It's not just religious people who attempt to rationalize the fact Earth may be the only place with intelligent life.
what proof is there that there IS intelligent life on Earth? Considering some of the amazingly short-sighted and silly actions taken in the world, and, the general contempt for education that is so prevalent in the USA, I would argue that it is time we removed the beam from our own eye, before we attempt to remove the mote from our brother's eye. We likely need to start acting a LOT more intelligent before any other possible intelligence in the Universe would be interested in contacting us.
pleasant dreams
dave mundt
Greetings and Salutations...
Do you have a citation for that "30+ million illegal immigrants" statement? The best I can find is that the number is closer to 11 million, and, THAT is down from the peak of 12.5 million a few years ago.
Inaccuracy and hyperbole undercuts the validity of one's argument.
As for the system "working" just fine.....That is a matter of opinion. Here is an interesting link dealing with hunger in America...
http://www.frac.org/html/hunger_in_the_us/hunger_index.html
This indicates that the actual number of "food secure" folks is closer to 89% rather than the 95% you mention. Beyond that, there is the issue of housing and health care. There are thousands of families losing their homes, and, millions of people who cannot afford health care because of the misplaced priorities of the Federal Government and, the insane push to make EVERYTHING a profit center for some one. Can we honestly say that this is a sign that the system is working just fine? I think not...
I know of a business out there that is surviving simply because they can buy their products for pennies from China, and, sell it for dollars here in the USA. It is ONLY surviving because of obscene profit margins, not because of efficiency, or excellent planning. Does the fact that it is surviving mean that it is "working just fine"....Once again...I do not think so.
Pleasant dreams.
Dave Mundt
The way I see it, speed limits are set such that the posted speed limit is generally about 10mph slower than what most sane people (say, maybe a decade past puberty) would drive if left to their own devices.
----snip-----
It is my understanding, from references I read far in the past, that the posted speed limit is the maximum safe speed for that section of road under poor conditions (rain, etc). I was taught that, taking that into consideration, one should adjust one's speed according to the conditions. If in thick fog, or torrential rains, slow down another 10/15 MPH.
Now, having said that, I can pretty much guarantee that driving the speed limit under all conditions will ensure two things. 1) the driver is VERY unlikely to get a ticket and 2) the driver will ALWAYS have a ever-widening gap between the front of their vehicle, and the cars in front of him/her.
One of the things that torques me off no end are the lousy drivers today who seem to think that 10-20 over the speed limit is appropriate no matter what the conditions. Another, by the by, are the drivers who never learned to pass on the left, and, so continually make it impossible for folks to get out of middle lanes by blasting by on the right.
I could go on, but, in closing let me say You Dang Kids! Get Off My Lawn
regards
dave mundt
Greetings and Salutations...
If all of you chicken hawks REALLY think that blasting pirates out of the water is the best option, I would suggest this:
1) Band together (facebook is a good option).
2) Pool your savings and buy a freighter (lots of them parked now, and available for cheap).
3) Join the crew, and bring your biggest guns along.
4) Cruise the Somolia coast a few times and have fun blasting the pirates.
5) PROFIT!
Now...do not be too surprised if, after the second or third time you blow a group of attacking pirates out of the water, you find yourself visited by support ships with RATHER larger guns.
Greetings and Salutations...
The Billy Cotrell case is another example of the excellent job that the U.S. Government does of ensuring that if their wards were not terrorists before going into custody, they certainly would be when released! That is probably the only really documented results of the hundreds if not thousands of folks being imprisoned at Gitmo. Hundreds and thousands of folks who now hate America and what it stands for with a passion.
Is THIS what we want America to be in the world? I think not, and, I hope that the politicians in the Federal Government get their heads pulled out of the dark places they have them impacted in, and, realize that if they do not take the lead in changing this insane behavior, America will soon be the Rome of the 21st Century.
As for the previous rants about Asperger's being nothing but an affectation and a false excuse for bad or illegal behavior...! That shows a Medieval level of knowledge and understanding of the mind's functioning that is truly disheartening to see on Slashdot. I would expect that sort of thing from Rush Limbaugh, or Glenn Beck followers, but, I would hope that the people posting here were slightly more educated and intellectual. the diagnosis of Asperger's came from years of analysis of the spectrum of autism, and, perhaps more importantly, the increasing understanding that autism IS a spectrum ranging from slight effect, to severe withdrawal and physical problems. Anyone with the slightest skill at searching Google should be able to find any of a number of sites that provide forums for those involved to discuss the problem and their efforts to deal with it, either as a person WITH it, or a relative/friend. Before you spout nonsense that will live forever, perhaps it would be a good idea to spend an hour or so and research the topic to gain some understanding of the reality behind it.
