I'm trying to think of a few other examples, but none come immediately to mind. I know there are other instances where quotes of his were altered to become common sayings.
Here's one: "There is a method to my madness" is actually, "Though this be madness yet there is method in it".
Actually though electronic device scanners could detect all cell phones and force people to either put them on vibrate or store tehm, and that would be a very good thing.
I wish they would. Ever since I first had a cellphone or pager (10 years ago) I would always turn it off when I went to the movies so as not to disturb my fellow viewers. Nowdays not only do people not turn their phones off, but they let them ring for a minute or more and then they answer them and proceed to have a conversation during the movie. I was about ready to choke this one bitch to death because her phone rang, her husband answered it, passed it to her, she argued with someone on the other end, and then they passed it back and forth for close to 10 minutes.
I have lost any sense of civility when it comes to that anymore. Usually I yell out something like "Would whichever fuckbrain has the ringing phone turn it off or get the hell out?" Or "What kind of shit-for-brains parent brings a crying baby to a 9PM movie? Get that whining kid outta here!"
I downloaded Blair Witch and watched it before it was released to theatres, and I actually liked it. But it ruined it for me seeing it in the theatres, even though the version that I downloaded had a slightly different ending than the one I saw in theatres.
I also pulled down a copy of LotR, but that was for a good reason. We went to a late night showing at the theatres and there was a power outage about 10 minutes from the end of the movie. The theatre folks ushered us all out and gave us vouchers to come back and see it again, but there was no way that I was going to sit through 3 hours of LotR again just to see the last 10 minutes. So I got a copy online, fast-forwarded to the end and was finally satisfied.
8. You could possibly scavenge the older systems for useable parts. For example, a 400 MHz Pentium II probably uses PC100 SDRAM. So does the system that is mentioned above. Now instead of 128 MB each machine would have 192 MB. That could come in handy with Windows 2000 or Windows XP.
9. You would have all new equipment for your users as well as *complete* older systems that could be used for new hires, temps, etc. Maybe there's a developer somewhere who needs a second PC on his desk to test the latest version of Product XYZ. Maybe they need it to have a "test server" for some of their projects. VNC or a KVM switch would be all you'd need. At the very least you could have the old machines ready as hot spares.
And so on...it makes much more sense to buy something new and pre-assembled than to cannibalize your old systems to build faster Frankensteins. I had a hard time dealing with this simple fact when I went from "hobbyist IT guy" to "professional IT guy." I kept thinking that I could build it myself and have something faster and cheaper. The simple truth is that you can't anymore (at least not in a business setting). I still build and upgrade PC's for myself and my family, but everywhere else I always recommend that they buy something from a company who's purpose is to sell and support machines for businesses. They're just better at it than I am, and I can't afford to run my IT shop like it's just a hobby. There's too much riding on it.
Check out something cheaper like Compaq Evo D300v. At $569, it's comparable to what you'd spend to build your own and it would be all new components. It even comes with Windows XP and a 1-year on-site warranty (can be extended to 3-years for $99 more). Other OEMs have similar packages available, but I'll use Compaq as an example since that's what I'm familiar with.
Why do I think that this is a better solution? Here's why:
1. It's pre-built and will save you the time and hassle of selecting, assembling, and testing components. Compaq has taken care of the problems of making sure that all the bits are ccompatible, so there's no headaches over wondering if the problem that you are experiencing is a hardware conflict or something else.
2. If something breaks, call 1-800-OK-COMPAQ and have them fix it. It's not your problem. That's much easier than trying to get a vendor or manufacturer to provide warranty service on a mainboard that died. More importantly, a component vendor or manufacturer might require you to ship components back and forth (if you're lucky, just cross-ship) before determining that there needs to be a warranty replacement. You're potentially looking at 2+ weeks to replace a faulty component. With an OEM like Compaq you can have the problem part replaced next business day. That's a big difference in a business setting.
3. If something breaks after you leave the company, your replacement will know who to call for assistance. They won't have to worry about checking warranty status on a widget and then getting a vendor to replace it. This offers peace of mind for the business principals.
