I would probably kill someone for a Model M. Granted, nobody I knew. It'd have to be some poor decrepid third world street urchin. But I'd do it.
You cannot comprehend the satisfaction of the tactile feedback those keyboards delivered. For people like me - that is, people who type so damned fast all you hear is the rustling of keys - the assured click and forceful return of a keystroke on those old units is like music.
I'm a GenXer, too, so this isn't just crank nostalgia. I was still wetting the bed when these keyboards were rolling off assembly lines. When I first met one in a pile of junk in a backroom at a municipal IT department at City Hall, I wretched at the notion that I'd have to adapt the CB-mike style DIN plug to a sleek, compact, and modern PS/2 port. But necessity sometimes brings about unexpected benefits - the Model M I was forced to use became a pleasure. I had fewer carpal tunnel flare ups. My fingers cramped less. Most unintuitively, I became more productive with the older keyboard. Oh, and don't forget buttons F1-F23. That's right, a double row of function buttons waiting to be programmed with macros.
I tried to steal that keyboard. I had hatched several elaborate plans to abscond with the taxpayers property. In the end, I gave in to my moral penchant for respecting the sanctity of property. I have regretted it since.
My mom just duct-taped a pole with an orange flag to my arm. If she couldn't see the flag, she could at least ask anyone holding their hand over their eye and screaming if they've seen me.
I think this was covered previously on Slashdot, but...bots. Gamblings is actually not really a game of chance, but a game of statistical probabilities. Really smart people have figuredout fool-proof strategies which allow you to take advantage of the house by reaping upside benefits and avoiding downsides. Casinos are wise to these strategies, but online players cannot tell if they are playing against a human who is legitimately playing, a human who is using a computer algorithm to assist them, or a bot playing while the player is watching Firefly. The upside for the house is no longer there, and as they adjust odds to retain their advantage, normal players no longer have an incentive to play.
Every hundred years? How many hurricanes have happened in central Atlantic the past 18 months?
The real question is "how many category 4/5 hurricanes strike New Orleans head on in a given period?". The answer: 1 every 100 years. Category 3's were a one-in-twenty phenomena, which is why the levees were built to that standard.
For example, Italy isn't carrying the world's largest national debt.
And - coincidentally - their economy is smaller than many US States (California, Texas, New York to name a few). Their GDP is smaller than our typical Federal Budget.
When you grow up and get an education, one thing you'll learn about a national debt is that it's utterly meaningless when talking about finances of Nations.
Of course, all of this has jack to do with hurricanes.
What I said has to do with developers ignoring danger and then exploiting disaster
What you said is idiotic. Its about developers playing odds. Natural disasters happen anywhere and everywhere. Everywhere you live in this country puts you at risk. Build on the Gulf or Atlantic? Hurricanes. Build in the midwest? Tornados. Build in the middle of the Desert - flash floods. Build on the west coast? Earthquakes. People have to live somewhere, so when a developer develops a tract of land, they consider the odds. The chance of NOLA flooding are good, but the chance of a catastrophic flood resulting in massive economic losses is rare. The people who lived in those flooded out areas play the odds, and the house eventually wins.
As to Venice... they are a prime example of a city which has managed flooding, encroachment, and growth with respect to curious geologic conditions. So when shit-for-brain morons (that would be you) start talking about the futility of rebuilding, I'm apt to point out that humans can and do survive anywhere they can extract an advantage.
You're right. I should certainly apologize to the Montana Sheepherders. Meanwhile, it will take three to five years to teach someone how to farm. It ain't about plowing land and broadcasting seed. It requires considerable education, which is why farming tended to be a family trade. The skills needed to grow food, maintain a farm, and properly market goods requires years of education. In this day of fluid commodity prices, even long-time farmers are giving away to corporate farms and professionally managed coops. So don't insult farmers by suggesting what they do is somehow a no brainer. And don't insult these people in NOLA by telling them their current skillsets are irrelevent, and their government massa is going to tell them whats right.
Did you even read that article...
Yes, and I especially loved the part about giving them Farmland in Alaska - because we know how easy it is to make a living off of a 28 day growing season.
I also loved the part about giving them chainsaws to build thier own houses with. The folks camping out on overpasses, getting plucked from the roof of their homes, and waiting on relief supplies, are not at all equipped to live rustically. It takes an entirely different skillset to survive in the wilderness than it does to survive on 15th street and Jackson Ave.
