Yeah, but the reality of the situation is a bit more complicated than that. Marijuana will be legalized, sooner or later, you can count on that. I think Obama might even be the one to do it, but it probably won't be in his first term. There are much bigger fish to fry for the forseeable future and he is going to need all his political capital to fight other battles. His campaign says that he is not for legalization, but he has stated several times in the past that he is for decriminalization, and getting the Feds off the backs of dispensaries which are operating legally under state law. This second part is something he can do today, by simply ordering the DEA not to raid dispensaries. This is a big step forward. If he were to be wildly successful in his first term, and succeed in getting up back on the right track economically and militarily, then I am certain he would have enough political capital built up to support a decriminalization/legalization bill. That support will be all that is needed for it to pass. It is already well established that a majority of the U.S. population supports decriminalization. If marijuana is decriminalized at a federal level, it becomes much easier for grassroots efforts to legalize it at a state level.
Well, the DOD uses Microsoft Windows exclusively, so I guess you could say that they're at least 10 years behind the times in that respect. If any entity could benefit from a move to a secure UNIX platform, it would be the DOD, but sadly they are too deep in Microsoft's pockets.
The DOD's idea of 'security' is as follows:
a) strictly prohibiting the use of thumb drives in government computers, out of fear it could introduce some virus that would bring their entire network to its knees. Which has actually happened, if that tells you anything about how 'secure' their systems are
b) Draconian password requirements. You cannot use anything remotely similar to the past 6,000 passwords you've used, must be at least X digits long, consist of every possible type of character your keyboard is capable of producing, and must be changed every week. I'm exaggerating, but the truth is not far from this. The result is a sticky note on your commander's monitor with his password, free for anyone to read, log in, and steal sensitive data as he pleases. Thankfully a lot of DOD systems are moving to smart card identification (Common Access Card) which should remedy much of this problem, but still, it goes to show how stupid the security mentality is.
c) blocking 95% of the web sites on the internet, primarily consisting of the ones you and your commander would really like to visit. Actually your commander just makes a phone call and gets his favorite sites unblocked no problem, but you on the other hand are screwed. Is security somehow enhanced by this? Nope. It is at best a cure for some symptoms and not for the actual underlying problem of computer security.
I assume you are referring to old clunkers that smoke blue due to trashed rings. No need to hassle those guys; when an engine gets in that kind of condition it's not gonna run a whole lot longer anyway. Plus the people driving that type of vehicle are typically doing so cause they're too poor to fix it or upgrade. I live in Alabama and even here you really don't see cars like that driving around that often. And you would think it would be a problem here, if anywhere, since we have no smog testing or inspections. Really, emissions testing are unnecessary. They are about making money, not improving emissions. The vast majority of the cars on the road are newer models which are running just fine and don't have emissions problems. The small percentage of older cars really does not contribute much to overall emissions, so testing them is just a waste of time and a good way to hassle the owners.
The thing is, the reason no company is going to run fiber out to rural areas (assuming your predictions to be correct) is that those in the rural areas don't value high-speed Internet access enough to make it cost-effective.
Bullshit. Bullshit. Bullshit. I used to live in one of those rural areas. The fiber lines ended about a 1/4 mile straight shot from my driveway, and there was a box there needing very little equipment to enable DSL. The cable company ended about a mile down the road. Neither company had any interest in providing broadband to myself or my neighbors. EVERYONE out there wanted high speed access, including several businesses, but nobody would take the minimal effort to provide it.
It doesn't matter who actually runs the fiber, government or some private company -- either way it's a waste of resources. The difference is that only governments are capable of wasting other people's resources in this way.
It is not a "waste of resources", and neither was the rural electrification act in the 1930s. How incredibly short-sighted of you. The Internet is the future and high speed Internet access should be just as ubiquitous as power and water.
I understand they will not put old cars in a blender. They'll just retire them from circulation, but working parts would still be usable.
That would acceptable, but it's not likely to happen here. California has already instituted a similar program to what is now being proposed on a national level, and under their program any cars turned in are immediately taken to be CRUSHED for scrap metal. No parts removal allowed. Many California residents are now complaining about the difficulty of finding parts for older vehicles.
This is true, and the blame for this lies mostly with the federal government. More specifically, the U.S. DOT, with its draconian and ever-tightening safety requirements. Some of the most fuel efficient cars ever made were in the early 90s, before it was mandatory for every car to have anti-lock brakes, airbags, increased performance in crash tests, etc etc which all add weight to the vehicle. Plus the fault lies partially with car manufacturers who feel that even the most bare-bones economy car should come with power heated leather seats, power windows, etc.