4. If you need updated device drivers, they're all in one place at www.compaq.com. Locating and downloading softpaks is far more convenient than scouring the Internet for the latest versions of somebody's reference drivers.
5. If you want it, you'll have access to Compaq Insight Management Tools. You don't use anything like them now probably, and you may not in the future. But at least you'll have the option.
6. As far as system specs go, you'll get a 1.3GHz processor, 20 GB hard disk, an Intel NIC, 128 MB of RAM and decent integrated video and sound. The average office worker doesn't even come close to needing the power of a 1.3 GHz system. Sure you could get faster parts, but unless you're doing 3D modeling (in which case you're already shelling out $3000-$4000 for a high-end video card) or running intensive engineering or financial simulations you'll be OK for several years with what's included. Granted, you wouldn't want this on your desk at home for gaming but it's a pretty decent work machine.
7. Microsoft Windows is included. OK, a lot of people think that's not necessarily a good thing. But if you're going to be running Windows anyway, you might as well get it included so that you can be legal with it. Building your own PCs would prevent you from transferring your OEM licenses from the old machines to a new machine (legally speaking anyways).
Id imagine that line is in there when they catch someone doing something a bit overboard when it comes to how much traffic is going to them, and they have complaints around the area that its slower, they can point to that and say you are a bad person and cut off yer services..
And that's the way that it should be, really. Most of the "bandwidth hogs" are people hosting servers of some sort on their cable connection which is clearly against the TOS/AUP. Punish the people who abuse the network by booting them, it's only a small portion of the users and therefore revenue. Otherwise offer them tiered service or switch them to commercial service.
By pulling this "excessive bandwidth charge" out, it makes it sound like they want to be able to apply it to a much larger portion of their userbase.
I have adelphia, which they state a normal use of bandwidth is 3.5gigs a month, somewhere around that area..
So downloading the ISO files for a couple Linux distros could easily put you over the limit. That sucks. People get broadband specifically so that they can download larger files and more data more quickly. If you want to sell someone broadband and then mandate that they treat it like dialup, what's the point?
As long as the threshold is at a reasonable point, I can't say I'd complain about it. It's only fair that those who use the most should pay the most, rather than having those who use the least subsidize the hogs.
Let me get this straight...right now, the people who use the least bandwidth are subsidizing the bandwidth hogs. Under the new plan, the bandwidth hogs would be paying their own way, but the light users will be paying the same amount of money. So instead of subsidizing the bandwidth hogs they are subsidizing Steve Case's salary and annual bonus? I'd personally rather be subsidizing the bandwidth hogs.
AOL/TW is making money hand over fist. They don't need to raise cable modem prices to make good money. They just want to do it because they can. How many weeks ago was it that we were seeing the folks at TW saying that their goal is to have everyone's cable bill at $400 in the next two years? Is there anybody here who doesn't think that this is step #1 down that road?
Just like those per-pound salad bars, you never know how much you've used until you check out. I'm sure the cable companies would love to use that model, and want everyone to have $200 bills at the end of the month.
The issue that I have with that comparison is that most people know what a pound feels like by heft. If you end up with more salad than you wanted, you only end up paying a buck or two more at most. If you think that the cashier's scales are off you have a reasonable chance at proving them wrong.
On the other hand, most broadband users wouldn't know a megabit of downstream traffic if it bit them in the ass (no pun intended). A user could very easily exceed his bandwidth limit and end up with a bill several times his current rate. Without some sort of accurate bandwidth consumption measuring tool that TW/RR and the users agree on as accurate, what recourse would a user have if a database error mistakenly shows that they owe $200 extra that month? How can an average user be expected to know how much bandwidth they are using per month?
That said, isn't Time Warner one of the companies that wants to sell us all this new-fangled digital multi-media content? They'll have to analyze their pricing structure in that context. If it costs more to acquire a movie-on-demand via their link than it does to rent it at Blockbuster, they're on-demand service aint going to go far...
Excellent point. Add to that the fact that the courts have made them open up their networks to competitors. If someone is faced with high bills from TW/Roadrunner, switch to Earthlink. They're not gonna raise your rates and bend you over like that (at least not for a little while longer). Maybe it will buy you enough time to get DSL installed.