And when it comes to choices - this is not a choice. This is bait. And it's a stupid plan at that. Figures it'd come from a collectivist indie propaganda mill.
Especially because of all those hurricanes that happen in the Adriatic.
Amidst your pedantic and infantile trollish attempts at wit, you miss the obvious point: Venice is a city sinking into the sea.
The second point, albeit less obvious, is that while New Orleans faces the possibility of a Katrina-level event every hundred years, Venice faces it every twenty.
That's when they're not dealing with drought, or erosion of foundations, etc, etc.
Again, once word deftly negates your entire ill informed rant. Venice.
First off, anyone asking the question "why rebuild" ought to be thumped soundly with a good sized stick. N'awlins is a strategic point economically. It only makes sense to build there, even with the 50 year risk of major flooding. Secondly, what needs to be rebuild represents a fraction of the total value of what is already built and has survived. So rebuilding is simply not an option - it's an inevitability.
The answer to "how" might seem more novel - and less expensive - than most people think. Simply accept that the area is going to flood. Now build the city such that water and flooding becomes an integral part of the urban planning. Canals and locks can move heavy goods more efficiently than trucks. Build physical plants on elevated earthen damns, and just accept that streets and parking lots are going to flood out. Ban residential construction in flood-prone areas (should be a no brainer). Convert existing structures such that the first two floors above ground (or within the 20ft flood stage) are used for parking and industrial plant works. Lastly, use locks on the channels so that when (not if) a levy breaks, that section is automatically sealed off.
Engineering a city isn't impossible. It's hardly difficult. It merely takes the will to do it.
And fire that stupid-ass mayor for blaiming everyone except New Orleans.
That stupid assed mayor joins alot of stupid assed politicians and a lot of stupid assed people all over who think that blame necessarily has to be assigned. While I'm all for blaming the French, or even against all logic blaming an atmospheric phenomenon which has the benefit of being personified as "Katrina", I'd rather just accept the one truism that always applies:
The people who were displaced by Katrina are predominately black, poor labor-class urbanites. You'll sooner make farmers out of them as you'll make engineers out of Montana Sheepherders.
Personally, I find the America Voice's proposition to be a racial insult. Forty Acres? And what...a mule? I think most of the people down there fell for that once alread. Lets try something a bit more realistic this time... like an affordable and accessible education.
There ain't no flooding in the other 99% of the Louisiana Purchase. We still made out like bandits.
The Indians got royally fucked. They had no idea their land was for sale.
If I were a Mississippi Indian, I'd sue France. If you win, you'd get a few million Euros, parts to an old Concorde, some fried snails, and a pound of truffles (Keep Away From Swine). Oh, and the entire French Military, which you can use to defend you from the paperboy... maybe.
The Dutch probably have the best aquatic geologists on the planet. We could certainly use their expertise in drying the place up. The Norwegians have more cruise ships than any other nation, and they could be leased to provide temporary housing (FEMA has a few ships for this purpose, but they usually house FEMA employees). The Italian engineers who manage pulic works for Venice would be very helpful in this situation. We could do it without their help; we could do it easier with their help.
1. Skype charges for calls to telco lines. 2. Vonage's services are between $5 cheaper and $5 more expensive than telco local plans, depending on whether you want long distance access or not. That means there's no advantage over local telco service with Vonage. 3. With VoIP providers, long distance is charged at a far lower rate than telco providers. 4. You clearly haven't a clue what you're talking about. So stop talking.
Dr. Lynn makes a number of points, arguable and agreeable depending on your slant. I'm not going to argue with his research - that's stupid. I will argue with this conclusions. I think this is one of the better (or worst, if you prefer) examples of how academics use scholarly intelligence to make up for what they lack in common sense. Read his web page, and tell me if you agree on that point.
Slashdot Mirror
It's sad and sick when your average random slashdotter has more common fucking sense than the UK (and global) enviromental science establishment.
Can I get a "hooray" for bad science?
I would probably kill someone for a Model M. Granted, nobody I knew. It'd have to be some poor decrepid third world street urchin. But I'd do it.
You cannot comprehend the satisfaction of the tactile feedback those keyboards delivered. For people like me - that is, people who type so damned fast all you hear is the rustling of keys - the assured click and forceful return of a keystroke on those old units is like music.