I am totally opposed to this bill. As a hot rodder the last thing I or my fellows want is for everyone to turn their old cars in for scrap. It is better for them to remain in junkyards where they can be used as spare parts to keep other old cars in good running condition. Really guys, there are not THAT many older cars on the road compared to newer ones, so the older cars really aren't contributing a whole lot to emissions. If all these cars are scrapped then the result in millions of car enthusiasts will have a tough time restoring their older cars, all the scrap steel will go to China, and you and I will have to foot the bill for it all through taxes.
Huh? I just sent a wire through western union a few days ago using Firefox.
Seriously, where are all you guys finding these websites that don't work in Firefox? It has been ages since I encountered one. They are pretty rare. Maybe you should be lobbying for these webmasters to fix their shit instead of resigning yourself to not being able to use Firefox.
"Naturally the common people don't want war; neither in Russia, nor in England, nor in America, nor in Germany. That is understood. But after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine policy, and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country." - Hermann Goring
Actually it was Hubbert's "Peak Oil Theory" which predicted that oil production would peak in the U.S. in the late 60s/early 70s. And it did. He also predicted that it would peak worldwide in the early 2000's. Many experts believe that it has.
Not to be argumentative, but they have a T1 for crying out loud. If they are way out in the boondocks like is hypothesized, then they are paying a shitload of money, probably $1,000-1,500+ for the T1. What's $50 more a month for some basic satellite service? Really, there is no excuse for a SCHOOL to not have some sort of TV news access.
I live in a small town (30k) in north Alabama and all the cops in town or the surrounding countryside pull vehicle registrations left and right. No need for the driver to be suspected of doing anything wrong.
Hi, I'm a good ole boy from Alabama and I get called a racist--that is, racist against anyone who isn't white--all the time on the interwebs. So allow me to weigh in with my racist opinion. I am glad Obama got elected. Back in the 60s, or even the 80s, a black president was an impossible dream. Now today it is reality. This is certainly proof of how far we have come as a nation. This is a shining example for the world to see, at a time when America's image is somewhat tarnished. I'm happy that black folks, especially the old timers who saw real racism in past decades, now have something like this to stand up and be proud of. I'm glad that we had a record turnout this election and large numbers of people becoming interested in politics. It's good for the country. The story of a poor black kid growing up to be the president of the United States is very inspiring. It IS a big deal.
So let me get this straight: they have some sort of reasonably fast internet connection out there in "bumfuck Washington", but they don't have cable TV, satellite TV, etc?
Huh? I regularly work with General Dynamics TACLANE encryption devices, which are approved for top secret traffic. The 'zeroize' procedure is simply to press the 'zeroize' button three times. Then the device is unclassified.
All good points, except for number 1. Nobody here wants to go to Mexico (except for Cancun), and nobody really wants to go to Canada either. Similarly, who cares about South America? (We are talking about the vast majority of Americans here, not necessarily every single one of them.) The place to go is Europe, but unfortunately European travel is very expensive, so that rules out most people. It's a lot cheaper and easier just to go on a Caribbean cruise or something.
Sounds like the ramblings of an bitter, insecure dickwad. Harleys are power wasters and inefficient? WTF are you talking about? The most fuel guzzling Harley around still gets like 30-40+ MPG. Most (all?) of their production bikes are 50+. And this with a huge V-twin with lots of torque that makes riding an enjoyable experience. So you don't like the Harley sound. Maybe you should cry about it. Loud pipes save lives, this is a fact, and the only people whining about the sound are whiny bitches. Who gives a flying fuck what *your* car is capable of doing? Anyone who can afford a Harley can easily afford some Japanese shitbox, but they choose to ride a Harley instead because it's a hell of a lot more fun. And that's what it's about, having fun. Yes it's about form over function, dumbass, that's what everyone has been saying all along but you were too stupid to understand. It's about cruising down the road in style and comfort. It's not just about 'getting from point A to point B'. What are you, a fat geek with no life, or a tofu-eating retard from San Francisco? Now with the new V-Rods, it's not just form over function, it's form AND function. Great Harley style combined with an awesome engine. So what exactly is your beef with the V-Rod engine?....... I'm waiting..... oh wait, it seems you don't know a fucking thing about engine design, and so don't have any actual beef with Harley engines. You just like trotting out the whole "Harleys suck" line at any available opportunity. How about you do the world a favor and shut the fuck up? Nobody gives a shit about you, or your stupid opinion about Harleys.
