Well then don't use S-Video and don't use a keyboard. I get 720p to my TV through component video cables and I have it set up so that I can access everything from a very TiVo-like RF remote control. I've had this since 99'. It's since expanded to the point where I can access terabytes of movies and TV shows, emulated games, home videos and photos through several button clicks. And I haven't even touch MythTV yet. I almost never even use Dish or my DVD player anymore.
I know people without TiVo's (and no geek credentials) who hook their Macs up to their TVs through HDMI (for music visualization and iTunes shows). I would call you out on your geek credentials if you hadn't contradicted yourself in the end by mentioning your modded X-Box. So you do have a computer (for all intents and purposes) hooked up to your TV after all. It really has become a lot more popular in the last couple of years.
I don't think this is the case of stupid people, it's more about ego. As has been pointed out, the bomb squad HAD to check out the reported threat. Bureaucracy is more too blame, but you can't get away with blaming it if your a politician. The Mayor had two options, either admit they were idiots for blowing the whole thing out of proportion, or treat it like a serious issue in hopes of scoring some political capital in the war on terror.
I'm not defending them and it certainly does make it appear that they are stupid, I just think people shouldn't give their politicians a break by calling them stupid. For instance, if Bush were really as stupid as people believe, then statistically speaking, he should have fucked up in our favor once or twice. People feel more comfortable believing that politicians are stupid because the only other alternative is that they are evil, and that conclusion would theoretically compel people to take action. And most people are too busy just trying to survive.
I have five Gentoo boxes and while they can be a pain in the ass to update (especially given the hell that was portage in 2006), I find that only my server upgrade is problem free. Servers shouldn't be running much software in the first place, as long as you keep X off, you shouldn't have many problems with it cause you aren't updating that much.
I have considered switching my workstations over to Gentoo, but my server will always be Gentoo. It's the only computer exposed to the outside world so I want to be sure it has the latest updates. It also seems like with any other distro, you have to reinstall everything every few years or so and I don't want to deal with that downtime.
On frequency of updates, if you plan to ever go more than a month without updating, then you shouldn't be using Gentoo at all. And whereas once a month use to be good, I'd say 2 to 4 times a month is in order now. You may not need any of the updates but the longer you wait, the less likely you'll be able to update at all.
I have the right to complain about anything I want. It's only the "drink-the-cool-aid" pro-government types who suggest that I shouldn't have some particular right. And that's the problem many of us have with our system. We no longer have the option to be left alone. A politician's power derives from their ability to pass new laws. So both sides are always in a scramble to do just that. I don't care about comparing their "programs" because I don't want any new programs in effect. I don't care about what politicians have to say cause they're all liars. People like you say we are a democracy, and that has indeed become self-fulfilling, but I just want the republic back because I think most of the important issues should be left to the people and not the political process that you care so much about.
Yeah, I don't even vote anymore since, institutionally speaking, third parties have no chance. But Ron Paul might get me to register again. I doubt the party/press would let him win the nomination, but he could win true conservatives and anti-war liberals alike. I would love to see him make it to the debates and cause trouble for others. I would love to see him get some press if for no other reason than to expose the hypocrisy of the democrats by being the only one who really stood up to the president, despite being a republican.
The point of her stance on Iraq is she and every other member of congress was LIED TO, and made their decisions based on LIES.
Oh please, that might work for someones' talking points, but it doesn't cut the reality mustard. I knew congress was being lied to at the time. You didn't have to be a rocket scientist to figure it out. Bush wanted his war and would say anything to get it. I'm sure that every senator understood this too. It didn't matter how laughable the evidence was, all they needed was cover for doing what they wanted to do in the first place. Those "lies" gave them exactly what they want. And if they actually believed those lies, then they're fools. Either way, fools or liars, they don't belong in power.
Keep it in mind for the next time. Cause it's happening all over again with Iran. The evidence we'll use to go to war with them will be nothing but lies as well. And everybody knows it. Will today's senators get a pass when they go along with those lies this time? I say they didn't get a pass back then and they won't get one now. As our president says, "fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, I ain't gonna get shamed again."
...there is always a mole. Fox will no doubt be surprised when the last four episodes reveal him to be Rupert Murdoch himself. But they'll only find that out through torturing this poor kid first.
Neuromancer had black ICE too. I believe it was phrase for the military security software. I wonder if the military is also responsible for the black ice I spun out on the other day.