I'm a GenXer, too, so this isn't just crank nostalgia. I was still wetting the bed when these keyboards were rolling off assembly lines. When I first met one in a pile of junk in a backroom at a municipal IT department at City Hall, I wretched at the notion that I'd have to adapt the CB-mike style DIN plug to a sleek, compact, and modern PS/2 port. But necessity sometimes brings about unexpected benefits - the Model M I was forced to use became a pleasure. I had fewer carpal tunnel flare ups. My fingers cramped less. Most unintuitively, I became more productive with the older keyboard. Oh, and don't forget buttons F1-F23. That's right, a double row of function buttons waiting to be programmed with macros.
I tried to steal that keyboard. I had hatched several elaborate plans to abscond with the taxpayers property. In the end, I gave in to my moral penchant for respecting the sanctity of property. I have regretted it since.
My mom just duct-taped a pole with an orange flag to my arm. If she couldn't see the flag, she could at least ask anyone holding their hand over their eye and screaming if they've seen me.
I think this was covered previously on Slashdot, but...bots. Gamblings is actually not really a game of chance, but a game of statistical probabilities. Really smart people have figuredout fool-proof strategies which allow you to take advantage of the house by reaping upside benefits and avoiding downsides. Casinos are wise to these strategies, but online players cannot tell if they are playing against a human who is legitimately playing, a human who is using a computer algorithm to assist them, or a bot playing while the player is watching Firefly. The upside for the house is no longer there, and as they adjust odds to retain their advantage, normal players no longer have an incentive to play.
When you make a point which can be - by even the loosest standard - considered salient, I will let you know to what extent I decide to ignore it.
Seriously, didn't most people find K5 from /.?
The real question is "how many category 4/5 hurricanes strike New Orleans head on in a given period?". The answer: 1 every 100 years. Category 3's were a one-in-twenty phenomena, which is why the levees were built to that standard.
And - coincidentally - their economy is smaller than many US States (California, Texas, New York to name a few). Their GDP is smaller than our typical Federal Budget.
When you grow up and get an education, one thing you'll learn about a national debt is that it's utterly meaningless when talking about finances of Nations.
Of course, all of this has jack to do with hurricanes.
What you said is idiotic. Its about developers playing odds. Natural disasters happen anywhere and everywhere. Everywhere you live in this country puts you at risk. Build on the Gulf or Atlantic? Hurricanes. Build in the midwest? Tornados. Build in the middle of the Desert - flash floods. Build on the west coast? Earthquakes. People have to live somewhere, so when a developer develops a tract of land, they consider the odds. The chance of NOLA flooding are good, but the chance of a catastrophic flood resulting in massive economic losses is rare. The people who lived in those flooded out areas play the odds, and the house eventually wins.
As to Venice... they are a prime example of a city which has managed flooding, encroachment, and growth with respect to curious geologic conditions. So when shit-for-brain morons (that would be you) start talking about the futility of rebuilding, I'm apt to point out that humans can and do survive anywhere they can extract an advantage.
...15-20 million on the San Andreas fault.
You're right. I should certainly apologize to the Montana Sheepherders. Meanwhile, it will take three to five years to teach someone how to farm. It ain't about plowing land and broadcasting seed. It requires considerable education, which is why farming tended to be a family trade. The skills needed to grow food, maintain a farm, and properly market goods requires years of education. In this day of fluid commodity prices, even long-time farmers are giving away to corporate farms and professionally managed coops. So don't insult farmers by suggesting what they do is somehow a no brainer. And don't insult these people in NOLA by telling them their current skillsets are irrelevent, and their government massa is going to tell them whats right.
Yes, and I especially loved the part about giving them Farmland in Alaska - because we know how easy it is to make a living off of a 28 day growing season.
I also loved the part about giving them chainsaws to build thier own houses with. The folks camping out on overpasses, getting plucked from the roof of their homes, and waiting on relief supplies, are not at all equipped to live rustically. It takes an entirely different skillset to survive in the wilderness than it does to survive on 15th street and Jackson Ave.
And when it comes to choices - this is not a choice. This is bait. And it's a stupid plan at that. Figures it'd come from a collectivist indie propaganda mill.
You didn't want to live there before, trust me.
(Where do you think half the poop goes?)