I am not "Old And In The Way" and I agree with you completely. I'm 25 years old and I have been using computers since I was in 2nd grade. I am a computer expert. Every time I have tried to work with Vista, it always results in me quitting, frustrated and pissed off, because of how maddeningly stupid this UI is. Tasks that used to be dead simple under 2000/2003/XP/etc are now buried under piles of shit requiring hours of clicking and bullshitting to accomplish even the simplest tasks. I won't use Vista, or 7 either, JUST because of the garbage UI.
It always amazes me when engineers ride Harleys. That's like an award-winning musician listening to N'Sync.
You Euro and Jap fan-boys are losing your edge. The word 'Harley' was mentioned a few days ago and you are only now crawling out of the wood-work to troll it. With you guys, it's always the same tired old predictable shit--always something about Harleys being "antiquated technology", or "overpriced crap", or some other nonsense. Nevermind that Harleys are not about technology, and have never been about technology; they are about comfort and feel and style and the 'old way' of doing things which yes, still has plenty of value. By the way, Harley's V-Rod--which has been available for quite a while now, and is an awesome cruiser bike by anyone's standards--is as modern as any other bike, with its Porsche-designed 1250cc dual overhead cam water-cooled all aluminum 60* V-twin, water formed exoskeleton frame, etc. As far as quality, Harleys of today are pretty damn good, just as reliable any other bike. So what's your beef with Harleys, asshole?
They are 'renegade' engineers, and they are 'bucking' their bosses. I'm not sure what part of the factually-correct description you have a problem with.
And knowing the kinds of engineers who work at Marshall Space Flight Center, I wouldn't be surprised if some of them did ride Harleys.
If someone did that to me, I'd beat the fuck out of him on the spot. But then again, no white collar asshole would have the courage to hit me to begin with, because I am not the kind of guy to be fucked with like that. Maybe if IT guys started lifting weights, standing up for themselves, improved their confidence, etc then these types of problems would disappear.
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Yeah, but the reality of the situation is a bit more complicated than that. Marijuana will be legalized, sooner or later, you can count on that. I think Obama might even be the one to do it, but it probably won't be in his first term. There are much bigger fish to fry for the forseeable future and he is going to need all his political capital to fight other battles. His campaign says that he is not for legalization, but he has stated several times in the past that he is for decriminalization, and getting the Feds off the backs of dispensaries which are operating legally under state law. This second part is something he can do today, by simply ordering the DEA not to raid dispensaries. This is a big step forward. If he were to be wildly successful in his first term, and succeed in getting up back on the right track economically and militarily, then I am certain he would have enough political capital built up to support a decriminalization/legalization bill. That support will be all that is needed for it to pass. It is already well established that a majority of the U.S. population supports decriminalization. If marijuana is decriminalized at a federal level, it becomes much easier for grassroots efforts to legalize it at a state level.
Where are you at, the Pentagon? I've been all throughout the Air Force and the Army, and I've never seen anything but Windows used for anything.
Well, the DOD uses Microsoft Windows exclusively, so I guess you could say that they're at least 10 years behind the times in that respect. If any entity could benefit from a move to a secure UNIX platform, it would be the DOD, but sadly they are too deep in Microsoft's pockets.
The DOD's idea of 'security' is as follows:
a) strictly prohibiting the use of thumb drives in government computers, out of fear it could introduce some virus that would bring their entire network to its knees. Which has actually happened, if that tells you anything about how 'secure' their systems are
b) Draconian password requirements. You cannot use anything remotely similar to the past 6,000 passwords you've used, must be at least X digits long, consist of every possible type of character your keyboard is capable of producing, and must be changed every week. I'm exaggerating, but the truth is not far from this. The result is a sticky note on your commander's monitor with his password, free for anyone to read, log in, and steal sensitive data as he pleases. Thankfully a lot of DOD systems are moving to smart card identification (Common Access Card) which should remedy much of this problem, but still, it goes to show how stupid the security mentality is.
c) blocking 95% of the web sites on the internet, primarily consisting of the ones you and your commander would really like to visit. Actually your commander just makes a phone call and gets his favorite sites unblocked no problem, but you on the other hand are screwed. Is security somehow enhanced by this? Nope. It is at best a cure for some symptoms and not for the actual underlying problem of computer security.
c) etc
I assume you are referring to old clunkers that smoke blue due to trashed rings. No need to hassle those guys; when an engine gets in that kind of condition it's not gonna run a whole lot longer anyway. Plus the people driving that type of vehicle are typically doing so cause they're too poor to fix it or upgrade. I live in Alabama and even here you really don't see cars like that driving around that often. And you would think it would be a problem here, if anywhere, since we have no smog testing or inspections. Really, emissions testing are unnecessary. They are about making money, not improving emissions. The vast majority of the cars on the road are newer models which are running just fine and don't have emissions problems. The small percentage of older cars really does not contribute much to overall emissions, so testing them is just a waste of time and a good way to hassle the owners.