That's what television is for and AFAIK, they aren't releasing shows in HD formats yet. Granted, most TV is crap too, but it does seem like that's where all the creativity and good writing has gone. I'll take some BSG, Dexter, Rome and even Lost (if it can dig itself out of the hole it's in) over any big budget, major star movie out there. Independent movies ain't bad, but somewhere along the way, Hollywood decided that no one outside of New York and LA should be allowed to see them.
I had assumed you were trying to be "Funny," and not "Interesting," but either way, I find myself thinking the same thing. A computer is a source of endless intellectual stimulation. I can see why some people might find it more satisfying than sitting around, regurgitating what we did at work all day. As much as I have a distant biological urge to get a girlfriend, married, etc, I don't ever think I've ever seen a couple have a conversation that wouldn't bore me to tears if I had to endure it personally. I guess I never saw that as something to strive for. Then again, I'm probably an asshole too so...
The real reason I don't subscribe to one or the other is cause I don't want to put up $15 a month. I get Sirius music channels over Dish Satellite, and I love one station so much (Sirius Chill) that I don't know what I would do if Dish ever stopped offering them. I can't bring myself to pay $15 a month for just one station.
I think the stations could subsidize the costs if they were to offer an MP3 download service to complement the channels. Short of buying the entire album, I can't even find the songs I like available for download (legal or otherwise). The music industry needs to start catering to the non-top-40 crowd a little if they really want to turn their fortunes around. I had given up on ever finding new music again before Sirius. Now that I have, I wish I could find a way to purchase it (although I will never go back to buying entire albums for one song).
Ummm, Libertarians are far more conservative than Republicans. Bush has probably expanded the federal government to levels that FDR couldn't even imagine. And if you look into the history of the neo-cons, the founder of the movement, Irving Kristol, was a well known Trotskite who supposedly renounced his old ways to form a new group that was so different from all other (actual) conservatives, that they had to call themselves neo-cons. Hell, we've even hired former Stasi chief, Markus Wolfe and former head of the KGB, General Yevgeni Primakov to work Homeland Security for us. If someone says he is a duck, then perhaps you should consider that he's lying since, well, ducks can't talk. Perhaps you should reflect on what "being a conservative" means to you.
Hussein violated the cease fire that ended the first Gulf War.
How, by setting off all those noocular bombs he had? We definitely have them and have used them against civilian targets. Wouldn't you fight back if we were invaded? I really don't get people's complete inability to place themselves in another's shoes.
Re:Replacing the electoral college
on
Who won?
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· Score: 1
I am vehemently opposed to the idea of giving the voter a receipt--anything that a voter can carry out to indicate how he voted will inevitably lead to coercive voting.
What do you live in the old south? Who's gonna coerce you? Obviously, they'd pass a law that would make this illegal just as my employer can't ask about my religion or sexual orientation. And for the 5 people who might slip through the cracks of protection, 1000s more might actually have their votes counted for a change.
Re:Paper trails are worse than useless
on
Who won?
·
· Score: 1
I agree that paper trails, in the form they are always proposed, are useless. So here's how you do it. You print a voting receipt with a unique number and how I voted. The number has no tie to me outside of this vote, so that I can maintain my anonymity. Then they only have to provide a website where I can enter in that number to check my vote OR download a CSV file with everyones' votes. If I can see that the numbers add up, with my vote in context, that would go a long way to restoring my faith in our electoral system. Anything else is fraud until proven otherwise. Now this doesn't stop them from adding phony votes, but that's a lot harder to do in great numbers than simple flipping who you voted for.
Alright, so you've set up three possible scenarios:
1) Election wasn't rigged, but the polling was faulty only in area's with touchscreen and only in Bush's favor even though exit polling has a long reputation for reliability (unlike most other polls).
2) Election wasn't rigged, but there was a conspiracy to make people paranoid by rigging the exit poll results (presumably for a good laugh?).
3) Someone cheated their way into wealth and power.
Hmmm. Let's see, what's the most likely? People automatically dismiss accounts of election rigging (in US anyway) because it seems too far fetched and implausible to them. But when you consider the even more implausible alternatives, the fact that this world is not entirely populated with honest people, and that wealth and power have an appeal for some, then it's a stretch to believe that it wasn't rigged. To believe in this president is to believe in an unending chain of fantastic coincidences. That's why so many of his supporters are people of faith. They have experience in believing the unbelievable.
