Either sell your product or don't but screwing around with supply to inflate demand only serves to alienate and disappoint people who are already interested in buying your product.
Ask yourself something, are you alienated and disappointed by Ferrari, Maserati, Aston Martin or Lamborghini? How about the makers of Cristael? The good 'ol boys at Orange County Choppers? All of their products come with high price tags. They have to in order for their business to survive. Consider this, if a Lotus only put you back $35,000, EVERYONE would have one. Thus the value of the vehicle would drop, costing you even more money. This is one of the situations where EXTREMELY contrasting supply/demand ratio is needed in order for the venture to thrive.
Microsoft may be a bunch of evil bastards, but they're still trying to get a product to the market. They're also going to LOSE THEIR ASS for a substantial period of time to make sure the product stays on the market. It could very well be that restricting the supply of the product to stimulate demand is going to be essential to prevent hemmorhaging funds. If they lose their ass too much, they have to cut the product line, and everyone who would have bought it is going to be in a very bad place. Screwed, jewed, and tattooed, with pretty much no recourse.
This isn't just about elevating demand, there are long term goals this move is geared to accomplish. If they can slowly trickle to a steady flow of systems heading into the market, with demand remaining pretty much constant for a period of time generous enough to let miniaturization catch up in their manufacturing; they can essentially keep the loss of funds constant until such a point they can actually break even on the system even at a lower price. This is a calculated move designed to keep the first year or so of sales and resulting red ink from sinking the entire operation. This move isn't under-handed, abusive or diabolical, it's crucial and defensive.
Don't worry, you'll have one in your hands if you want one bad enough, maybe even for less than $300 if you're willing to wait a year. But give them the benefit of the doubt that they're doing what's necessary for the system to thrive and produce good content in the long run for the first year.
Polishing (like case hardening) belongs to a normal metallic property called work hardening. You work a metal it will become harder (but normally also more brittle). In fact it is rarer to have a metal that won't work harden than not. Time to go back to metal shop!!
Go back? Ok, I'm in one every day.
While you're right about metals work hardening, you're wrong about how often it happens. Quite frankly, it doesn't unless you're either extremely stupid or even more so insane. Even soft magnetics like Cast Iron don't work harden until extremely high temperatures are reached. Something to the tune of 650-1100F, depending on the hardness rating you wish to achieve. If you're reaching temperatures that high before the part is finished, well, you're either cutting it off at the foundry or you're about to be fired. The methods used to actually harden materials in a noticeable fashion are specifically designed to superheat the part. Magnetics such as steel and any iron based material will be heated until red, blue or white hot to achieve hardening. This process is called annealing. Other metals are generally coated with a harder metal, not more than a thousand of an inch or two in thickness; this generally achieves the same affect.
Polishing however, is not generally meant to harden, and rarely does. When a part or surface is polished, part of that surface is actually worn away while polish is deposited. This is the only way to achieve mirror finish, if the part has been turned or faced the surface will have markings on it from the tools used to cut it. Polishing is the process of actually wearing away material to relieve the markings, and depositing polish to increase shine. People should note that the more reflective a metal surface is, the finer the finish. Mirror finish generally denotes a "256 dp finish", required often by aerospace or military applications. The dumbass of a parent knows nothing of what he's talking about, and needs himself to open up a machinist's handbook.
And when it comes to your comments about banning Nazis, I'd like to see the al-quaida be allowed to set up offices downtown New York.
Al-Quaida is a military faction, not an organization. I'd love to see them set up offices in downtown london, if other countries are so much more understanding. And to rebutt your point, Fundamentalist Islam has had many rallies in many major US cities. New York included. Same beliefs as Al-Quaida, they just don't strap bombs to their chest and run screaming into crowds.
TO BEGIN WITH USA wouldn't have been anything if it wasn't rediscovered by europeans in about year 1500. Clearly you must see that my arguement is true, but not relevant. So are yours. Current knowledge of other nations has nothing to do with who inventet the computer.
Knowledge has nothing to do with it. Neither does the brain trust of a nation. Economy has everything to do with it. Without a market having existed for machines capable of drastically reducing accounting, printing and archival costs, computers would not have been developed at the break neck speed in which they were. American business was the only market to value such machines for the first 2 decades in the "Mainframe" era, giving the big blue enough of a market share and capital to bring the computer to the household; Apple following suit soon thereafter. As for the internet........I'm quite certain DARPA has absolutely NO funding in their budget outside of US spending. The original intranet had no nodes outside of the US. It wasn't for another 15 years after the original project that foreign civilian nodes were added to the then growing "Internet".
Capitalism is the reason this forum exists, the reason the internet on which it resides exists. Half of our modern medical equipment, transportation whether individual or shuttle, modern electronics essential to every day life, the automobile, commercial air shuttling, practically every nuance of modern day life is the result of American Capitalism. The red cross, the blue cross, Peace Corps, Peacekeepers, the UN, World Fair, World Trade, modern day nuclear energy; all are products of American Capitalism. International yet neutral organization is an American effort and as far as the American people are concerned, nothing is getting wrested from us except ideas and invention.
When it comes to ICANN and the internet, the American people are more important than the rest of the world. We created it, we keep it; period. May seem selfish, but then again, so are the brats trying to "Force the Americans" into surrendering control of something we've spent billions upon billions of dollars developing and proliferating. Get your own, that's what I say. Then come back and talk about integration.
Jesus christ, plenty of the world has equal or better free speech laws than the US - New Zealand, Australia, most of Europe.
Ok buddy, you better hope to god the Australians in the forum don't laugh you into posting AC from now on. While you guys may not give a flying hoot about swear words, nudity or all in all bad taste; we Yanks still get to call our President a FUCKNUT on broadcast television. Sure, radio personalities have a larger repertoire to work with when insulting fellow aussies or zeelanders; but you say death to the queen just once and your ass is fried. Half of Europe can't get away with insulting their government officials on broadcast, whether radio or tv. The other half is to scared to even if they could, when people get shot in the head by police officers for no reason in the very subway you take to work every day; you'd be a little scared too.
When Americans talk about free speech, we talk SPEECH! Not expletives, nudity or obscenity. We're talking about the right to criticize whoever, whenever, for whatever. We're not talking about sharing plans for bombs or the molestation of little children, beastophilia or snuff. We're talking about speaking our minds and opinions, genuine thoughts and musings; and the right to make them known to everyone should we wish it. Not often you get to see extremists make their opinion known to all by assembling, take for instance: the Neo-Nazis, PETA, Black Panthers, WASPs, NRA, etc.. Note that these assemblies are both encouraged and protected by law enforcement. When was the last time you saw a 3rd Reich rally on tv in the UK? Germany? France? Well what about Poland? Last I checked PETA was discouraged from having it's voice heard anywhere but the US, as well.
You Americans are so blinded by your own hype you think the entire rest of the world is some 3rd world dictatorship. Grow up, actually LOOK at the rest of the world and realise it doesn't match your cardboard cutout preconceptions. The average US slashbot view of the rest of the world is laughably naive.
We know the rest of the world isn't a dictatorship, that democracy and communism exist in other countries. We know half of our products are shipped in from other countries, where actual people and governments reside. We know other nations have rights and can handle themselves. We also know we're the first nation everyone keeps running to wining their asses off about this or that. "There's been a tsunami!" or "They're committing genocide on us!", "There's been an earthquake!", "We need jobs, give us a military base to work on!" America doesn't have a cardboard cutout preconception about the rest of the world. We see events, poverty, natural disasters and tyranny just as you all do. It happens here too. The "US slashbot view of the rest of the world" doesn't exist. And to call us naive is anything but correct or intelligent. To add the adjective "laughably" is only shining yourself in an arrogant, pompous light.
