You're naive. It will happen; mankind will venture into space and bring his military with him. If we don't, someone else will. Do you really want China or Russia having comfortable control over what is the ultimate upper ground? It would be possibly with today's technology to build a spacecraft that could sortie into orbit, drop bombs on enemy cities from LEO, then return to home base. How would you defend against that?? Would you prefer we take steps to develop those kinds of technologies, or should we hide our heads in the sand and let someone else get the drop on us?
Well if water gets so scarce in China that Intel's profit margins become too slim, then I guess they'll just have to move production back to the USA (or somewhere else) where water in abundant wont they.
And how do you suppose BP could possibly test their emergency measures without an actual catastrophe (i.e. this one) to test on? Do you think they could possibly replicate solving a 19,000 barrel/day oil leak under 5000 feet of water in the lab?
There's a whole set of blue collar jobs that require quite a bit of creativity and intelligence.
There are just as many, if not more blue collar jobs requiring high levels of creativity and intelligence.
For example, a mechanic. Most mechanics are useless precisely because modern cars are more complicated and more difficult to understand for people who are not too good at visualing how complicated electronic systems work (i.e. most people.)
How about a machinist? That's another common blue collar job full of smart people.
Satellite communications technicians. Ever repaired a multi million dollar satellite terminal, the kind with a 20 foot dish and climate controlled shelter with racks of modems, multiplexers, signal converters, routers, amplifiers, etc? No degree required, only a lot of smarts.
Are you REALLY trying to say there's no correlation between educational attainment, and smarts?
There might be a correlation, but it's nowhere near as strong as you think. There are a TON of very smart people out there with little or no college education, and there are a TON of idiots with college degrees.
The people answering the phone can speak passable English (better than someone from Atlanta, anyway).
And yet when I visit your state, the girls have no trouble listening to every word I say. Actually even the tech support girls on the phone dont at all act like they'd like for me to shut up. Are there really that many people out there who don't like my accent? Where are they hiding?
His list was bullshit, but yours is much more meaningful and accurate. BTW, interesting that a list of the "smartest" US cities doesn't include the US city with the most PhD's per capita: Huntsville, AL.
And even then people frequently get really defensive and look for ways to attack rather than listen and/or accept the facts.
It doesnt matter because for every one guy doing that, theres 10 more listening and absorbing. They might not say anything but the guy who is making the most sense is the one who will be listened to and believed.
Does anybody here ever read and listen before spouting back with some smart ass comment? The trick is to run so that you're not ripping up your cartilage, genius. That's what the "technique" thing is about. If your technique is off and your feet are landing wrong then yeah it'll trash your knees. If you often run on concrete or other hard surfaces then yeah it'll trash your knees. If you lean too far forward or backward it screws up your weight distribution and causes your feet to land too hard and you guessed it, trashes your knees and feet. Most peoples muscles are so undeveloped or unevenly developed that maintaining proper posture while running is very difficult or uncomfortable, so people just slouch into their usual habit and what do you know, it tears up their joints. So in the end, rather than accepting that it might be something YOU'RE DOING that's wrong, you just take the ego-protecting stance that it's actually running that's evil and that anyone who runs is going to end up in a wheelchair by the time they're 40. What utter nonsense.
Not that it's very likely, someone would have to specifically know what implant a person had, and would have to be specifically target them, unlike RFID passport skimming, where everyone in the area would be a target.
It basically just becomes a damn near untraceable way to assassinate someone, if in researching the victim the assassin discovers he has such an implant.
Live Science reports that researchers say that playing video games before bedtime may give gamers an unusual level of awareness and control in their dreams which could provide an edge when fighting nightmares or even mental trauma.
It's a good thing my throat was filled with only reefer smoke as I read that, instead of that big ass glass of chocolate milk, cause you'd have owed me a monitor AND a Model M.