The thing is, the reason no company is going to run fiber out to rural areas (assuming your predictions to be correct) is that those in the rural areas don't value high-speed Internet access enough to make it cost-effective.
Bullshit. Bullshit. Bullshit. I used to live in one of those rural areas. The fiber lines ended about a 1/4 mile straight shot from my driveway, and there was a box there needing very little equipment to enable DSL. The cable company ended about a mile down the road. Neither company had any interest in providing broadband to myself or my neighbors. EVERYONE out there wanted high speed access, including several businesses, but nobody would take the minimal effort to provide it.
It doesn't matter who actually runs the fiber, government or some private company -- either way it's a waste of resources. The difference is that only governments are capable of wasting other people's resources in this way.
It is not a "waste of resources", and neither was the rural electrification act in the 1930s. How incredibly short-sighted of you. The Internet is the future and high speed Internet access should be just as ubiquitous as power and water.
I understand they will not put old cars in a blender. They'll just retire them from circulation, but working parts would still be usable.
That would acceptable, but it's not likely to happen here. California has already instituted a similar program to what is now being proposed on a national level, and under their program any cars turned in are immediately taken to be CRUSHED for scrap metal. No parts removal allowed. Many California residents are now complaining about the difficulty of finding parts for older vehicles.
This is true, and the blame for this lies mostly with the federal government. More specifically, the U.S. DOT, with its draconian and ever-tightening safety requirements. Some of the most fuel efficient cars ever made were in the early 90s, before it was mandatory for every car to have anti-lock brakes, airbags, increased performance in crash tests, etc etc which all add weight to the vehicle. Plus the fault lies partially with car manufacturers who feel that even the most bare-bones economy car should come with power heated leather seats, power windows, etc.
I am totally opposed to this bill. As a hot rodder the last thing I or my fellows want is for everyone to turn their old cars in for scrap. It is better for them to remain in junkyards where they can be used as spare parts to keep other old cars in good running condition. Really guys, there are not THAT many older cars on the road compared to newer ones, so the older cars really aren't contributing a whole lot to emissions. If all these cars are scrapped then the result in millions of car enthusiasts will have a tough time restoring their older cars, all the scrap steel will go to China, and you and I will have to foot the bill for it all through taxes.
Huh? I just sent a wire through western union a few days ago using Firefox.
Seriously, where are all you guys finding these websites that don't work in Firefox? It has been ages since I encountered one. They are pretty rare. Maybe you should be lobbying for these webmasters to fix their shit instead of resigning yourself to not being able to use Firefox.
"Naturally the common people don't want war; neither in Russia, nor in England, nor in America, nor in Germany. That is understood. But after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine policy, and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country." - Hermann Goring
Actually it was Hubbert's "Peak Oil Theory" which predicted that oil production would peak in the U.S. in the late 60s/early 70s. And it did. He also predicted that it would peak worldwide in the early 2000's. Many experts believe that it has.
Not to be argumentative, but they have a T1 for crying out loud. If they are way out in the boondocks like is hypothesized, then they are paying a shitload of money, probably $1,000-1,500+ for the T1. What's $50 more a month for some basic satellite service? Really, there is no excuse for a SCHOOL to not have some sort of TV news access.
I live in a small town (30k) in north Alabama and all the cops in town or the surrounding countryside pull vehicle registrations left and right. No need for the driver to be suspected of doing anything wrong.
Hi, I'm a good ole boy from Alabama and I get called a racist--that is, racist against anyone who isn't white--all the time on the interwebs. So allow me to weigh in with my racist opinion. I am glad Obama got elected. Back in the 60s, or even the 80s, a black president was an impossible dream. Now today it is reality. This is certainly proof of how far we have come as a nation. This is a shining example for the world to see, at a time when America's image is somewhat tarnished. I'm happy that black folks, especially the old timers who saw real racism in past decades, now have something like this to stand up and be proud of. I'm glad that we had a record turnout this election and large numbers of people becoming interested in politics. It's good for the country. The story of a poor black kid growing up to be the president of the United States is very inspiring. It IS a big deal.