Remember when I said we know the rest of the world isn't a dictatorship? If it weren't for us it'd be either communism or theocracy on the government menu. If it weren't for us the internet would probably be on this day where it was back in the late 80's. Were it not for us, computing in the 21st century would be anything but. Were it not for us, the notion of free speech to BEGIN WITH would have died out in the dying breaths of the Grecian era.
So take some advice from me, fuckstick. Think twice before opening your mouth in regards to a nation, Americans have been doing it for centuries; so should you. Granted we may not always be right or politically correct, but sometimes you have to say fuck the politics. You may not like it, but we can back our words with our fists, you can't;)
I beg to differ about the definition of a weapon, here. Anything that you take to war, from your rifles and tanks to your canteens, first-aid kits, and radios, is a weapon.
Okay, dude, you're an idiot. In a combat situation are you to be considered hostile and fired upon for having a canteen? What if you merely have a radio, I mean c'mon; who doesn't like their extremely liberal talk-radio show? A metal tanket of water or a u/vhf 2-way does not a soldier make. And for the record, it's highly frowned upon to fire on those wearing the red cross intentionally; after all they treat YOUR wounded too despite their allignment. NATO alligned countrymen will not shoot you on the battlefield if you have no weapon. Best bet your ass the shooting of men only having canteens, first-aid kits or radios will result in a tribunal and incarceration. Are you so naive to apply the totalitarian view to the definition of weapon? That's like saying the Leatherman I carry on my belt which I use every single day at work is something that would garner gunshot wounds on my part if in my hand in the presence of a police officer. Or the map that a contractor carries that could possibly find its way into the hands of a soldier, is a weapon. Hell binoculars are a weapon now, I can see it now "Drop the optical device or you will be shot!"
Now stop and ask yourself, what would you do if someone shot at you? You'd shoot back. Threw a knife at you? Hope it misses and either pick it up and throw it back or shoot him. Came running at you flailing a canteen? Get whacked on the head once because of the moment of bewilderment maybe, or laugh, and then whoop his ass! Are you going to kill someone who smacks you with a radio? First Aid Kit? Bullet proof vest? Even more are you going to consider a VIP wearing a bullet proof vest yet not carrying a weapon, to be a threat? I'm thinking you're one of the last people I ever want walking around with a gun, you'd shoot me for having a walkman within 10 feet of you.
Now, I will agree with you that this sattelite is a weapon. But not because of it's purpose or potential to be used for evil. Even guns are tools, but only in the hands of someone who has intent to kill is it a weapon. It's not function the begets purpose, it is will that begets purpose. The only reason I view this sattelite as a weapon is because it's in the hands of a military organization, severe bias is established because it happens to be the U.S. military. My hands are not weapons, they are precision tools; when curled into fists with the intent of contact is when they become weapons. If a canteen's intent is to be drank from, it's far from a weapon. When a canteen is swung at you it's merely something to laugh at, not kill over.
What intel is doing isn't a monopolist abusing its status, it's a market leader fighting to hold on to the top spot.
The same could be said of anybody who uses subterfuge to not only maintain their position, but undermine their competitor's chance of even competing for the same spot. You would be best to think the same of any linebacker who clips a QB at the knees 3 seconds after a pass, a mob boss who rats out his rival to the police, or even a Sergeant who frags his superior to aide in his timely promotion.
To fight ferociously to maintain one's position, to hold one's ground; that is perfectly in one's rights. To prevent anybody the opportunity to even compete, that is so much akin to dictatorship that in any other arena would result in quite immediate cessation. It is one thing to hold a big stick and beat the shit out of someone who approaches, it is another the slain children in the thought that if noone can carry a sword against you; that you'll be on top indefinately.
Such is the grey area that is business ethics as enforced by the US judicial system. The judicial system itself much on the downward spiral, MSFT never being truly punished; nor IBM (SHADY business practice in the early 90's and almost all the way through the 80's). This might be a chance for scant redemption, because either ruling would be in all honesty logical. Should Intel be punished for not prostrating itself to the whims of competitors? Or should it be punished for going out of it's way to make its competitor a disadvantage to customers?
A single act of spite is not to be punished by today's laws. For a man to simply refuse to help his competitor take his business is not only completely moral but to be expected in a capitalist society. How many businesses do you see thriving that publish their blueprints and manufacturing methods for the products they sell? Not many, not ANY, except for those that do not thrive on the capitalist ideal.
Morals as we know it do not apply to business practices today, they will quickly lead to being tits up. Keep this in mind, moral fiber and money are two totally different things; always have been. Hold business to different standards, use judgement instead of law to judge it, for it is not held to law. Business would not survive if expected to uphold the 10 commandments, it would, however survive if realized to be an arena. Arenas see change and cunning, laws see only exploitation and litigation, expensive to all.
Disclaimer: I do not support the actions of Intel, nor it's practices in the arena of business. I do, however as a entrepeneurial businessman expect my own right to maintain my market in those ways befitting of our own constitution. To bend your own will to those of your competitors is the same as not only providing, but CREATING incriminating evidence to yourself in the court of law. Do you want to make yourself a criminal just to befit the law?
Because the private sector is the most likely to develop an LTL (less-than-lethal) weapon that actually works. Should we leave it up to the military sector, the same that holds conventions to gage what's too much maiming and what's acceptable? The same branch of government that trains men to be the deadliest operatives on that planet?
Plain and simple truth, the private sector has been developing weapons since the US declared independance over 200 years ago. Matter of fact, the US military has not a single weapon in it's repertoire that wasn't developed in the private sector. Nor the federal law enforcement agencies, or even local law enforcement.
If your argument is about human nature, you'd be best to take it elsewhere, you will not win. Sure, humanity as a whole may decide to be pacifist, but the individual is the culprit in most crime.
Where as Watt is a measurement of heat produced by the current passing through resistance.........
P=E*I
Whereas P represents Power (Watts), E represents applied Voltage (Volts) and I represents amprage applied.
Without reading the article we don't have enough information to figure exactly how they accomplished this, but it was likely done by running extremely high voltage (the potential for coulombs to be transferred) through a vacuum which poses little resistance. But the end result is yes, they did generate current equal to about four times all the electrical power on earth (Last I checked 27.6 GW, in the late 1990's). Here's how it works, 1.9e7 amps run through, oh say 10 ohms of resistance would yield (using the P=I^2*R method) roughly 3.61 TW, while highly improbable for this to happen, it is believable to yield 1.24 TW if they simply ran 19 million amps across a lower resistance.
Sorry my friend, but "Freedom" of speech has been long gone for over 2 decades now. Little as you know, we have effectively eradicated 5 of our ammendment rights. Don't believe me? Try stating publically that the the men responsible for London or 9/11 had a good reason to do so. I'll bet it less than a month before your life is a living hell.
Try to open carry a firearm, I DARE you; unless you're in Texas.......
I'll give you my paychecks from this day forward if you refuse to honor a search warrant not signed by a Judge without getting shot!
And if you can gaurantee %100 that you will undergo a trial by peers for the effort, I'll literally have a sex change and be your sex-toy for eternity.
The sad thing is, I'm serious. Congress has voted away so many of our rights that our fore-fathers died for in the first place that I would consider myself a hypocrite to call myself a Citizen of the USA. The good 'ol United States of America doesn't exist anymore, it has been replaced with the Democratic Union of Greedy Politicians. Said union votes on what makes them the most money, which means turning a population into easily controllable, tax paying people.