Bandwidth costs money, and it makes sense to charge people for usage, not just connection. In theory, it allows lower costs for light users,
In theory, there's no difference between theory and practice. In practice, there is.
But think about what the equivelent to a standard cable connection (100 - 200 K/sec) would cost if it was bought as a T1 line, and ask how their business plan would look if they provided it for $39.95/month
I could accept that argument if I were getting the connection and quality of service of a T1 line. Unfortunately I'm not. I'm getting a connection that is shared by everyone else in my community that peaks at 500 Kb/sec and is supported by $13/hour call center kids instead of a dedicated 1.55 Mb/sec data circuit supported by networking professionals. That's how their business plan looks so good.
Where I work they named servers after planets and stars. It seemed OK and appropriately nerdy, but then I found out that there was an old and frequently used server named Uranus. It wouldn't have been bad except for the day that we had an Network Engineer explaining DNS issues to a group and he kept talking about saying things like "I'm trying to ping Uranus and nothing's happening, but when I ping Uranus this way it works."
I had a hell of a time keeping a straight face, and some other people in the group completely lost it. Learn from their mistakes, make sure that your server names can't be interpreted in a kinky way.
Consider the amount of money he's probably made from various games, Carmack can spend all of his time doing whatever the hell he wants, at this point.
Maybe. But a portion of the work is done by Carmack and team. And he would still need the artists to show off his new game engine designs if he ever had any hopes of all of his work being put to use.
While it's true that he could fund a team out of pocket, why do that when you can have a $20 million dollar business that funds it for you? If his programmers and artists are making $400,000+ to do the work, it's a fair bet that they wouldn't be happy doing it for what Carmack could afford to pay out of his own pocket.
That's probably what's the coolest thing about Id...they're paying above top-dollar for the top programmers and artists. They're constantly helping to define the future of the industry with their next generation game engines, and the workers there get to take part in it.
If money isn't the motivator, why does Id make the same, market-proven games again and again?
You've misquoted the article. He said that "more money" isn't a motivator. But Id is a business, and in order for them to stay in business they must remain profitable. If Id becomes unprofitable then it goes out of business, which means that Carmack can't spend all of his time writing the really cool code that he does now (which appears to be his motivation).
Money not a major motivator? I wonder how honest that statement is.
You left out a word there. It's not that money isn't a major motivator. He said that "more money" wasn't a major motivator. There is a difference.
Carmack is already a multi-millionaire. More money would only make him more of a multi-millionaire. Which is better, being a multi-millionaire or a bigger multi-millionaire? How are any of your basic needs being fulfilled any better if you have $40 million in the bank versus $20 million?
It sounds to me like Carmack has already realized that Id gives him all the freedom and financial security he could want. The thing that he seems really interested in is writing "better code" and a "cooler 3D graphics engine." How does having more money help him there?
That's the plain and simple fact of it. As a culture, we are so used to ignoring any form of advertising, that it just doesn't register anymore.
You're kidding, right? The world is full of business ventures that succeed not on the basis of having a good product or fulfilling a need, but merely on the basis of strong marketing. If you doubt me, take a look at boy bands, girl bands, Britney Spears knock-offs, Mentos, and just about anything else in so-called "popular culture."
IIRC, they (Tuvalu) sold the rights to a company that formed the.tv corporation. Verisign looks like they just bought the company, which in theory would mean that Tuvalu got no money from the deal (unless they retained some sort of interest in the company that was formed).
Wait a minute...some guy tries to pick a fight with me over my sig, and I get modded flamebait for a rational, reasonable (although profanity-laced) response?
Will nobody beat some sense into these idiot moderators?
By giving equally to all - no religion is established or even favored. A la give to the jews and the muslims.
Anyhoo - don't bother replying - I just wanted to have you read the constitiution and then Ill encourage you to find out where the idea of 'seperation of church and state' came from
Apparently I had you too busy frothing at the mouth to actually read what I wrote. Here I shall quote the relevant passage for you, since you obviously missed it:
"The point is that there is a constitutionally mandated separation between church and state. As such, federal funding of religious groups is illegal, as the constitution is currently interpreted by the Supreme Court."
