the best way are certainly valid (and expected) actions. If done appropriately and tactfully, it is certainly worth doing. If the person telling you to do this significantly outranks you (i.e. their CIO, you would match do a junior level), take it to your leadership.
Be sure to listen to what you are being told before acting (and even after). You may find that, while it doesn't make sense in the abstract, but, in the context of the clients business, it may make more sense (for technical, legal, political, or financial reasons).
Also, make sure that whatever opinion you are going forward with has the client in mind. For instance, don't push a certain tool just because you personally favor it.
If they still insist on whatever it is you have a problem with, you have two choices: just do it, or quit.
I remember "Galactica" from my youth, but I just remember the spaceships zooming around. I was like 7 or so, so I don't remember much. I was excited when they were going to bring it back...but then, we don't speak of "Galactica 1980." (My God! It's been over 20 years)
When I went back in the last few years and caught it on SciFi, I was surprised how detailed the series was--the polictical infighting, the "civilian control of the military" overtones, etc.
The new script sounds like it picks up on its legacy, and expands on it immencely.
Remember: twenty-five years ago, SciFi was not nearly as generally accepted as it is today. There is such diversity out there now, and the audiences are much more mature. It could be said that it is much more accepted. So, more sophisticated plotlines can be accepted.