Don't believe me? Look at the laws being passed recently and the companies that pay good money for lobbyists. Marijuana is still illegal, guess how many congressman owe campaign money to perscription drug companies? Just enough to keep it that way. Alcohol (the deadliest "whim" drug known to man) is still legal, guess how much alcohol manufacturers contribute to lobbying? More than any other industry combined.
Our government is run by money nowadays, and by those with enough of it to invest in the interest of making even more.
More than half of these fallacies can be attributed to the medical field.
Most importantly, the subscription-drug companies.
I dare you to look it up and prove different. Thus is the basis of science, as mentioned earlier.
Money motivates science just as much as any other. Look at asbestos, used to be it was approved by the FDA. Decades following, was proved harmful by too many studies to ignore.
Just a suggestion, give ANY "scientific fact" at least a decade before you believe it to hold any water;)
And there were many. I was in a Colorado Public School system during the then rampant and still ongoing Columbine McCarthyism. I can still remember the day it happened. I remember chatting with the school resource officer trying to find out what exactly was happening. The greatest horror of the day was not the event itself, but the complete lack of intel as far as what was happening. Rumours of the school being leveled by a bomb, dozens of bullet-ridden bodies lying in the parking lot. Theories of organized efforts to shoot-up several schools at the same time, with Columbine being used to trigger lock-down and make for cornered targets.
I was even a proponent of instituting calm. Made specific efforts to hush the fear of the same happening at our school, making sure that everyone knew that the situation is isolated; no helicopters would be flying into our school after taking off from Columbine. Asking the teachers and counselors if I should aid in the ensuing lock-down.
I didn't go to school the next day. Coincidentally, the most changed that day. April 21st carried more repercussions for the alternatively clothed students of the US than any other. All across the country, Principals came on the PA system urging students to report any students who exert qualities they may think to be "violent or psychotic." Without investigation or inquiry, the reports of hundreds of thousands of students were acted upon. In one day, the Colorado School systems saw more suspensions and expulsions than the decade previous in total. This fact was not realized for QUITE some time due to lack of referrals or reports, it was by hall passes and hourly absence roles that suspensions and expulsions were tallied in the federal investigation made in late May. I dodged the first wave of cleansings by merely missing a day of school.
The months that ensued didn't heal any wounds. The years past since the event aren't letting them heal either. In naught but a week, the media had managed to engineer quite an affective scape-goat out of the "Trench Coat Mafia." They actually managed to make a scapegoat out of practically every counter-culture icon at the time. "Insane Clown Posse," "Doom," "Marilyn Manson," "Anarchist's Cookbook," "Internet Chatrooms (which at the time were counterculture). The political "Hot wording" of the event to gain votes had managed to do the same to every new counterculture icon for quite some time. "Grand Theft Auto," "Mortal Kombat," "Dungeons and Dragons," "Pagans," "Wiccans." In one fell swoop all the kids congress critters thought were little freaks in highschool are now conveniently oppressed to the convenience of their children's "Safety."
And unbeknownst to anyone was the legal rampage that was the bills coming to vote. Measures that betray almost every fiber of meaning in the words "Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" were being passed by the dozen. Public Schools were given almost complete and total control over the children that were enrolled there. You see, it used to be that the parents were brought in for a meeting when children were suspended. It used to be that the parents were urged to get counseling for their children, and that counselors names were given. Today, children are assigned counseling and expelled or suspended if they don't agree to it. It used to be there was a group decision between both vice principal, counselor and usually the principle himself when suspension was involved. Now suspensions are handed out by a single person.
Through middle school, specifically 7th grade after Columbine all the way through 8th grade; I had managed to get suspended 11 times. Were it not for the hard work of one very passionate counselor I would have been expelled after the first occasion. There are many good teachers and counselors that kept me afloat for quite some time, but to no avail. They had all the heart they needed to make a difference, they just couldn't put a dent in the negative influence that was society in general. Here you are, not able to af
This is the United States of America. If you're unable to be held liable for not paying taxes (I.E. underage), then you have no rights. I'm not kidding. Here are your rights as provided to you by our great US of A if you're a minor:
MINOR'S BILL OF RIGHTS:
1. You have the right to be told what to do, when to do it with no mention as to why. Failure to comply may result in whatever punishment deemed appropriate.
2. You have the right to have no control over your life whatsoever. Income, Intellectual Property and Civil Rights are forfeit to either your parents or the gaurdians assigned to you by the court of law. When enrolled in a public school system, those said rights and those of the one that hold them--be it parent or gaurdian--are forfeit to the school administration.
3. You have the right to be taught what is deemed good for you to be taught. You have no right to inquire or defy any and all information you have been assigned to take for granted. You have no right to learn what has not been taught to you by those paid to teach you, any attempt at such will result in social exile and repeated punishment by the administration.
4. You have the right to be a soap box to be used as a highground for political agendas. When big government needs an excuse, you'll be used. When personal agendas against say condoms or anything that goes against someone's religion comes into play, you'll be their stated reason for iradicating it.
5. You have the right to be a scapegoat. For what, we don't know. We'll let you know when you're being blamed for something, but we might not tell you what for.
If any of you have half-way intelligent children that genuinely like to learn for themselves and know the right way to do things, don't be surprised if the trouble maker in the family happens to be that child. Being repeatedly suspended in school doesn't mean they're bad kids necessarily, it means they're probably asking too many questions. I was one of those children, I didn't fight, I did my homework, and I got along great with students and teachers. My problem was that I had morals, I had a strong sense of what was right, and it was nowhere near the same as theirs. Make no mistake ladies and gentleman, it's not the children's fault that they are screwing up this and that, shooting up schools and becoming druggies and hoodlums. It's society, it's beauracracy and unflinching standards of "right and wrong" imposed upon them by both the law and the school systems that's screwing up the children that actually have a brain to realize it's bullshit. They call them on it and they then get crushed under social exile, repeatedly getting in trouble at school for seemingly no reason, and all the mentor figures paid to "teach" them telling them that they're going to be failures.
Welcome to the US of A people, where children are being trained to be good, tax paying little worker bees. The ones that don't want to be worker bees? Well, they just get kicked out of the hive.
As a man who was coerced into the military only to find out that I was sworn in under a condition that could land me in a living hell for years, let me tell you one thing:
The military ain't at fault. The recruiters are.
Let me further iterate, the military is great, it kicks ass. The people put on recruiting duty however, are chomping at the bit to meet quotas and get back into the field. Not the military's fault they find it prudent to switch up their personnel in order to prevent rank stagnation and even worse: corruption. What is their fault is that they put some jackass in charge of setting quotas, and making it somewhat imperative to meet them.
So again, it's not the Military at fault, it's the politics that SHOULDN'T be involved in the recruiting process yet they are. Don't hate the military or the people in it, they're good people. Hate the politics that got involved with it.
Admin a HS network. Lots of running around, alot of eye candy, and government money pays VERY well those who work in the IT department.
I'd know, and I was just an asst. Admin at Legacy Highschool in Westminster, CO. Both the admin and myself would be running around too much to even catch a call in the office at a designated time.
Now what about people that actually use that software? The people that make their living off of the $6000 they paid for a piece of CAD/CAM software that actually works? The people that make machines and parts with said software?