To get back to the original issue, Mr. McKinnon...perhaps it would be a good idea to read this lengthy article: http://www.pcpro.co.uk/features/252972/gary-mckinnon-britains-hacking-hero/1 examining his journey. There were three major points that jumped out at me in reading the article. First...he hardly "hacked" into anything. He ran a script to look for default or null passwords on common administrator accounts...and apparently found a LOT of them. Secondly, he talks about installing remote access software...which, if one looks at the site, is nothing more than a WINDOWS ONLY version of VNC. Finally, although there appears to be much handwaving and eyebrow-raising about these mysterious computers he hacked into, there is no actual proof mentioned that they were anything more than some workstation on a pointy-haired boss's desk, used for nothing more "secure" than keeping track of the number of pencils in inventory. While it is true enough that what he did was legally wrong, and ethically questionable, it is more akin to a starving man stealing a loaf of bread than it is the actual damage done to America by Aldrich Ames. For those of us not afflicted with an Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, there is no real way to understand what a powerful push that can be to take an action without regard to the consequences. Think of it as super-gluing your urethra closed, then, drinking a couple of six packs of beer. The more I read about this, though, the more it seems that the truth of the matter is that Mr. McKinnon has simply embarrassed the U.S. Military in public, and that because of this he is going to be a very public scapegoat.
A more apt course of action would be for the US to allow the British court system to slap his wrists, and forget about him. If security is so important to the U.S. Military, then, perhaps they should take the steps of either (a) switching over to a SLIGHTLY more secure OS than Windows (can you say Linux? I THOUGHT you co
greetings and Salutations.
I am sorry to hear that you had such a negative experience from your ONE mensa meeting. While I am not a member, in spite of being urged to join, I found them to be an interesting and eccentric group of people with a wide variety of views of reality. As with most meetings, the actual business meeting was a bit of a pain to get through. However, the usual socialization before and after had some interesting activities and discussions.
Alas, folks of any level of intelligence can be pretty reclusive and anti-social. That is how reality is. However, that same sort of reclusive attitude and difficulty with dealing with folks of differing levels of education and intelligence can also be a BIG roadblock if one wants to go into management (Which is implied by your later remark). Even if it is uncomfortable, it might be worthwhile to attempt to learn to deal with that limit.
Good luck
Dave Mundt
Greetings and Salutations....
This proliferation of anti-smoking legislation, while well-meaning, may have an unexpected side effect. Both my parents were smokers, and, there were days when I would walk into the kitchen to find an inversion layer of smoke about 3' thick hanging from the ceiling. This exposure to the stale odor of old smoke made such an impression that I do not smoke, and, consider it to be a terrible and filthy habit. If the smoking thing is sanitized, how are impressionable kids going to find this out? They may be more likely to get addicted because they will only see the "cool" aspects of it...
Life is never simple.
Regards
Dave Mundt
Greetings and Salutations....
While this is a huge discussion, I am moved to address some of the points you raise in this and your subsequent post.
...As a straight man that has a roommate and friend that's a gay man, and is good friends with two lesbians, I don't believe I'm homophobic. Yet, I don't support gay marriage. It's really nothing personal.
Ok....and, my qualifications for holding the following opinions are that I am familiar with single and multi-parent families, and, have a number of friends who work for Department of Human Services. I, also, have a number of gay friends and acquaintances, and, my general opinion is that (gay or straight) what someone else chooses to do with a consenting adult is not only not any of my business, but, in general, is NOT something I want to know about.
The primary reason I oppose gay marriage is because of the huge body of evidence which suggests that single motherhood produces unfit offspring.
First off, with this, and a couple of other remarks you make in these postings, that you believe that the only way for the species to continue is through reproduction within the confines of marriage. The good news is that the species will continue, no matter WHAT, and marriage is not now, or ever has been, necessary for that.
Now...as for the "huge body of evidence". Could you provide some citations for that? i can find a number of discussions and studies across the Net that indicate that a single parent rearing a child has a lot more challenges, but, so far, not one of them has shown that the children are "unfit". I would suggest that a more correct observation would be that "poor parenting" causes "unfit children". (and by "unfit", I mean children that grow up to be antisocial in the extreme, being caught in the net of drug abuse, hate, gangs, etc). All the citations I have been able to find consistently say that a parent who practices good parenting skills such as: maintaining communication with their children; giving them clear boundries and structure while they are growing up; instilling in them good rules for living a positive life, including respect for others, empathy, etc; are far more likely to produce well adjusted adults who fit into society and become good members of it.
Oh, yes, I know there are likely a number of single FATHERS who might take issue with your insistence on "motherhood"...
When you control for all other factors, single motherhood plays a huge role in the success of a child.
As I pointed out above, a more apt way of putting it would be "good parenting plays a huge role in the success of a child".
In my view, many of the same issues that plague children that grow up in single parent households, will also plague those that are raised by same-sex couples.