FYI--the correct response in this scenario would be to turn around, look him dead in the eye, and tell him in a loud and firm voice "I said stop shaking your damn leg, you're shaking my whole desk." You are communicating to him loudly and clearly that what he is doing is affecting you in a negative way and you don't like it, and it puts him on the spot. If you project yourself with authority you will be amazed at how quickly people realize they are in the wrong and apologize for it. Even if he's just some asshole who gets pissed, and you are smaller and weaker than him and he's pretty sure he could kick your ass, that is the socially unacceptable thing for him to do. He is socially barred from physical confrontation the same way you are, so he is not going to jump to instigate a fight, and even if he does you are totally in the clear. So if your body language is right he will back down immediately. If it's a little off and he's a dick he might challenge you verbally i.e. "oh yeah? what are you gonna do?" your response: "do it again and find out" or similar. The most important thing is is if he does it again, you better be prepared to escalate it. i.e. next time jump up on your feet and in his personal area with "i said quit shaking your damn leg, mother fucker." Press the issue. At some point if the kid has any social sense at all he will be forced to back down. At this point he is just proving himself to be more and more of a dick to those surrounding. If he foolishly escalates it to a physical confrontation then you can feel safe in kicking his ass (or defending yourself as best you can), because the exchange will have been witnessed by all (who will sympathize with you), and anyone who behaves in such a manner as that dickwad won't have anyone come to his defense.
See, social interaction is a game. Some people hate it because they're not good at it. But those same people could learn its rules, jump in with both feet, and conquer all if they only worked at it. When you know the rules and work within the game's parameters, you will be utterly shocked at how much easier and less stressful life becomes.
I'll see your anecdotal evidence and raise you me. I've been sprinting and running long distance often, from kindergarten through my late 20s (now), without the faintest hint of any kind of knee or joint problems or any injury.
Knee problems like your wife's are completely preventable.
Shin splints pretty much eliminate me from those pesky running sports.:) Not to say I'm lazy, I just can't run for more than about a mile before I'm laying on the ground in severe pain.
Shin splints are caused by poor technique, often compounded by insufficiently developed leg muscles. In other words, it is a completely fixable problem, and now that your ignorance has been dispelled, the only thing stopping you from learning to run (before it's too late) is you!
My cousins played basketball and several other sports and now they hobble around barely able to walk properly while not even middle aged yet.
Sure, SOME people develop serious medical problems after long and prolonged sports and athletic careers, due to bad genes, improper form or technique, improper exercise routine, insufficient warmups, etc. To say that competing in a marathon or two is "likely" to damage someone permanently is just plain wrong. It's only "likely" if you doing something completely wrong.
Life isn't fair. As one gains age, one slowly comes to realize (or should, if one is not blindly naive) that in the end, there's nobody who is truly looking out for one's best interests other than oneself, and the only person we can count on when others fail us is ourselves. It's not a negative viewpoint at all, but a firm and practical realization which is a required step along the path toward shedding any naive ideas we may possess about "fairness." The social order is not based on fairness, it's based on fitness. If you show yourself to be strong and worthy you will be respected by all--including those who would do you harm. If you show yourself to be a pitiful coward nobody will respect you.
The thing that most people dont realize is that once you have established your place in the pecking order, you carry that with you. Even if you go around a completely different group of people none of which know you, you will automatically gravitate towards your "place" in the order. Why is that?
Who do you think a bunch of muggers are going to target first, the physically fit, alert, confident alpha male, or the hunched over fat ass geek? Or if that offends you, how about this: the big and muscled but shifty eyed and fearful looking guy, or the thin and in-shape but not buff, geeky guy who walks tall and upright with confidence? It's ALL in how you walk and behave--your body language. Your body language is a direct reflection of your internal state of mind, your thoughts and feelings. It tells all observers at a glance (whether you realize it or not) a great deal about what you think about yourself and your situation. If you feel yourself to be in danger, or threatened, or weak, or anything, it will show loud and clear for those who are looking. And what better way to judge someone than by observing the way he judges himself? Confidence gives a mugger pause, fear gives him the green light.