Note the relevant portion in bold. The US Supreme Court, also known as the highest legal authority in the nation, has coined the phrase separation of church and state. It is their interpretation of the constitution that derives the mandate of the separation. I never said "constitutionally stated," because only a moron actually believes that the words "separation of church and state" is in the constitution. I said "as the constitution is currently interpreted by the Supreme Court" which is the key here. The SCOTUS have interpreted the constitution to mandate the separation. If you can't cope with it...well...fuck off.
You know, it seems to me that it would be very difficult for my post to have been "overrated" as it was modded when it hadn't been upmodded to begin with.
Sometimes I really wonder if moderation should be available to just any monkey with a keyboard like it is nowdays...
In America if my tax dollars are spent on something that I don't like, I have every right to complain, protest, and campaign to have it changed until I am satisfied. Even though the majority rules and sometimes I'm in the minority, I still have the right to voice my opinion.
Speaking of minorities, 27 million pro-lifers may be a lot of people, but it's not even close to a majority. But that's not even close to the point of my sig. The point is that there is a constitutionally mandated separation between church and state. As such, federal funding of religious groups is illegal, as the constitution is currently interpreted by the Supreme Court. Abortion, on the other hand, is legal. So sayeth the Supreme Court.
My reply is grossly offtopic too. If you don't like my sig, fuckoff.
If you don't like the fact that I have a political opinion, fuckoff.
If you don't like the fact that I have a constitutionally guaranteed right to state my opinion, fuckoff.
If you don't like me telling you to fuckoff, fuckoff anyway.
I dunno about you, wouldn't you notice if after installing some software, your OS was different?
Even AOL users know better. They launched a class-action lawsuit against AOL when version 6.0 started whacking their other dialup networking connections. Can you imagine the furor over whacking their OS?
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I'm trying to think of a few other examples, but none come immediately to mind. I know there are other instances where quotes of his were altered to become common sayings. Here's one: "There is a method to my madness" is actually, "Though this be madness yet there is method in it".
Actually though electronic device scanners could detect all cell phones and force people to either put them on vibrate or store tehm, and that would be a very good thing.
I wish they would. Ever since I first had a cellphone or pager (10 years ago) I would always turn it off when I went to the movies so as not to disturb my fellow viewers. Nowdays not only do people not turn their phones off, but they let them ring for a minute or more and then they answer them and proceed to have a conversation during the movie. I was about ready to choke this one bitch to death because her phone rang, her husband answered it, passed it to her, she argued with someone on the other end, and then they passed it back and forth for close to 10 minutes.
I have lost any sense of civility when it comes to that anymore. Usually I yell out something like "Would whichever fuckbrain has the ringing phone turn it off or get the hell out?" Or "What kind of shit-for-brains parent brings a crying baby to a 9PM movie? Get that whining kid outta here!"
I downloaded Blair Witch and watched it before it was released to theatres, and I actually liked it. But it ruined it for me seeing it in the theatres, even though the version that I downloaded had a slightly different ending than the one I saw in theatres.
I also pulled down a copy of LotR, but that was for a good reason. We went to a late night showing at the theatres and there was a power outage about 10 minutes from the end of the movie. The theatre folks ushered us all out and gave us vouchers to come back and see it again, but there was no way that I was going to sit through 3 hours of LotR again just to see the last 10 minutes. So I got a copy online, fast-forwarded to the end and was finally satisfied.
Some other points that I forgot...
8. You could possibly scavenge the older systems for useable parts. For example, a 400 MHz Pentium II probably uses PC100 SDRAM. So does the system that is mentioned above. Now instead of 128 MB each machine would have 192 MB. That could come in handy with Windows 2000 or Windows XP.
9. You would have all new equipment for your users as well as *complete* older systems that could be used for new hires, temps, etc. Maybe there's a developer somewhere who needs a second PC on his desk to test the latest version of Product XYZ. Maybe they need it to have a "test server" for some of their projects. VNC or a KVM switch would be all you'd need. At the very least you could have the old machines ready as hot spares.