Re:Speaking of statistics
on
Who won?
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· Score: 1
But what are the chances that a conspiracy of this magnitude has remained secret?
Whenever anyone asks this question it's already no longer a secret. People just pick and choose who to listen to (on both sides). What you're really saying is that if it were true, our watchdog press would run with it. And I think that shows a basic unfamiliarity with corporate culture.
It's not even algebra. Why are you guys writing, calculator programs? Most programming involves no math at all. Or you're instructing the computer to do the math for you. At best it's a metaphor for math and a stretched one at that.
preventing extreme climate change is much cheaper than dealing with its consequences
That's assuming, of course, that we can prevent it. Otherwise we're just using up the capital necessary to deal with the consequences. It's kind of the heart of the debate. You can also argue that by removing all regulations, industry might advance to the point where climate change will be relatively simple to deal with.
Why would anyone want to be so dependant on another countries resource? The oil is finite, it's going to run out, this is a bad thing.
Because when people are dependent on something, it requires almost no effort to exploit them. Almost everyone in power has some connection to oil. Why would they want it replaced when there's no guarantee that they can control the new technology? Nobody gives up power voluntarily and people just have to realize we will only move to an alternative just before we run out of oil and not one second sooner.
Several people, actually(*). Just because my parents haven't done it yet doesn't mean it's not widespread enough to build a service around it.
Actually, my mom has done it (through Tivo networking I think). And several of my non-technical friends have started doing it this past year, through their Macs. I hardly ever use my satellite or DVD player anymore cause of my HTPC (been using it since '99). It really is becoming a lot more popular as more people are finally making the upgrade to HDTV and are still in that curious phase of what they can do with it.
You must not be looking very hard. Most of the (otherwise) downloads I'm seeing these days contain the original DD51/DTS AC3 passthrough track (DVD and HDTV rips anyway). Many have subtitles. Thanks to MKV, I can even incorporate the commentary track and original chapters, when backing up my own collection (though the downloads are rarely this sophisticated yet). However I agree that the legit downloads still have a long way to go in this area and I feel they may never catch up.
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Well then don't use S-Video and don't use a keyboard. I get 720p to my TV through component video cables and I have it set up so that I can access everything from a very TiVo-like RF remote control. I've had this since 99'. It's since expanded to the point where I can access terabytes of movies and TV shows, emulated games, home videos and photos through several button clicks. And I haven't even touch MythTV yet. I almost never even use Dish or my DVD player anymore.
I know people without TiVo's (and no geek credentials) who hook their Macs up to their TVs through HDMI (for music visualization and iTunes shows). I would call you out on your geek credentials if you hadn't contradicted yourself in the end by mentioning your modded X-Box. So you do have a computer (for all intents and purposes) hooked up to your TV after all. It really has become a lot more popular in the last couple of years.
I don't think this is the case of stupid people, it's more about ego. As has been pointed out, the bomb squad HAD to check out the reported threat. Bureaucracy is more too blame, but you can't get away with blaming it if your a politician. The Mayor had two options, either admit they were idiots for blowing the whole thing out of proportion, or treat it like a serious issue in hopes of scoring some political capital in the war on terror.
I'm not defending them and it certainly does make it appear that they are stupid, I just think people shouldn't give their politicians a break by calling them stupid. For instance, if Bush were really as stupid as people believe, then statistically speaking, he should have fucked up in our favor once or twice. People feel more comfortable believing that politicians are stupid because the only other alternative is that they are evil, and that conclusion would theoretically compel people to take action. And most people are too busy just trying to survive.
I have five Gentoo boxes and while they can be a pain in the ass to update (especially given the hell that was portage in 2006), I find that only my server upgrade is problem free. Servers shouldn't be running much software in the first place, as long as you keep X off, you shouldn't have many problems with it cause you aren't updating that much.
I have considered switching my workstations over to Gentoo, but my server will always be Gentoo. It's the only computer exposed to the outside world so I want to be sure it has the latest updates. It also seems like with any other distro, you have to reinstall everything every few years or so and I don't want to deal with that downtime.
On frequency of updates, if you plan to ever go more than a month without updating, then you shouldn't be using Gentoo at all. And whereas once a month use to be good, I'd say 2 to 4 times a month is in order now. You may not need any of the updates but the longer you wait, the less likely you'll be able to update at all.