And how do you think we develop this positive body language that shows us to be upstanding, confident, happy members of society and not downtrodden souls with no friends and no future? Well, that's the trick. You'll have to figure that one out for yourself, but I'm here to tell you it can be done. One way you can start is by doing things that scare you. Situations that we don't know how to handle are scary and not likely to end well for us, which is why we get an entire childhood to practice before we become adults and possibly need this important experience.
Isn't it important to know how to defend oneself in the event of a life or death physical conflict? (And yes, any physical conflict can become a life or death situation--which is why it's so important to learn how to deal with it.) It's scary to confront a bully--but a person of character (or who wants to develop character) does not let his fear stop him from defending himself (and others if possible, but at least oneself.)
Sure, in growing up some of us had terrible home situations and were depressed, etc. (I was for most of my childhood.) But when someone walks up to you and punches you right in the face, a fight has just begun whether you wanted it or not. If this is elementary school, you have two clear-cut options: kick his/her ass (or attempt to), suffer physical injury and be respected by all no matter the outcome, or puss out like a bitch, suffer physical injury, and be humiliated and laughed at by all. And you'll carry around the memory of your disgrace for a long, long time, making things even worse for yourself.
The choice you make doesn't come down to what your home life situation is. This comes down to your base character. Are you at heart a coward or a lion? Only you can decide.
No, but WITH the gun control laws it seems even minors have no trouble obtaining weapons. Problem NOT solved, and in exchange for eradication of one of our most basic freedoms.
I think the real question is actually how much productivity was GAINED from employees taking a few minutes to zone out on some pac-man while the subconscious continues working on problems?
However, what I'm trying to argue against is the childish idea that having power is awesome fun, and it allows you to simply do what you want without drawbacks......which nobody but kids and a few scattered, isolated grown-up fools actually believe, and so is therefore irrelevant to anything in this discussion.
Your argument is basically a giant strawman fallacy designed to project negative associations onto those who seek power, to thus serve as a positive explanation for your own inability to put yourself "out in front of the pack" and take charge of anything. "It's not because I'm a coward who is unsure of my ability to function under pressure and make good decisions; it's because I'm not a sociopath."
Your statements make it obvious that you feel insecure about your status as a beta (or gamma) male. Just as those who are truly suicidal tend to kill themselves without warning, as opposed to making dramatic suicide attempts to gain attention: those who truly don't care about attaining power and whose only wish is to remain in the shadows with no responsibility would simply do so; they would not feel the need to drag down power-seekers on slashdot labelling them as "sociopaths" or idiots.
I would put it this way: a sensible person doesn't really want that much power, because (to steal from Stan Lee) with great power comes great responsibility. Having lots of responsibility is extremely unpleasant; it's impossible to be sure that you're doing everything you can, and people will inevitably get hurt. There are reasons to take on responsibility, such as financial reward, satisfying some compulsion to achieve something, or satisfying a perceived obligation. However, it's still unpleasant, and a sensible person won't seek to continue to hold responsibility for longer than is needed. Therefore, that sensible person also won't seek extreme amounts of power.
This has got to be some of the dumbest, most ignorant shit I've ever read.
"Sensible people don't want power"? No, only the meek and cowards don't want any power. Every human with any measure of courage wants SOME kind of power, and every man gravitates towards positions of power as suit his strengths and ambition. You're saying that those who strive for great things and positions of great responsibility and power are not normal. You're right--they're above normal, and indeed they're made of better stuff than you. If it weren't for people like them, men who would ride up and take charge and lead people to achieve goals, people like you would still be huddled in caves in Africa.
Slashdot Mirror
Don't take that bullshit to space, kthx.
You're naive. It will happen; mankind will venture into space and bring his military with him. If we don't, someone else will. Do you really want China or Russia having comfortable control over what is the ultimate upper ground? It would be possibly with today's technology to build a spacecraft that could sortie into orbit, drop bombs on enemy cities from LEO, then return to home base. How would you defend against that?? Would you prefer we take steps to develop those kinds of technologies, or should we hide our heads in the sand and let someone else get the drop on us?