And so on...it makes much more sense to buy something new and pre-assembled than to cannibalize your old systems to build faster Frankensteins. I had a hard time dealing with this simple fact when I went from "hobbyist IT guy" to "professional IT guy." I kept thinking that I could build it myself and have something faster and cheaper. The simple truth is that you can't anymore (at least not in a business setting). I still build and upgrade PC's for myself and my family, but everywhere else I always recommend that they buy something from a company who's purpose is to sell and support machines for businesses. They're just better at it than I am, and I can't afford to run my IT shop like it's just a hobby. There's too much riding on it.
Check out something cheaper like Compaq Evo D300v. At $569, it's comparable to what you'd spend to build your own and it would be all new components. It even comes with Windows XP and a 1-year on-site warranty (can be extended to 3-years for $99 more). Other OEMs have similar packages available, but I'll use Compaq as an example since that's what I'm familiar with.
Why do I think that this is a better solution? Here's why:
1. It's pre-built and will save you the time and hassle of selecting, assembling, and testing components. Compaq has taken care of the problems of making sure that all the bits are ccompatible, so there's no headaches over wondering if the problem that you are experiencing is a hardware conflict or something else.
2. If something breaks, call 1-800-OK-COMPAQ and have them fix it. It's not your problem. That's much easier than trying to get a vendor or manufacturer to provide warranty service on a mainboard that died. More importantly, a component vendor or manufacturer might require you to ship components back and forth (if you're lucky, just cross-ship) before determining that there needs to be a warranty replacement. You're potentially looking at 2+ weeks to replace a faulty component. With an OEM like Compaq you can have the problem part replaced next business day. That's a big difference in a business setting.
3. If something breaks after you leave the company, your replacement will know who to call for assistance. They won't have to worry about checking warranty status on a widget and then getting a vendor to replace it. This offers peace of mind for the business principals.
4. If you need updated device drivers, they're all in one place at www.compaq.com. Locating and downloading softpaks is far more convenient than scouring the Internet for the latest versions of somebody's reference drivers.
5. If you want it, you'll have access to Compaq Insight Management Tools. You don't use anything like them now probably, and you may not in the future. But at least you'll have the option.
6. As far as system specs go, you'll get a 1.3GHz processor, 20 GB hard disk, an Intel NIC, 128 MB of RAM and decent integrated video and sound. The average office worker doesn't even come close to needing the power of a 1.3 GHz system. Sure you could get faster parts, but unless you're doing 3D modeling (in which case you're already shelling out $3000-$4000 for a high-end video card) or running intensive engineering or financial simulations you'll be OK for several years with what's included. Granted, you wouldn't want this on your desk at home for gaming but it's a pretty decent work machine.
7. Microsoft Windows is included. OK, a lot of people think that's not necessarily a good thing. But if you're going to be running Windows anyway, you might as well get it included so that you can be legal with it. Building your own PCs would prevent you from transferring your OEM licenses from the old machines to a new machine (legally speaking anyways).
In my opinion it's a no-brainer.
No, but I could just turn off my computer and the 'ping bomb' wouldn't be possible while it's off.
No you couldn't, because with TW your cable modem has an IP address and a DNS entry. All they have to do is ping your modem and you're doinked.
Id imagine that line is in there when they catch someone doing something a bit overboard when it comes to how much traffic is going to them, and they have complaints around the area that its slower, they can point to that and say you are a bad person and cut off yer services..
And that's the way that it should be, really. Most of the "bandwidth hogs" are people hosting servers of some sort on their cable connection which is clearly against the TOS/AUP. Punish the people who abuse the network by booting them, it's only a small portion of the users and therefore revenue. Otherwise offer them tiered service or switch them to commercial service.
By pulling this "excessive bandwidth charge" out, it makes it sound like they want to be able to apply it to a much larger portion of their userbase.
I have adelphia, which they state a normal use of bandwidth is 3.5gigs a month, somewhere around that area..
So downloading the ISO files for a couple Linux distros could easily put you over the limit. That sucks. People get broadband specifically so that they can download larger files and more data more quickly. If you want to sell someone broadband and then mandate that they treat it like dialup, what's the point?
Sounds like TW is just trying to do their best to serve all their customers at some minimum level.