As a man who has personally sunk almost a year's income into the software that makes my job and neccesarily my life easier, it does piss me off that a little punk can get said software for free. The fact he could potentially profit from it is even more maddening.
I have both a computer and an engineering background. I have an A+ cert, CCNA, and CCIE on top of having very valuable experience in the field of Machining. Long story short, I got bored with IT and SE and graduated towards something more meaningful; making parts for machines essential to your every day life.
The said CAD/CAM software you speak of is worth EVERY FUCKING PENNY. Why? Because it works. It works beautifully. It takes a chore that would normally take hours and reduces it to a mere half an hour to 45 minutes. Ever tried writing a G-Code program by hand? For a part that is so complicated as to require more than 2 heavy handed programs? Thought so. On the same train of thought, let's see you manufacture a blue-print, shop ready for the production of a machine imperative to the operation of your business. Thought so.
Programs such as those mentioned above are a VERY costly and valuable effort in discrete mathematics and software engineering. Specialists in either field aren't cheap, and rightfully so. Why don't you try asking someone in a field relative enough to actually need a program as such and see what his answer is. $6k? Well worth it, that program is going to make you money by the end of the fiscal quarter. Not something that can be said for any OSS endeavor, none of which help those in Machine Shops, ROM fabs or any other general manufacturing environment where time literally means money; not to mention a customer base.
It's not the piracy of music or video that hurts these guys, it's the piracy of programs that literally cost millions of dollars to develop, and several more to update and improve. While I'm not in favor of the criminalization of piracy, especially digital; I do want to raise awareness of the fact that programs such as those you have mentioned are worth the buck. Very much so, and very necessarily so.
To this day it is still the biggest misconception in the industry that artificial diamonds are inferior in quality.
NEWS FLASH:
Those flaws are made on purpose, to keep DeBeers from absolutely destroying the market by flooding his entire stock onto it.
"Natural" artificial diamonds are perfect. That's right, PERFECT. No flaws, exceptional clarity. They are that way inherently so. Would someone who is actually involved in the bort industry please elaborate? Artificial diamonds are HEAVILY used in the machining industry, read: EVERYTHING that has to do with shaping metal or similarly hard materials. Bort diamond has no flaws, it's just not white or yellow, doesn't have to be.
The process in which diamonds are "grown" inherently produces sheer slabs of perfect cubic carbon, no imperfections. The artifical diamonds you see on the market are engineered to have flaws, as agreed upon by DeBeers and the manufacturers capable of producing artificial white, yellow, blue or red diamond. I have a sneaky suspicion this misconception will carry for a LONG time.
Ever seen a lab diamond? As in a diamond created for scientific purposes? PERFECT in every manner. They have to be, same as industrial diamond, those flaws mean structural instability; which is unacceptable for use such as high-polish grinding. DeBeers has managed to assert so much control in the industry that those that have even tried to do so for resale purposes are quickly crushed.....or just disappear completely.
The diamond/jewelry industry is ugly, very ugly. It is corrupt, bloody and very arrogant. Having never seen a conviction by law or even pursued by vigilante organizations known to exist in Asia or Africa, they will continue to be for a very long time. Here's something I bet you don't know, diamond bank gaurds--who just so happen to be unaffiliated with any law enforcement or government organization--have been known to carry FN Five-seveN's and H&K MP7's...without a Class C or equivalent license. These arms just happen to be illegal enough to get your average guy to disappear, having been designed for either clandestine operations or condition black urban ops (read: punch through anything, and accurately; with extreme concealability). When I say disappear, I don't mean dead, I mean gone. In Guantanamo Bay for the next 500 years.
Do what I plan on doing, make the ring yourself, it's not really that hard. A couple specialized Dremel bits, a 1"X3/4" piece of gold stock and a sizeable gem aside from a diamond that would accentuate your love's eyes, and go to town. Bench lathes are cheap, couple hundred bucks, as are the tools they use, you could make yourself a ring that any woman that would complain about would have to be crazy--one of a kind and hand made--for HALF the price of even a cheap ring. Oh, and you'd learn a marketable skill in the process. Who know's you might just have fun and use that same bench lathe for other projects. I know I would.
What comes from the heart? Blood, sweat and tears. Why not put that into your wedding ring? If you do it right, there'll be all three:-P
Inox Steel refers to some 8 different steels. All with more than %12 chromium. Otherwise known as Stainless. Many of which are used by other multi-tool manufacturers.
If you were to say, 430 Stainless instead, it would actually mean something.
You know what, I just have to give you and huge fucking pat on the back. The kind that knocks the eyeballs out of your head and gives you a bloody nose.
Now, I don't necessarily pass your standard of sexually experienced being only 19; but I speak for many people (mostly women) when I say:
"What the fuck?"
Pornography in this day and age sets a standard for sexual intercourse that is enjoyed almost exclusively by men. Attention is focused on one thing and one thing only: male pleasure. The only foreplay you'll see in 9 out of 10 scenes is oral, usually being performed by the female party. Even taking your clothes off can be sensual if you do it right, pornographers can't even think try.
Practically no experimentation as far as position is concerned, there's a set of about 4 positions in Hollywood. Missionary, Doggy (with 2 or 3 variations, but ultimately the same), Cowgirl (2 variations) and Spoons (Laying on side, guy behind). Now, this may be fine for a one night stand; but real good sex usually entails a plethora of different positions. Hot sex doesn't just mean passionate and sweaty, it means pleasurable in many ways; requiring many different positions. For those who have read and used Kama Sutra, Scented Gardens or the plethora of other compilations; you'll know full well the hundreds of positions and the way they make the pleasure a different experience. Even more when there's more than 2 people, and yes, there are books that entail the kind of fun you can have in a party.
Women can be pleasured in a seemingly endless number of ways. They have more errogenous zones than men, and infinitely more nerve endings in relation to their sex organs. Just shifting a couple of inches, thrusting at an angle, repositioning their legs or even just offering multiple simultaneous stimuli (licking her ear while you're going at it, say) can make a world of difference. Never even see a hint of that in porn.
And the cumshot? PLEASE! Now I have met women that were actually turned on by it, they are few and VERY far between. It is disrespectful, childish and in my opinion somewhat psychotic. Not only that, no way in hell am I going to leave the paradise that is a woman's body when I'm close to climax unless I'm going to be making a re-entry;)
The line between hot sex and porn is very defined. Hot sex is about intimacy, sweat, primitive grunts and moans but most importantly pleasure. Porn? It's about semen.
Can someone please explain to me the difference from platform specific software? Aside from port problems, including bugs and library/grammar problems; isn't this pretty similar to--say, a Win-centric software? Debugging and compatibility issues are usually about %60 of the development process. Extremely intricate and mathematically complex programs aside (usually used with supercomputers), most consumer software runs into most problems in relation to hardware and OS, same problem with OSS. Can someone please explain to me how OSS is more difficult in this regard?
I could tell you within 5cm how close my car is to the one in front of me, on the left and right when I'm driving down the highway. I can tell you within 2 cm where my car is located in location to the one in front and behind when I'm parallel parking.
If I couldn't, I honestly wouldn't hop behind the wheel.
Slashdot Mirror
Either sell your product or don't but screwing around with supply to inflate demand only serves to alienate and disappoint people who are already interested in buying your product.
Ask yourself something, are you alienated and disappointed by Ferrari, Maserati, Aston Martin or Lamborghini? How about the makers of Cristael? The good 'ol boys at Orange County Choppers? All of their products come with high price tags. They have to in order for their business to survive. Consider this, if a Lotus only put you back $35,000, EVERYONE would have one. Thus the value of the vehicle would drop, costing you even more money. This is one of the situations where EXTREMELY contrasting supply/demand ratio is needed in order for the venture to thrive.