Well if water gets so scarce in China that Intel's profit margins become too slim, then I guess they'll just have to move production back to the USA (or somewhere else) where water in abundant wont they.
And how do you suppose BP could possibly test their emergency measures without an actual catastrophe (i.e. this one) to test on? Do you think they could possibly replicate solving a 19,000 barrel/day oil leak under 5000 feet of water in the lab?
There's a whole set of blue collar jobs that require quite a bit of creativity and intelligence.
There are just as many, if not more blue collar jobs requiring high levels of creativity and intelligence.
For example, a mechanic. Most mechanics are useless precisely because modern cars are more complicated and more difficult to understand for people who are not too good at visualing how complicated electronic systems work (i.e. most people.)
How about a machinist? That's another common blue collar job full of smart people.
Satellite communications technicians. Ever repaired a multi million dollar satellite terminal, the kind with a 20 foot dish and climate controlled shelter with racks of modems, multiplexers, signal converters, routers, amplifiers, etc? No degree required, only a lot of smarts.
Are you REALLY trying to say there's no correlation between educational attainment, and smarts?
There might be a correlation, but it's nowhere near as strong as you think. There are a TON of very smart people out there with little or no college education, and there are a TON of idiots with college degrees.
The people answering the phone can speak passable English (better than someone from Atlanta, anyway).
And yet when I visit your state, the girls have no trouble listening to every word I say. Actually even the tech support girls on the phone dont at all act like they'd like for me to shut up. Are there really that many people out there who don't like my accent? Where are they hiding?
(basements perhaps? :D)
His list was bullshit, but yours is much more meaningful and accurate. BTW, interesting that a list of the "smartest" US cities doesn't include the US city with the most PhD's per capita: Huntsville, AL.
And even then people frequently get really defensive and look for ways to attack rather than listen and/or accept the facts.
It doesnt matter because for every one guy doing that, theres 10 more listening and absorbing. They might not say anything but the guy who is making the most sense is the one who will be listened to and believed.
How long until the market achieves self-awareness? ..And what happens then?
RTFA
Does anybody here ever read and listen before spouting back with some smart ass comment? The trick is to run so that you're not ripping up your cartilage, genius. That's what the "technique" thing is about. If your technique is off and your feet are landing wrong then yeah it'll trash your knees. If you often run on concrete or other hard surfaces then yeah it'll trash your knees. If you lean too far forward or backward it screws up your weight distribution and causes your feet to land too hard and you guessed it, trashes your knees and feet. Most peoples muscles are so undeveloped or unevenly developed that maintaining proper posture while running is very difficult or uncomfortable, so people just slouch into their usual habit and what do you know, it tears up their joints. So in the end, rather than accepting that it might be something YOU'RE DOING that's wrong, you just take the ego-protecting stance that it's actually running that's evil and that anyone who runs is going to end up in a wheelchair by the time they're 40. What utter nonsense.
Windows had fanboys?
yep.
Not that it's very likely, someone would have to specifically know what implant a person had, and would have to be specifically target them, unlike RFID passport skimming, where everyone in the area would be a target.
It basically just becomes a damn near untraceable way to assassinate someone, if in researching the victim the assassin discovers he has such an implant.
Live Science reports that researchers say that playing video games before bedtime may give gamers an unusual level of awareness and control in their dreams which could provide an edge when fighting nightmares or even mental trauma.
It's a good thing my throat was filled with only reefer smoke as I read that, instead of that big ass glass of chocolate milk, cause you'd have owed me a monitor AND a Model M.