As a Time-Warner customer I can tell you that they already serve us at some minimum level. It's called the bare minimum level.
As long as the threshold is at a reasonable point, I can't say I'd complain about it. It's only fair that those who use the most should pay the most, rather than having those who use the least subsidize the hogs.
Let me get this straight...right now, the people who use the least bandwidth are subsidizing the bandwidth hogs. Under the new plan, the bandwidth hogs would be paying their own way, but the light users will be paying the same amount of money. So instead of subsidizing the bandwidth hogs they are subsidizing Steve Case's salary and annual bonus? I'd personally rather be subsidizing the bandwidth hogs.
AOL/TW is making money hand over fist. They don't need to raise cable modem prices to make good money. They just want to do it because they can. How many weeks ago was it that we were seeing the folks at TW saying that their goal is to have everyone's cable bill at $400 in the next two years? Is there anybody here who doesn't think that this is step #1 down that road?
Just like those per-pound salad bars, you never know how much you've used until you check out. I'm sure the cable companies would love to use that model, and want everyone to have $200 bills at the end of the month.
The issue that I have with that comparison is that most people know what a pound feels like by heft. If you end up with more salad than you wanted, you only end up paying a buck or two more at most. If you think that the cashier's scales are off you have a reasonable chance at proving them wrong.
On the other hand, most broadband users wouldn't know a megabit of downstream traffic if it bit them in the ass (no pun intended). A user could very easily exceed his bandwidth limit and end up with a bill several times his current rate. Without some sort of accurate bandwidth consumption measuring tool that TW/RR and the users agree on as accurate, what recourse would a user have if a database error mistakenly shows that they owe $200 extra that month? How can an average user be expected to know how much bandwidth they are using per month?
That said, isn't Time Warner one of the companies that wants to sell us all this new-fangled digital multi-media content? They'll have to analyze their pricing structure in that context. If it costs more to acquire a movie-on-demand via their link than it does to rent it at Blockbuster, they're on-demand service aint going to go far...
Excellent point. Add to that the fact that the courts have made them open up their networks to competitors. If someone is faced with high bills from TW/Roadrunner, switch to Earthlink. They're not gonna raise your rates and bend you over like that (at least not for a little while longer). Maybe it will buy you enough time to get DSL installed.
Bandwidth costs money, and it makes sense to charge people for usage, not just connection. In theory, it allows lower costs for light users,
In theory, there's no difference between theory and practice. In practice, there is.
But think about what the equivelent to a standard cable connection (100 - 200 K/sec) would cost if it was bought as a T1 line, and ask how their business plan would look if they provided it for $39.95/month
I could accept that argument if I were getting the connection and quality of service of a T1 line. Unfortunately I'm not. I'm getting a connection that is shared by everyone else in my community that peaks at 500 Kb/sec and is supported by $13/hour call center kids instead of a dedicated 1.55 Mb/sec data circuit supported by networking professionals. That's how their business plan looks so good.
Where I work they named servers after planets and stars. It seemed OK and appropriately nerdy, but then I found out that there was an old and frequently used server named Uranus. It wouldn't have been bad except for the day that we had an Network Engineer explaining DNS issues to a group and he kept talking about saying things like "I'm trying to ping Uranus and nothing's happening, but when I ping Uranus this way it works."
I had a hell of a time keeping a straight face, and some other people in the group completely lost it. Learn from their mistakes, make sure that your server names can't be interpreted in a kinky way.
Consider the amount of money he's probably made from various games, Carmack can spend all of his time doing whatever the hell he wants, at this point.
Maybe. But a portion of the work is done by Carmack and team. And he would still need the artists to show off his new game engine designs if he ever had any hopes of all of his work being put to use.
While it's true that he could fund a team out of pocket, why do that when you can have a $20 million dollar business that funds it for you? If his programmers and artists are making $400,000+ to do the work, it's a fair bet that they wouldn't be happy doing it for what Carmack could afford to pay out of his own pocket.
That's probably what's the coolest thing about Id...they're paying above top-dollar for the top programmers and artists. They're constantly helping to define the future of the industry with their next generation game engines, and the workers there get to take part in it.
If money isn't the motivator, why does Id make the same, market-proven games again and again?