Microsoft may be a bunch of evil bastards, but they're still trying to get a product to the market. They're also going to LOSE THEIR ASS for a substantial period of time to make sure the product stays on the market. It could very well be that restricting the supply of the product to stimulate demand is going to be essential to prevent hemmorhaging funds. If they lose their ass too much, they have to cut the product line, and everyone who would have bought it is going to be in a very bad place. Screwed, jewed, and tattooed, with pretty much no recourse.
This isn't just about elevating demand, there are long term goals this move is geared to accomplish. If they can slowly trickle to a steady flow of systems heading into the market, with demand remaining pretty much constant for a period of time generous enough to let miniaturization catch up in their manufacturing; they can essentially keep the loss of funds constant until such a point they can actually break even on the system even at a lower price. This is a calculated move designed to keep the first year or so of sales and resulting red ink from sinking the entire operation. This move isn't under-handed, abusive or diabolical, it's crucial and defensive.
Don't worry, you'll have one in your hands if you want one bad enough, maybe even for less than $300 if you're willing to wait a year. But give them the benefit of the doubt that they're doing what's necessary for the system to thrive and produce good content in the long run for the first year.
Polishing (like case hardening) belongs to a normal metallic property called work hardening. You work a metal it will become harder (but normally also more brittle). In fact it is rarer to have a metal that won't work harden than not. Time to go back to metal shop!!
Go back? Ok, I'm in one every day.
While you're right about metals work hardening, you're wrong about how often it happens. Quite frankly, it doesn't unless you're either extremely stupid or even more so insane. Even soft magnetics like Cast Iron don't work harden until extremely high temperatures are reached. Something to the tune of 650-1100F, depending on the hardness rating you wish to achieve. If you're reaching temperatures that high before the part is finished, well, you're either cutting it off at the foundry or you're about to be fired. The methods used to actually harden materials in a noticeable fashion are specifically designed to superheat the part. Magnetics such as steel and any iron based material will be heated until red, blue or white hot to achieve hardening. This process is called annealing. Other metals are generally coated with a harder metal, not more than a thousand of an inch or two in thickness; this generally achieves the same affect.
Polishing however, is not generally meant to harden, and rarely does. When a part or surface is polished, part of that surface is actually worn away while polish is deposited. This is the only way to achieve mirror finish, if the part has been turned or faced the surface will have markings on it from the tools used to cut it. Polishing is the process of actually wearing away material to relieve the markings, and depositing polish to increase shine. People should note that the more reflective a metal surface is, the finer the finish. Mirror finish generally denotes a "256 dp finish", required often by aerospace or military applications. The dumbass of a parent knows nothing of what he's talking about, and needs himself to open up a machinist's handbook.
And when it comes to your comments about banning Nazis, I'd like to see the al-quaida be allowed to set up offices downtown New York.
Al-Quaida is a military faction, not an organization. I'd love to see them set up offices in downtown london, if other countries are so much more understanding. And to rebutt your point, Fundamentalist Islam has had many rallies in many major US cities. New York included. Same beliefs as Al-Quaida, they just don't strap bombs to their chest and run screaming into crowds.
TO BEGIN WITH USA wouldn't have been anything if it wasn't rediscovered by europeans in about year 1500. Clearly you must see that my arguement is true, but not relevant. So are yours. Current knowledge of other nations has nothing to do with who inventet the computer.
Knowledge has nothing to do with it. Neither does the brain trust of a nation. Economy has everything to do with it. Without a market having existed for machines capable of drastically reducing accounting, printing and archival costs, computers would not have been developed at the break neck speed in which they were. American business was the only market to value such machines for the first 2 decades in the "Mainframe" era, giving the big blue enough of a market share and capital to bring the computer to the household; Apple following suit soon thereafter. As for the internet........I'm quite certain DARPA has absolutely NO funding in their budget outside of US spending. The original intranet had no nodes outside of the US. It wasn't for another 15 years after the original project that foreign civilian nodes were added to the then growing "Internet".
Capitalism is the reason this forum exists, the reason the internet on which it resides exists. Half of our modern medical equipment, transportation whether individual or shuttle, modern electronics essential to every day life, the automobile, commercial air shuttling, practically every nuance of modern day life is the result of American Capitalism. The red cross, the blue cross, Peace Corps, Peacekeepers, the UN, World Fair, World Trade, modern day nuclear energy; all are products of American Capitalism. International yet neutral organization is an American effort and as far as the American people are concerned, nothing is getting wrested from us except ideas and invention.
When it comes to ICANN and the internet, the American people are more important than the rest of the world. We created it, we keep it; period. May seem selfish, but then again, so are the brats trying to "Force the Americans" into surrendering control of something we've spent billions upon billions of dollars developing and proliferating. Get your own, that's what I say. Then come back and talk about integration.
Jesus christ, plenty of the world has equal or better free speech laws than the US - New Zealand, Australia, most of Europe.
;)
Ok buddy, you better hope to god the Australians in the forum don't laugh you into posting AC from now on. While you guys may not give a flying hoot about swear words, nudity or all in all bad taste; we Yanks still get to call our President a FUCKNUT on broadcast television. Sure, radio personalities have a larger repertoire to work with when insulting fellow aussies or zeelanders; but you say death to the queen just once and your ass is fried. Half of Europe can't get away with insulting their government officials on broadcast, whether radio or tv. The other half is to scared to even if they could, when people get shot in the head by police officers for no reason in the very subway you take to work every day; you'd be a little scared too.
When Americans talk about free speech, we talk SPEECH! Not expletives, nudity or obscenity. We're talking about the right to criticize whoever, whenever, for whatever. We're not talking about sharing plans for bombs or the molestation of little children, beastophilia or snuff. We're talking about speaking our minds and opinions, genuine thoughts and musings; and the right to make them known to everyone should we wish it. Not often you get to see extremists make their opinion known to all by assembling, take for instance: the Neo-Nazis, PETA, Black Panthers, WASPs, NRA, etc.. Note that these assemblies are both encouraged and protected by law enforcement. When was the last time you saw a 3rd Reich rally on tv in the UK? Germany? France? Well what about Poland? Last I checked PETA was discouraged from having it's voice heard anywhere but the US, as well.
You Americans are so blinded by your own hype you think the entire rest of the world is some 3rd world dictatorship. Grow up, actually LOOK at the rest of the world and realise it doesn't match your cardboard cutout preconceptions. The average US slashbot view of the rest of the world is laughably naive.
We know the rest of the world isn't a dictatorship, that democracy and communism exist in other countries. We know half of our products are shipped in from other countries, where actual people and governments reside. We know other nations have rights and can handle themselves. We also know we're the first nation everyone keeps running to wining their asses off about this or that. "There's been a tsunami!" or "They're committing genocide on us!", "There's been an earthquake!", "We need jobs, give us a military base to work on!" America doesn't have a cardboard cutout preconception about the rest of the world. We see events, poverty, natural disasters and tyranny just as you all do. It happens here too. The "US slashbot view of the rest of the world" doesn't exist. And to call us naive is anything but correct or intelligent. To add the adjective "laughably" is only shining yourself in an arrogant, pompous light.
Remember when I said we know the rest of the world isn't a dictatorship? If it weren't for us it'd be either communism or theocracy on the government menu. If it weren't for us the internet would probably be on this day where it was back in the late 80's. Were it not for us, computing in the 21st century would be anything but. Were it not for us, the notion of free speech to BEGIN WITH would have died out in the dying breaths of the Grecian era.