FYI--the correct response in this scenario would be to turn around, look him dead in the eye, and tell him in a loud and firm voice "I said stop shaking your damn leg, you're shaking my whole desk." You are communicating to him loudly and clearly that what he is doing is affecting you in a negative way and you don't like it, and it puts him on the spot. If you project yourself with authority you will be amazed at how quickly people realize they are in the wrong and apologize for it. Even if he's just some asshole who gets pissed, and you are smaller and weaker than him and he's pretty sure he could kick your ass, that is the socially unacceptable thing for him to do. He is socially barred from physical confrontation the same way you are, so he is not going to jump to instigate a fight, and even if he does you are totally in the clear. So if your body language is right he will back down immediately. If it's a little off and he's a dick he might challenge you verbally i.e. "oh yeah? what are you gonna do?" your response: "do it again and find out" or similar. The most important thing is is if he does it again, you better be prepared to escalate it. i.e. next time jump up on your feet and in his personal area with "i said quit shaking your damn leg, mother fucker." Press the issue. At some point if the kid has any social sense at all he will be forced to back down. At this point he is just proving himself to be more and more of a dick to those surrounding. If he foolishly escalates it to a physical confrontation then you can feel safe in kicking his ass (or defending yourself as best you can), because the exchange will have been witnessed by all (who will sympathize with you), and anyone who behaves in such a manner as that dickwad won't have anyone come to his defense.
See, social interaction is a game. Some people hate it because they're not good at it. But those same people could learn its rules, jump in with both feet, and conquer all if they only worked at it. When you know the rules and work within the game's parameters, you will be utterly shocked at how much easier and less stressful life becomes.
I, on the other hand, develop knee aches after a few months of running 3-4 times a week. Different bodies have different problems.
Due to improper technique or uneven muscle development, usually, both of which are correctable.
I'll see your anecdotal evidence and raise you me. I've been sprinting and running long distance often, from kindergarten through my late 20s (now), without the faintest hint of any kind of knee or joint problems or any injury.
Knee problems like your wife's are completely preventable.
Shin splints pretty much eliminate me from those pesky running sports. :) Not to say I'm lazy, I just can't run for more than about a mile before I'm laying on the ground in severe pain.
Shin splints are caused by poor technique, often compounded by insufficiently developed leg muscles. In other words, it is a completely fixable problem, and now that your ignorance has been dispelled, the only thing stopping you from learning to run (before it's too late) is you!
My cousins played basketball and several other sports and now they hobble around barely able to walk properly while not even middle aged yet.
Sure, SOME people develop serious medical problems after long and prolonged sports and athletic careers, due to bad genes, improper form or technique, improper exercise routine, insufficient warmups, etc. To say that competing in a marathon or two is "likely" to damage someone permanently is just plain wrong. It's only "likely" if you doing something completely wrong.
That's hardly fair.
Life isn't fair. As one gains age, one slowly comes to realize (or should, if one is not blindly naive) that in the end, there's nobody who is truly looking out for one's best interests other than oneself, and the only person we can count on when others fail us is ourselves. It's not a negative viewpoint at all, but a firm and practical realization which is a required step along the path toward shedding any naive ideas we may possess about "fairness." The social order is not based on fairness, it's based on fitness. If you show yourself to be strong and worthy you will be respected by all--including those who would do you harm. If you show yourself to be a pitiful coward nobody will respect you.
The thing that most people dont realize is that once you have established your place in the pecking order, you carry that with you. Even if you go around a completely different group of people none of which know you, you will automatically gravitate towards your "place" in the order. Why is that?
Who do you think a bunch of muggers are going to target first, the physically fit, alert, confident alpha male, or the hunched over fat ass geek? Or if that offends you, how about this: the big and muscled but shifty eyed and fearful looking guy, or the thin and in-shape but not buff, geeky guy who walks tall and upright with confidence? It's ALL in how you walk and behave--your body language. Your body language is a direct reflection of your internal state of mind, your thoughts and feelings. It tells all observers at a glance (whether you realize it or not) a great deal about what you think about yourself and your situation. If you feel yourself to be in danger, or threatened, or weak, or anything, it will show loud and clear for those who are looking. And what better way to judge someone than by observing the way he judges himself? Confidence gives a mugger pause, fear gives him the green light.