Amidst your pedantic and infantile trollish attempts at wit, you miss the obvious point: Venice is a city sinking into the sea.
The second point, albeit less obvious, is that while New Orleans faces the possibility of a Katrina-level event every hundred years, Venice faces it every twenty.
That's when they're not dealing with drought, or erosion of foundations, etc, etc.
Again, once word deftly negates your entire ill informed rant. Venice.
First off, anyone asking the question "why rebuild" ought to be thumped soundly with a good sized stick. N'awlins is a strategic point economically. It only makes sense to build there, even with the 50 year risk of major flooding. Secondly, what needs to be rebuild represents a fraction of the total value of what is already built and has survived. So rebuilding is simply not an option - it's an inevitability.
The answer to "how" might seem more novel - and less expensive - than most people think. Simply accept that the area is going to flood. Now build the city such that water and flooding becomes an integral part of the urban planning. Canals and locks can move heavy goods more efficiently than trucks. Build physical plants on elevated earthen damns, and just accept that streets and parking lots are going to flood out. Ban residential construction in flood-prone areas (should be a no brainer). Convert existing structures such that the first two floors above ground (or within the 20ft flood stage) are used for parking and industrial plant works. Lastly, use locks on the channels so that when (not if) a levy breaks, that section is automatically sealed off.
Engineering a city isn't impossible. It's hardly difficult. It merely takes the will to do it.
Years Louisana operated under a Republican dominated government: 6.
Years Louisana operated under a Democratic dominated government: 128.
Conclusion: Clearly the Democrats are at fault.
(Note: Conclusion based on the same dumb fucking logic the parent poster uses.)
That stupid assed mayor joins alot of stupid assed politicians and a lot of stupid assed people all over who think that blame necessarily has to be assigned. While I'm all for blaming the French, or even against all logic blaming an atmospheric phenomenon which has the benefit of being personified as "Katrina", I'd rather just accept the one truism that always applies:
SHIT HAPPENS!
Venice.
The people who were displaced by Katrina are predominately black, poor labor-class urbanites. You'll sooner make farmers out of them as you'll make engineers out of Montana Sheepherders.
Personally, I find the America Voice's proposition to be a racial insult. Forty Acres? And what...a mule? I think most of the people down there fell for that once alread. Lets try something a bit more realistic this time... like an affordable and accessible education.
And your last sentence is falsely predicated. By taking a concentrated toxic threat and diluting it, they're reducing the overall danger.
Would y'all give me a damn minute!
New Orleans is under water, and you want to send bait? Brilliant! I'll take 200 lbs of 'quid, a hundred pounds of 'rimp, and about 50 lbs of 'una.
(Boy those Brits sure talk funny.)
There ain't no flooding in the other 99% of the Louisiana Purchase. We still made out like bandits.
The Indians got royally fucked. They had no idea their land was for sale.
If I were a Mississippi Indian, I'd sue France. If you win, you'd get a few million Euros, parts to an old Concorde, some fried snails, and a pound of truffles (Keep Away From Swine). Oh, and the entire French Military, which you can use to defend you from the paperboy... maybe.
The Dutch probably have the best aquatic geologists on the planet. We could certainly use their expertise in drying the place up. The Norwegians have more cruise ships than any other nation, and they could be leased to provide temporary housing (FEMA has a few ships for this purpose, but they usually house FEMA employees). The Italian engineers who manage pulic works for Venice would be very helpful in this situation. We could do it without their help; we could do it easier with their help.
We give you guys alot of shit...and you talk funny...but we couldn't ask for a better neighbor.
Sorry, that's neighbour isn't it...
1. Skype charges for calls to telco lines.
2. Vonage's services are between $5 cheaper and $5 more expensive than telco local plans, depending on whether you want long distance access or not. That means there's no advantage over local telco service with Vonage.
3. With VoIP providers, long distance is charged at a far lower rate than telco providers.
4. You clearly haven't a clue what you're talking about. So stop talking.
Long distance VoIP. Local calling isn't where Vonage is making an impact on the market. Fix your mic.
Dr. Lynn makes a number of points, arguable and agreeable depending on your slant. I'm not going to argue with his research - that's stupid. I will argue with this conclusions. I think this is one of the better (or worst, if you prefer) examples of how academics use scholarly intelligence to make up for what they lack in common sense. Read his web page, and tell me if you agree on that point.