So take some advice from me, fuckstick. Think twice before opening your mouth in regards to a nation, Americans have been doing it for centuries; so should you. Granted we may not always be right or politically correct, but sometimes you have to say fuck the politics. You may not like it, but we can back our words with our fists, you can't
And you are aware that we, the American people; have MORE guns.........Right?
I beg to differ about the definition of a weapon, here. Anything that you take to war, from your rifles and tanks to your canteens, first-aid kits, and radios, is a weapon.
Okay, dude, you're an idiot. In a combat situation are you to be considered hostile and fired upon for having a canteen? What if you merely have a radio, I mean c'mon; who doesn't like their extremely liberal talk-radio show? A metal tanket of water or a u/vhf 2-way does not a soldier make. And for the record, it's highly frowned upon to fire on those wearing the red cross intentionally; after all they treat YOUR wounded too despite their allignment. NATO alligned countrymen will not shoot you on the battlefield if you have no weapon. Best bet your ass the shooting of men only having canteens, first-aid kits or radios will result in a tribunal and incarceration. Are you so naive to apply the totalitarian view to the definition of weapon? That's like saying the Leatherman I carry on my belt which I use every single day at work is something that would garner gunshot wounds on my part if in my hand in the presence of a police officer. Or the map that a contractor carries that could possibly find its way into the hands of a soldier, is a weapon. Hell binoculars are a weapon now, I can see it now "Drop the optical device or you will be shot!"
Now stop and ask yourself, what would you do if someone shot at you? You'd shoot back. Threw a knife at you? Hope it misses and either pick it up and throw it back or shoot him. Came running at you flailing a canteen? Get whacked on the head once because of the moment of bewilderment maybe, or laugh, and then whoop his ass! Are you going to kill someone who smacks you with a radio? First Aid Kit? Bullet proof vest? Even more are you going to consider a VIP wearing a bullet proof vest yet not carrying a weapon, to be a threat? I'm thinking you're one of the last people I ever want walking around with a gun, you'd shoot me for having a walkman within 10 feet of you.
Now, I will agree with you that this sattelite is a weapon. But not because of it's purpose or potential to be used for evil. Even guns are tools, but only in the hands of someone who has intent to kill is it a weapon. It's not function the begets purpose, it is will that begets purpose. The only reason I view this sattelite as a weapon is because it's in the hands of a military organization, severe bias is established because it happens to be the U.S. military. My hands are not weapons, they are precision tools; when curled into fists with the intent of contact is when they become weapons. If a canteen's intent is to be drank from, it's far from a weapon. When a canteen is swung at you it's merely something to laugh at, not kill over.
What intel is doing isn't a monopolist abusing its status, it's a market leader fighting to hold on to the top spot.
The same could be said of anybody who uses subterfuge to not only maintain their position, but undermine their competitor's chance of even competing for the same spot. You would be best to think the same of any linebacker who clips a QB at the knees 3 seconds after a pass, a mob boss who rats out his rival to the police, or even a Sergeant who frags his superior to aide in his timely promotion.
To fight ferociously to maintain one's position, to hold one's ground; that is perfectly in one's rights. To prevent anybody the opportunity to even compete, that is so much akin to dictatorship that in any other arena would result in quite immediate cessation. It is one thing to hold a big stick and beat the shit out of someone who approaches, it is another the slain children in the thought that if noone can carry a sword against you; that you'll be on top indefinately.
Such is the grey area that is business ethics as enforced by the US judicial system. The judicial system itself much on the downward spiral, MSFT never being truly punished; nor IBM (SHADY business practice in the early 90's and almost all the way through the 80's). This might be a chance for scant redemption, because either ruling would be in all honesty logical. Should Intel be punished for not prostrating itself to the whims of competitors? Or should it be punished for going out of it's way to make its competitor a disadvantage to customers?
A single act of spite is not to be punished by today's laws. For a man to simply refuse to help his competitor take his business is not only completely moral but to be expected in a capitalist society. How many businesses do you see thriving that publish their blueprints and manufacturing methods for the products they sell? Not many, not ANY, except for those that do not thrive on the capitalist ideal.
Morals as we know it do not apply to business practices today, they will quickly lead to being tits up. Keep this in mind, moral fiber and money are two totally different things; always have been. Hold business to different standards, use judgement instead of law to judge it, for it is not held to law. Business would not survive if expected to uphold the 10 commandments, it would, however survive if realized to be an arena. Arenas see change and cunning, laws see only exploitation and litigation, expensive to all.
Disclaimer: I do not support the actions of Intel, nor it's practices in the arena of business. I do, however as a entrepeneurial businessman expect my own right to maintain my market in those ways befitting of our own constitution. To bend your own will to those of your competitors is the same as not only providing, but CREATING incriminating evidence to yourself in the court of law. Do you want to make yourself a criminal just to befit the law?
Because the private sector is the most likely to develop an LTL (less-than-lethal) weapon that actually works. Should we leave it up to the military sector, the same that holds conventions to gage what's too much maiming and what's acceptable? The same branch of government that trains men to be the deadliest operatives on that planet?
Plain and simple truth, the private sector has been developing weapons since the US declared independance over 200 years ago. Matter of fact, the US military has not a single weapon in it's repertoire that wasn't developed in the private sector. Nor the federal law enforcement agencies, or even local law enforcement.
If your argument is about human nature, you'd be best to take it elsewhere, you will not win. Sure, humanity as a whole may decide to be pacifist, but the individual is the culprit in most crime.
As man is now, god once was. As god is now, man will once be.
;)
-Pearl of Burdon
You'd be surprised how much has been predicted by religious literature
Where as Watt is a measurement of heat produced by the current passing through resistance.........
P=E*I
Whereas P represents Power (Watts), E represents applied Voltage (Volts) and I represents amprage applied.
Without reading the article we don't have enough information to figure exactly how they accomplished this, but it was likely done by running extremely high voltage (the potential for coulombs to be transferred) through a vacuum which poses little resistance. But the end result is yes, they did generate current equal to about four times all the electrical power on earth (Last I checked 27.6 GW, in the late 1990's). Here's how it works, 1.9e7 amps run through, oh say 10 ohms of resistance would yield (using the P=I^2*R method) roughly 3.61 TW, while highly improbable for this to happen, it is believable to yield 1.24 TW if they simply ran 19 million amps across a lower resistance.
Sorry my friend, but "Freedom" of speech has been long gone for over 2 decades now. Little as you know, we have effectively eradicated 5 of our ammendment rights. Don't believe me? Try stating publically that the the men responsible for London or 9/11 had a good reason to do so. I'll bet it less than a month before your life is a living hell.
Try to open carry a firearm, I DARE you; unless you're in Texas.......
I'll give you my paychecks from this day forward if you refuse to honor a search warrant not signed by a Judge without getting shot!
And if you can gaurantee %100 that you will undergo a trial by peers for the effort, I'll literally have a sex change and be your sex-toy for eternity.
The sad thing is, I'm serious. Congress has voted away so many of our rights that our fore-fathers died for in the first place that I would consider myself a hypocrite to call myself a Citizen of the USA. The good 'ol United States of America doesn't exist anymore, it has been replaced with the Democratic Union of Greedy Politicians. Said union votes on what makes them the most money, which means turning a population into easily controllable, tax paying people.