And how do you think we develop this positive body language that shows us to be upstanding, confident, happy members of society and not downtrodden souls with no friends and no future? Well, that's the trick. You'll have to figure that one out for yourself, but I'm here to tell you it can be done. One way you can start is by doing things that scare you. Situations that we don't know how to handle are scary and not likely to end well for us, which is why we get an entire childhood to practice before we become adults and possibly need this important experience.
Isn't it important to know how to defend oneself in the event of a life or death physical conflict? (And yes, any physical conflict can become a life or death situation--which is why it's so important to learn how to deal with it.) It's scary to confront a bully--but a person of character (or who wants to develop character) does not let his fear stop him from defending himself (and others if possible, but at least oneself.)
Sure, in growing up some of us had terrible home situations and were depressed, etc. (I was for most of my childhood.) But when someone walks up to you and punches you right in the face, a fight has just begun whether you wanted it or not. If this is elementary school, you have two clear-cut options: kick his/her ass (or attempt to), suffer physical injury and be respected by all no matter the outcome, or puss out like a bitch, suffer physical injury, and be humiliated and laughed at by all. And you'll carry around the memory of your disgrace for a long, long time, making things even worse for yourself.
The choice you make doesn't come down to what your home life situation is. This comes down to your base character. Are you at heart a coward or a lion? Only you can decide.
No, but WITH the gun control laws it seems even minors have no trouble obtaining weapons. Problem NOT solved, and in exchange for eradication of one of our most basic freedoms.
I think the real question is actually how much productivity was GAINED from employees taking a few minutes to zone out on some pac-man while the subconscious continues working on problems?
Additionally, we could easily use ultra-capacitors to power electric cars that would take us in a range of 500 + miles and have fast recharging
lol
However, what I'm trying to argue against is the childish idea that having power is awesome fun, and it allows you to simply do what you want without drawbacks. .....which nobody but kids and a few scattered, isolated grown-up fools actually believe, and so is therefore irrelevant to anything in this discussion.
Your argument is basically a giant strawman fallacy designed to project negative associations onto those who seek power, to thus serve as a positive explanation for your own inability to put yourself "out in front of the pack" and take charge of anything. "It's not because I'm a coward who is unsure of my ability to function under pressure and make good decisions; it's because I'm not a sociopath."
Your statements make it obvious that you feel insecure about your status as a beta (or gamma) male. Just as those who are truly suicidal tend to kill themselves without warning, as opposed to making dramatic suicide attempts to gain attention: those who truly don't care about attaining power and whose only wish is to remain in the shadows with no responsibility would simply do so; they would not feel the need to drag down power-seekers on slashdot labelling them as "sociopaths" or idiots.
I would put it this way: a sensible person doesn't really want that much power, because (to steal from Stan Lee) with great power comes great responsibility. Having lots of responsibility is extremely unpleasant; it's impossible to be sure that you're doing everything you can, and people will inevitably get hurt. There are reasons to take on responsibility, such as financial reward, satisfying some compulsion to achieve something, or satisfying a perceived obligation. However, it's still unpleasant, and a sensible person won't seek to continue to hold responsibility for longer than is needed. Therefore, that sensible person also won't seek extreme amounts of power.
This has got to be some of the dumbest, most ignorant shit I've ever read.
"Sensible people don't want power"? No, only the meek and cowards don't want any power. Every human with any measure of courage wants SOME kind of power, and every man gravitates towards positions of power as suit his strengths and ambition. You're saying that those who strive for great things and positions of great responsibility and power are not normal. You're right--they're above normal, and indeed they're made of better stuff than you. If it weren't for people like them, men who would ride up and take charge and lead people to achieve goals, people like you would still be huddled in caves in Africa.
Yes, we're all aware of that. The first SSTO spacecraft won't be a rocket.