I have the right to complain about anything I want. It's only the "drink-the-cool-aid" pro-government types who suggest that I shouldn't have some particular right. And that's the problem many of us have with our system. We no longer have the option to be left alone. A politician's power derives from their ability to pass new laws. So both sides are always in a scramble to do just that. I don't care about comparing their "programs" because I don't want any new programs in effect. I don't care about what politicians have to say cause they're all liars. People like you say we are a democracy, and that has indeed become self-fulfilling, but I just want the republic back because I think most of the important issues should be left to the people and not the political process that you care so much about.
Yeah, I don't even vote anymore since, institutionally speaking, third parties have no chance. But Ron Paul might get me to register again. I doubt the party/press would let him win the nomination, but he could win true conservatives and anti-war liberals alike. I would love to see him make it to the debates and cause trouble for others. I would love to see him get some press if for no other reason than to expose the hypocrisy of the democrats by being the only one who really stood up to the president, despite being a republican.
The point of her stance on Iraq is she and every other member of congress was LIED TO, and made their decisions based on LIES.
Oh please, that might work for someones' talking points, but it doesn't cut the reality mustard. I knew congress was being lied to at the time. You didn't have to be a rocket scientist to figure it out. Bush wanted his war and would say anything to get it. I'm sure that every senator understood this too. It didn't matter how laughable the evidence was, all they needed was cover for doing what they wanted to do in the first place. Those "lies" gave them exactly what they want. And if they actually believed those lies, then they're fools. Either way, fools or liars, they don't belong in power.
Keep it in mind for the next time. Cause it's happening all over again with Iran. The evidence we'll use to go to war with them will be nothing but lies as well. And everybody knows it. Will today's senators get a pass when they go along with those lies this time? I say they didn't get a pass back then and they won't get one now. As our president says, "fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, I ain't gonna get shamed again."
...there is always a mole. Fox will no doubt be surprised when the last four episodes reveal him to be Rupert Murdoch himself. But they'll only find that out through torturing this poor kid first.
Dude, too soon, he's dead.
Neuromancer had black ICE too. I believe it was phrase for the military security software. I wonder if the military is also responsible for the black ice I spun out on the other day.
That's what television is for and AFAIK, they aren't releasing shows in HD formats yet. Granted, most TV is crap too, but it does seem like that's where all the creativity and good writing has gone. I'll take some BSG, Dexter, Rome and even Lost (if it can dig itself out of the hole it's in) over any big budget, major star movie out there. Independent movies ain't bad, but somewhere along the way, Hollywood decided that no one outside of New York and LA should be allowed to see them.
I had assumed you were trying to be "Funny," and not "Interesting," but either way, I find myself thinking the same thing. A computer is a source of endless intellectual stimulation. I can see why some people might find it more satisfying than sitting around, regurgitating what we did at work all day. As much as I have a distant biological urge to get a girlfriend, married, etc, I don't ever think I've ever seen a couple have a conversation that wouldn't bore me to tears if I had to endure it personally. I guess I never saw that as something to strive for. Then again, I'm probably an asshole too so...
The real reason I don't subscribe to one or the other is cause I don't want to put up $15 a month. I get Sirius music channels over Dish Satellite, and I love one station so much (Sirius Chill) that I don't know what I would do if Dish ever stopped offering them. I can't bring myself to pay $15 a month for just one station.
I think the stations could subsidize the costs if they were to offer an MP3 download service to complement the channels. Short of buying the entire album, I can't even find the songs I like available for download (legal or otherwise). The music industry needs to start catering to the non-top-40 crowd a little if they really want to turn their fortunes around. I had given up on ever finding new music again before Sirius. Now that I have, I wish I could find a way to purchase it (although I will never go back to buying entire albums for one song).
Yet I'm too conservative to go libratarian.
Ummm, Libertarians are far more conservative than Republicans. Bush has probably expanded the federal government to levels that FDR couldn't even imagine. And if you look into the history of the neo-cons, the founder of the movement, Irving Kristol, was a well known Trotskite who supposedly renounced his old ways to form a new group that was so different from all other (actual) conservatives, that they had to call themselves neo-cons. Hell, we've even hired former Stasi chief, Markus Wolfe and former head of the KGB, General Yevgeni Primakov to work Homeland Security for us. If someone says he is a duck, then perhaps you should consider that he's lying since, well, ducks can't talk. Perhaps you should reflect on what "being a conservative" means to you.