Don't believe me? Look at the laws being passed recently and the companies that pay good money for lobbyists. Marijuana is still illegal, guess how many congressman owe campaign money to perscription drug companies? Just enough to keep it that way. Alcohol (the deadliest "whim" drug known to man) is still legal, guess how much alcohol manufacturers contribute to lobbying? More than any other industry combined.
Our government is run by money nowadays, and by those with enough of it to invest in the interest of making even more.
More than half of these fallacies can be attributed to the medical field.
;)
Most importantly, the subscription-drug companies.
I dare you to look it up and prove different. Thus is the basis of science, as mentioned earlier.
Money motivates science just as much as any other. Look at asbestos, used to be it was approved by the FDA. Decades following, was proved harmful by too many studies to ignore.
Just a suggestion, give ANY "scientific fact" at least a decade before you believe it to hold any water
Good thing lawyers and businesses always follow the spirit of the law rather than the letter of it.
And how many examples exist today to proffer the one man who takes advantage of the "letter?"
SCO? MSFT? How many others? Just rake your memory. C'mon, we're waiting.
Now, how sound does this law sound considering the legislative raping it allows?
It only takes one determined person to rape......
And there were many. I was in a Colorado Public School system during the then rampant and still ongoing Columbine McCarthyism. I can still remember the day it happened. I remember chatting with the school resource officer trying to find out what exactly was happening. The greatest horror of the day was not the event itself, but the complete lack of intel as far as what was happening. Rumours of the school being leveled by a bomb, dozens of bullet-ridden bodies lying in the parking lot. Theories of organized efforts to shoot-up several schools at the same time, with Columbine being used to trigger lock-down and make for cornered targets.
I was even a proponent of instituting calm. Made specific efforts to hush the fear of the same happening at our school, making sure that everyone knew that the situation is isolated; no helicopters would be flying into our school after taking off from Columbine. Asking the teachers and counselors if I should aid in the ensuing lock-down.
I didn't go to school the next day. Coincidentally, the most changed that day. April 21st carried more repercussions for the alternatively clothed students of the US than any other. All across the country, Principals came on the PA system urging students to report any students who exert qualities they may think to be "violent or psychotic." Without investigation or inquiry, the reports of hundreds of thousands of students were acted upon. In one day, the Colorado School systems saw more suspensions and expulsions than the decade previous in total. This fact was not realized for QUITE some time due to lack of referrals or reports, it was by hall passes and hourly absence roles that suspensions and expulsions were tallied in the federal investigation made in late May. I dodged the first wave of cleansings by merely missing a day of school.
The months that ensued didn't heal any wounds. The years past since the event aren't letting them heal either. In naught but a week, the media had managed to engineer quite an affective scape-goat out of the "Trench Coat Mafia." They actually managed to make a scapegoat out of practically every counter-culture icon at the time. "Insane Clown Posse," "Doom," "Marilyn Manson," "Anarchist's Cookbook," "Internet Chatrooms (which at the time were counterculture). The political "Hot wording" of the event to gain votes had managed to do the same to every new counterculture icon for quite some time. "Grand Theft Auto," "Mortal Kombat," "Dungeons and Dragons," "Pagans," "Wiccans." In one fell swoop all the kids congress critters thought were little freaks in highschool are now conveniently oppressed to the convenience of their children's "Safety."
And unbeknownst to anyone was the legal rampage that was the bills coming to vote. Measures that betray almost every fiber of meaning in the words "Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" were being passed by the dozen. Public Schools were given almost complete and total control over the children that were enrolled there. You see, it used to be that the parents were brought in for a meeting when children were suspended. It used to be that the parents were urged to get counseling for their children, and that counselors names were given. Today, children are assigned counseling and expelled or suspended if they don't agree to it. It used to be there was a group decision between both vice principal, counselor and usually the principle himself when suspension was involved. Now suspensions are handed out by a single person.
Through middle school, specifically 7th grade after Columbine all the way through 8th grade; I had managed to get suspended 11 times. Were it not for the hard work of one very passionate counselor I would have been expelled after the first occasion. There are many good teachers and counselors that kept me afloat for quite some time, but to no avail. They had all the heart they needed to make a difference, they just couldn't put a dent in the negative influence that was society in general. Here you are, not able to af
This is the United States of America. If you're unable to be held liable for not paying taxes (I.E. underage), then you have no rights. I'm not kidding. Here are your rights as provided to you by our great US of A if you're a minor:
MINOR'S BILL OF RIGHTS:
1. You have the right to be told what to do, when to do it with no mention as to why. Failure to comply may result in whatever punishment deemed appropriate.
2. You have the right to have no control over your life whatsoever. Income, Intellectual Property and Civil Rights are forfeit to either your parents or the gaurdians assigned to you by the court of law. When enrolled in a public school system, those said rights and those of the one that hold them--be it parent or gaurdian--are forfeit to the school administration.
3. You have the right to be taught what is deemed good for you to be taught. You have no right to inquire or defy any and all information you have been assigned to take for granted. You have no right to learn what has not been taught to you by those paid to teach you, any attempt at such will result in social exile and repeated punishment by the administration.
4. You have the right to be a soap box to be used as a highground for political agendas. When big government needs an excuse, you'll be used. When personal agendas against say condoms or anything that goes against someone's religion comes into play, you'll be their stated reason for iradicating it.
5. You have the right to be a scapegoat. For what, we don't know. We'll let you know when you're being blamed for something, but we might not tell you what for.
If any of you have half-way intelligent children that genuinely like to learn for themselves and know the right way to do things, don't be surprised if the trouble maker in the family happens to be that child. Being repeatedly suspended in school doesn't mean they're bad kids necessarily, it means they're probably asking too many questions. I was one of those children, I didn't fight, I did my homework, and I got along great with students and teachers. My problem was that I had morals, I had a strong sense of what was right, and it was nowhere near the same as theirs. Make no mistake ladies and gentleman, it's not the children's fault that they are screwing up this and that, shooting up schools and becoming druggies and hoodlums. It's society, it's beauracracy and unflinching standards of "right and wrong" imposed upon them by both the law and the school systems that's screwing up the children that actually have a brain to realize it's bullshit. They call them on it and they then get crushed under social exile, repeatedly getting in trouble at school for seemingly no reason, and all the mentor figures paid to "teach" them telling them that they're going to be failures.
Welcome to the US of A people, where children are being trained to be good, tax paying little worker bees. The ones that don't want to be worker bees? Well, they just get kicked out of the hive.
As a man who was coerced into the military only to find out that I was sworn in under a condition that could land me in a living hell for years, let me tell you one thing:
The military ain't at fault. The recruiters are.
Let me further iterate, the military is great, it kicks ass. The people put on recruiting duty however, are chomping at the bit to meet quotas and get back into the field. Not the military's fault they find it prudent to switch up their personnel in order to prevent rank stagnation and even worse: corruption. What is their fault is that they put some jackass in charge of setting quotas, and making it somewhat imperative to meet them.
So again, it's not the Military at fault, it's the politics that SHOULDN'T be involved in the recruiting process yet they are. Don't hate the military or the people in it, they're good people. Hate the politics that got involved with it.
Admin a HS network. Lots of running around, alot of eye candy, and government money pays VERY well those who work in the IT department.
I'd know, and I was just an asst. Admin at Legacy Highschool in Westminster, CO. Both the admin and myself would be running around too much to even catch a call in the office at a designated time.
Now if only you could get Sci-Fi to stop spending their money making "original" pictures and stick to what they do well...