So let me get this straight: they have some sort of reasonably fast internet connection out there in "bumfuck Washington", but they don't have cable TV, satellite TV, etc?
Huh? I regularly work with General Dynamics TACLANE encryption devices, which are approved for top secret traffic. The 'zeroize' procedure is simply to press the 'zeroize' button three times. Then the device is unclassified.
All good points, except for number 1. Nobody here wants to go to Mexico (except for Cancun), and nobody really wants to go to Canada either. Similarly, who cares about South America? (We are talking about the vast majority of Americans here, not necessarily every single one of them.) The place to go is Europe, but unfortunately European travel is very expensive, so that rules out most people. It's a lot cheaper and easier just to go on a Caribbean cruise or something.
That's a standard warning message that is posted on EVERY SINGLE U.S. GOVERNMENT COMPUTER SYSTEM IN THE WORLD. Hardly anything to write about.
Make it 70% and you got a deal
How is this insightful? If anything it is Flamebait. (And ironic as well.)
Sounds like the ramblings of an bitter, insecure dickwad. Harleys are power wasters and inefficient? WTF are you talking about? The most fuel guzzling Harley around still gets like 30-40+ MPG. Most (all?) of their production bikes are 50+. And this with a huge V-twin with lots of torque that makes riding an enjoyable experience. So you don't like the Harley sound. Maybe you should cry about it. Loud pipes save lives, this is a fact, and the only people whining about the sound are whiny bitches. Who gives a flying fuck what *your* car is capable of doing? Anyone who can afford a Harley can easily afford some Japanese shitbox, but they choose to ride a Harley instead because it's a hell of a lot more fun. And that's what it's about, having fun. Yes it's about form over function, dumbass, that's what everyone has been saying all along but you were too stupid to understand. It's about cruising down the road in style and comfort. It's not just about 'getting from point A to point B'. What are you, a fat geek with no life, or a tofu-eating retard from San Francisco? Now with the new V-Rods, it's not just form over function, it's form AND function. Great Harley style combined with an awesome engine. So what exactly is your beef with the V-Rod engine? ....... I'm waiting ..... oh wait, it seems you don't know a fucking thing about engine design, and so don't have any actual beef with Harley engines. You just like trotting out the whole "Harleys suck" line at any available opportunity. How about you do the world a favor and shut the fuck up? Nobody gives a shit about you, or your stupid opinion about Harleys.
I am not "Old And In The Way" and I agree with you completely. I'm 25 years old and I have been using computers since I was in 2nd grade. I am a computer expert. Every time I have tried to work with Vista, it always results in me quitting, frustrated and pissed off, because of how maddeningly stupid this UI is. Tasks that used to be dead simple under 2000/2003/XP/etc are now buried under piles of shit requiring hours of clicking and bullshitting to accomplish even the simplest tasks. I won't use Vista, or 7 either, JUST because of the garbage UI.
It always amazes me when engineers ride Harleys. That's like an award-winning musician listening to N'Sync.
You Euro and Jap fan-boys are losing your edge. The word 'Harley' was mentioned a few days ago and you are only now crawling out of the wood-work to troll it. With you guys, it's always the same tired old predictable shit--always something about Harleys being "antiquated technology", or "overpriced crap", or some other nonsense. Nevermind that Harleys are not about technology, and have never been about technology; they are about comfort and feel and style and the 'old way' of doing things which yes, still has plenty of value. By the way, Harley's V-Rod--which has been available for quite a while now, and is an awesome cruiser bike by anyone's standards--is as modern as any other bike, with its Porsche-designed 1250cc dual overhead cam water-cooled all aluminum 60* V-twin, water formed exoskeleton frame, etc. As far as quality, Harleys of today are pretty damn good, just as reliable any other bike. So what's your beef with Harleys, asshole?
They are 'renegade' engineers, and they are 'bucking' their bosses. I'm not sure what part of the factually-correct description you have a problem with.
And knowing the kinds of engineers who work at Marshall Space Flight Center, I wouldn't be surprised if some of them did ride Harleys.
If someone did that to me, I'd beat the fuck out of him on the spot. But then again, no white collar asshole would have the courage to hit me to begin with, because I am not the kind of guy to be fucked with like that. Maybe if IT guys started lifting weights, standing up for themselves, improved their confidence, etc then these types of problems would disappear.