Hussein violated the cease fire that ended the first Gulf War.
How, by setting off all those noocular bombs he had? We definitely have them and have used them against civilian targets. Wouldn't you fight back if we were invaded? I really don't get people's complete inability to place themselves in another's shoes.
I am vehemently opposed to the idea of giving the voter a receipt--anything that a voter can carry out to indicate how he voted will inevitably lead to coercive voting.
What do you live in the old south? Who's gonna coerce you? Obviously, they'd pass a law that would make this illegal just as my employer can't ask about my religion or sexual orientation. And for the 5 people who might slip through the cracks of protection, 1000s more might actually have their votes counted for a change.
I agree that paper trails, in the form they are always proposed, are useless. So here's how you do it. You print a voting receipt with a unique number and how I voted. The number has no tie to me outside of this vote, so that I can maintain my anonymity. Then they only have to provide a website where I can enter in that number to check my vote OR download a CSV file with everyones' votes. If I can see that the numbers add up, with my vote in context, that would go a long way to restoring my faith in our electoral system. Anything else is fraud until proven otherwise. Now this doesn't stop them from adding phony votes, but that's a lot harder to do in great numbers than simple flipping who you voted for.
Alright, so you've set up three possible scenarios:
1) Election wasn't rigged, but the polling was faulty only in area's with touchscreen and only in Bush's favor even though exit polling has a long reputation for reliability (unlike most other polls).
2) Election wasn't rigged, but there was a conspiracy to make people paranoid by rigging the exit poll results (presumably for a good laugh?).
3) Someone cheated their way into wealth and power.
Hmmm. Let's see, what's the most likely? People automatically dismiss accounts of election rigging (in US anyway) because it seems too far fetched and implausible to them. But when you consider the even more implausible alternatives, the fact that this world is not entirely populated with honest people, and that wealth and power have an appeal for some, then it's a stretch to believe that it wasn't rigged. To believe in this president is to believe in an unending chain of fantastic coincidences. That's why so many of his supporters are people of faith. They have experience in believing the unbelievable.
But what are the chances that a conspiracy of this magnitude has remained secret?
Whenever anyone asks this question it's already no longer a secret. People just pick and choose who to listen to (on both sides). What you're really saying is that if it were true, our watchdog press would run with it. And I think that shows a basic unfamiliarity with corporate culture.
It's not even algebra. Why are you guys writing, calculator programs? Most programming involves no math at all. Or you're instructing the computer to do the math for you. At best it's a metaphor for math and a stretched one at that.
Hopefully these islands have enough black gold to keep the ole U.S. of A running for another 100 years. Yee-haw!
preventing extreme climate change is much cheaper than dealing with its consequences
That's assuming, of course, that we can prevent it. Otherwise we're just using up the capital necessary to deal with the consequences. It's kind of the heart of the debate. You can also argue that by removing all regulations, industry might advance to the point where climate change will be relatively simple to deal with.
Why would anyone want to be so dependant on another countries resource? The oil is finite, it's going to run out, this is a bad thing.
Because when people are dependent on something, it requires almost no effort to exploit them. Almost everyone in power has some connection to oil. Why would they want it replaced when there's no guarantee that they can control the new technology? Nobody gives up power voluntarily and people just have to realize we will only move to an alternative just before we run out of oil and not one second sooner.
"It's kinda sad to see a pioneer live the rest of his life in near poverity."
Like Ghandi?
No, that fuck deserved it.
Several people, actually(*). Just because my parents haven't done it yet doesn't mean it's not widespread enough to build a service around it.
Actually, my mom has done it (through Tivo networking I think). And several of my non-technical friends have started doing it this past year, through their Macs. I hardly ever use my satellite or DVD player anymore cause of my HTPC (been using it since '99). It really is becoming a lot more popular as more people are finally making the upgrade to HDTV and are still in that curious phase of what they can do with it.
You must not be looking very hard. Most of the (otherwise) downloads I'm seeing these days contain the original DD51/DTS AC3 passthrough track (DVD and HDTV rips anyway). Many have subtitles. Thanks to MKV, I can even incorporate the commentary track and original chapters, when backing up my own collection (though the downloads are rarely this sophisticated yet). However I agree that the legit downloads still have a long way to go in this area and I feel they may never catch up.