Dune was a work of beautiful cinematography and a story that held me for it's entire 8-hour duration, thank you very fucking much.
Right.
Now what about people that actually use that software? The people that make their living off of the $6000 they paid for a piece of CAD/CAM software that actually works? The people that make machines and parts with said software?
As a man who has personally sunk almost a year's income into the software that makes my job and neccesarily my life easier, it does piss me off that a little punk can get said software for free. The fact he could potentially profit from it is even more maddening.
I have both a computer and an engineering background. I have an A+ cert, CCNA, and CCIE on top of having very valuable experience in the field of Machining. Long story short, I got bored with IT and SE and graduated towards something more meaningful; making parts for machines essential to your every day life.
The said CAD/CAM software you speak of is worth EVERY FUCKING PENNY. Why? Because it works. It works beautifully. It takes a chore that would normally take hours and reduces it to a mere half an hour to 45 minutes. Ever tried writing a G-Code program by hand? For a part that is so complicated as to require more than 2 heavy handed programs? Thought so. On the same train of thought, let's see you manufacture a blue-print, shop ready for the production of a machine imperative to the operation of your business. Thought so.
Programs such as those mentioned above are a VERY costly and valuable effort in discrete mathematics and software engineering. Specialists in either field aren't cheap, and rightfully so. Why don't you try asking someone in a field relative enough to actually need a program as such and see what his answer is. $6k? Well worth it, that program is going to make you money by the end of the fiscal quarter. Not something that can be said for any OSS endeavor, none of which help those in Machine Shops, ROM fabs or any other general manufacturing environment where time literally means money; not to mention a customer base.
It's not the piracy of music or video that hurts these guys, it's the piracy of programs that literally cost millions of dollars to develop, and several more to update and improve. While I'm not in favor of the criminalization of piracy, especially digital; I do want to raise awareness of the fact that programs such as those you have mentioned are worth the buck. Very much so, and very necessarily so.
To this day it is still the biggest misconception in the industry that artificial diamonds are inferior in quality.
:-P
NEWS FLASH:
Those flaws are made on purpose, to keep DeBeers from absolutely destroying the market by flooding his entire stock onto it.
"Natural" artificial diamonds are perfect. That's right, PERFECT. No flaws, exceptional clarity. They are that way inherently so. Would someone who is actually involved in the bort industry please elaborate? Artificial diamonds are HEAVILY used in the machining industry, read: EVERYTHING that has to do with shaping metal or similarly hard materials. Bort diamond has no flaws, it's just not white or yellow, doesn't have to be.
The process in which diamonds are "grown" inherently produces sheer slabs of perfect cubic carbon, no imperfections. The artifical diamonds you see on the market are engineered to have flaws, as agreed upon by DeBeers and the manufacturers capable of producing artificial white, yellow, blue or red diamond. I have a sneaky suspicion this misconception will carry for a LONG time.
Ever seen a lab diamond? As in a diamond created for scientific purposes? PERFECT in every manner. They have to be, same as industrial diamond, those flaws mean structural instability; which is unacceptable for use such as high-polish grinding. DeBeers has managed to assert so much control in the industry that those that have even tried to do so for resale purposes are quickly crushed.....or just disappear completely.
The diamond/jewelry industry is ugly, very ugly. It is corrupt, bloody and very arrogant. Having never seen a conviction by law or even pursued by vigilante organizations known to exist in Asia or Africa, they will continue to be for a very long time. Here's something I bet you don't know, diamond bank gaurds--who just so happen to be unaffiliated with any law enforcement or government organization--have been known to carry FN Five-seveN's and H&K MP7's...without a Class C or equivalent license. These arms just happen to be illegal enough to get your average guy to disappear, having been designed for either clandestine operations or condition black urban ops (read: punch through anything, and accurately; with extreme concealability). When I say disappear, I don't mean dead, I mean gone. In Guantanamo Bay for the next 500 years.
Do what I plan on doing, make the ring yourself, it's not really that hard. A couple specialized Dremel bits, a 1"X3/4" piece of gold stock and a sizeable gem aside from a diamond that would accentuate your love's eyes, and go to town. Bench lathes are cheap, couple hundred bucks, as are the tools they use, you could make yourself a ring that any woman that would complain about would have to be crazy--one of a kind and hand made--for HALF the price of even a cheap ring. Oh, and you'd learn a marketable skill in the process. Who know's you might just have fun and use that same bench lathe for other projects. I know I would.
What comes from the heart? Blood, sweat and tears. Why not put that into your wedding ring? If you do it right, there'll be all three
As a man who literally works metal........
Inox Steel refers to some 8 different steels. All with more than %12 chromium. Otherwise known as Stainless. Many of which are used by other multi-tool manufacturers.
If you were to say, 430 Stainless instead, it would actually mean something.
You know what, I just have to give you and huge fucking pat on the back. The kind that knocks the eyeballs out of your head and gives you a bloody nose.
;)
Now, I don't necessarily pass your standard of sexually experienced being only 19; but I speak for many people (mostly women) when I say:
"What the fuck?"
Pornography in this day and age sets a standard for sexual intercourse that is enjoyed almost exclusively by men. Attention is focused on one thing and one thing only: male pleasure. The only foreplay you'll see in 9 out of 10 scenes is oral, usually being performed by the female party. Even taking your clothes off can be sensual if you do it right, pornographers can't even think try.
Practically no experimentation as far as position is concerned, there's a set of about 4 positions in Hollywood. Missionary, Doggy (with 2 or 3 variations, but ultimately the same), Cowgirl (2 variations) and Spoons (Laying on side, guy behind). Now, this may be fine for a one night stand; but real good sex usually entails a plethora of different positions. Hot sex doesn't just mean passionate and sweaty, it means pleasurable in many ways; requiring many different positions. For those who have read and used Kama Sutra, Scented Gardens or the plethora of other compilations; you'll know full well the hundreds of positions and the way they make the pleasure a different experience. Even more when there's more than 2 people, and yes, there are books that entail the kind of fun you can have in a party.
Women can be pleasured in a seemingly endless number of ways. They have more errogenous zones than men, and infinitely more nerve endings in relation to their sex organs. Just shifting a couple of inches, thrusting at an angle, repositioning their legs or even just offering multiple simultaneous stimuli (licking her ear while you're going at it, say) can make a world of difference. Never even see a hint of that in porn.
And the cumshot? PLEASE! Now I have met women that were actually turned on by it, they are few and VERY far between. It is disrespectful, childish and in my opinion somewhat psychotic. Not only that, no way in hell am I going to leave the paradise that is a woman's body when I'm close to climax unless I'm going to be making a re-entry
The line between hot sex and porn is very defined. Hot sex is about intimacy, sweat, primitive grunts and moans but most importantly pleasure. Porn? It's about semen.
Can someone please explain to me the difference from platform specific software? Aside from port problems, including bugs and library/grammar problems; isn't this pretty similar to--say, a Win-centric software? Debugging and compatibility issues are usually about %60 of the development process. Extremely intricate and mathematically complex programs aside (usually used with supercomputers), most consumer software runs into most problems in relation to hardware and OS, same problem with OSS.
Can someone please explain to me how OSS is more difficult in this regard?
But the most horrifying thing about this reality is that more often than not it's American Citizens defending themselves from the United States.
I could tell you within 5cm how close my car is to the one in front of me, on the left and right when I'm driving down the highway. I can tell you within 2 cm where my car is located in location to the one in front and behind when I'm parallel parking.
If I couldn't, I honestly wouldn't hop behind the wheel.