You've misquoted the article. He said that "more money" isn't a motivator. But Id is a business, and in order for them to stay in business they must remain profitable. If Id becomes unprofitable then it goes out of business, which means that Carmack can't spend all of his time writing the really cool code that he does now (which appears to be his motivation).
Money not a major motivator? I wonder how honest that statement is.
You left out a word there. It's not that money isn't a major motivator. He said that "more money" wasn't a major motivator. There is a difference.
Carmack is already a multi-millionaire. More money would only make him more of a multi-millionaire. Which is better, being a multi-millionaire or a bigger multi-millionaire? How are any of your basic needs being fulfilled any better if you have $40 million in the bank versus $20 million?
It sounds to me like Carmack has already realized that Id gives him all the freedom and financial security he could want. The thing that he seems really interested in is writing "better code" and a "cooler 3D graphics engine." How does having more money help him there?
That's the plain and simple fact of it. As a culture, we are so used to ignoring any form of advertising, that it just doesn't register anymore.
You're kidding, right? The world is full of business ventures that succeed not on the basis of having a good product or fulfilling a need, but merely on the basis of strong marketing. If you doubt me, take a look at boy bands, girl bands, Britney Spears knock-offs, Mentos, and just about anything else in so-called "popular culture."
IIRC, they (Tuvalu) sold the rights to a company that formed the .tv corporation. Verisign looks like they just bought the company, which in theory would mean that Tuvalu got no money from the deal (unless they retained some sort of interest in the company that was formed).
Wait a minute...some guy tries to pick a fight with me over my sig, and I get modded flamebait for a rational, reasonable (although profanity-laced) response?
Will nobody beat some sense into these idiot moderators?
By giving equally to all - no religion is established or even favored. A la give to the jews and the muslims.
Anyhoo - don't bother replying - I just wanted to have you read the constitiution and then Ill encourage you to find out where the idea of 'seperation of church and state' came from
Apparently I had you too busy frothing at the mouth to actually read what I wrote. Here I shall quote the relevant passage for you, since you obviously missed it: "The point is that there is a constitutionally mandated separation between church and state. As such, federal funding of religious groups is illegal, as the constitution is currently interpreted by the Supreme Court."
Note the relevant portion in bold. The US Supreme Court, also known as the highest legal authority in the nation, has coined the phrase separation of church and state. It is their interpretation of the constitution that derives the mandate of the separation. I never said "constitutionally stated," because only a moron actually believes that the words "separation of church and state" is in the constitution. I said "as the constitution is currently interpreted by the Supreme Court" which is the key here. The SCOTUS have interpreted the constitution to mandate the separation. If you can't cope with it...well...fuck off.
You know, it seems to me that it would be very difficult for my post to have been "overrated" as it was modded when it hadn't been upmodded to begin with.
Sometimes I really wonder if moderation should be available to just any monkey with a keyboard like it is nowdays...
In America if my tax dollars are spent on something that I don't like, I have every right to complain, protest, and campaign to have it changed until I am satisfied. Even though the majority rules and sometimes I'm in the minority, I still have the right to voice my opinion.
Speaking of minorities, 27 million pro-lifers may be a lot of people, but it's not even close to a majority. But that's not even close to the point of my sig. The point is that there is a constitutionally mandated separation between church and state. As such, federal funding of religious groups is illegal, as the constitution is currently interpreted by the Supreme Court. Abortion, on the other hand, is legal. So sayeth the Supreme Court.
My reply is grossly offtopic too. If you don't like my sig, fuckoff.
If you don't like the fact that I have a political opinion, fuckoff.
If you don't like the fact that I have a constitutionally guaranteed right to state my opinion, fuckoff.
If you don't like me telling you to fuckoff, fuckoff anyway.
I dunno about you, wouldn't you notice if after installing some software, your OS was different?
Even AOL users know better. They launched a class-action lawsuit against AOL when version 6.0 started whacking their other dialup networking connections. Can you imagine the furor over whacking their OS?
Maybe AOL (plainning on)buying out redhat is somehow related?
Of course it's related. It's ALL related. Everything. Adam Weishaupt told me so.