I take issue with your opinion here, because you are comparing apples and oranges. You are comparing a single parent household with a two-parent household. Two parent households tend to be "better", because the two adults can share responsibilities in rearing the children, and, can supply some of the vital support for each other in times of trouble. Also, there is an economic benefit, in that two incomes added together tend to provide more cash at hand than ONE income. It is as if, in your mind, having a same sex couple causes the two people to merge together into a chimera of some sort, and, not maintain their individuality...needless to say, this is unlikely to happen in any kind of an equal relationship.
Therefore, given that marriage is designed to encourage family life, I do not support gay marriage as I feel it would be unfair to the child, and ultimately to society as a whole as they will ultimately have to pay for the child.
True enough....There have not been any real scientists writing SF since (to name a couple) Isaac Asimov and Fred Hoyle. However, the really GOOD SF writers DO tend to be far more educated in science and technology than the average population...
I would argue, though, that there has not been any "true" SF written since the 50s and 60s. A vast majority of what passes for SF today is nothing more than a fantasy trip. While that is not bad, in and of itself, it is not the root strength of the genre. In my opinion, that strength came from two areas...1) an examination of the failures of society, cloaked in a scientific disguise, which allowed taboo topics to be examined, and, more positive alternatives posited. 2) an extrapolation of how advancing technology might change society, cheering on the positive aspects, and, warning of the dangerous pits we might fall into.
With the exception of some of the Cyberpunk writings of Gibson, et al, and POSSIBLY some of the Steampunk genre becoming popular, there are almost no examples of this sort of writing any longer.
Regards
Dave Mundt
Now, I have to say that this is one of the best rants I have seen in QUITE a while. It ranks right up there with the Mac/PC ads for humor. He COULD have done it without the "objectionable" words, and it would have been just as good, but, considering the level of frustration there, I can see why he would be unrestrained.
Even if it is a special case, it has enough touches of truth to cause laughter in agreement...we have all been there at times....
Regards
Dave Mundt
Greetings and Salutations,
Actually, in most cases, if one is listed as Self-Employed, then unemployment benefits are never granted. The reasoning there appears to be that if one works for oneself, then, one is NEVER unemployed. That does not mean one does not have work to do by, the by...
it is part of that labyrinth of regulations that makes a 55 gallon drum of cooked spaghetti look simple to trace through.
If you think this is unfair, then, you need to let your representative know how things SHOULD be, and, be sure to vote for someone else in the next election if the laws do not change. If enough people did this in America, we would see REAL change in the government. However, since there is only about a 10% to 15% chance that the incumbent will get voted out of office it appears that, for all the fussing and fuming, we all really DO like how things are being run.
Pleasant dreams.
Dave Mundt
Greetings and Salutations...
Thanks to this new fangled thing called "Advertising" it is hard to avoid getting smacked in the face with information about upcoming entertainment offerings. It is also very easy to tell from these ads that the movie being pushed is probably mindless pap that has nothing to offer but tired retreads of ancient plots, and, characters being forced into making the worst possible decisions in order to keep the weak plot moving forwards to the inevitable conclusion.
Not that I have strong opinions about them...of course.
pleasant dreams
dave mundt
Greetings and Salutations...
Well, back in the Dark Ages when I was in college, I took English, and, had a great professor by the name of DeWolf Miller. He walked into class on the first day, and, the first words out of his mouth were "you will be writing essays on many topics in this class. I do not believe that any subject can be thoroughly examined in less than 750 words". Of course, there was an amusing moment a few minutes later when one of the more clueless stuck their hand up once the topic of the week was presented and asked how many words had to be in the essay....
There is a lot to be said about asking a person to write a short essay on a subject. It shows one's ability to communicate, spell, and distill the subject down to a smallish, easily digested format. It should not be the ONLY tool used to determine the student's abilities, but, it can be a very useful one.
Regards
Dave Mundt
Greetings and Salutations...
However, as any BASE jumper will tell you, there is a LOT of prior art to show for leaping off structures with a parachute...and examples of prior art are exactly what keep this idea from being new and unique.
I do agree with the general trend of this discussion though, that software should not be patentable. Copyright, yea...Patent, no.
Regards
Dave Mundt
Neither is driving half the speed limit. The rest of the population should not have to suffer because one incompetent driver refuses to get out of the way. Sometimes tailgating is the only way to convince someone to pull over so the 30 people stuck behind them have a chance of getting where they are going on time.
Greetings and Salutations...
Sophistic argument here. There is NO valid reason for tailgating. This is ALWAYS overly-aggresive driving, and, has more to do with the ego of the person following than the supposed lacks of the person in front. There are a few situations where the couple of minutes delay caused by safe and sane driving makes a difference. For example, if you happen to be at the wheel of an ambulance, fire truck or police cruiser, and, are on the way to a life-and-death situation. But then...in THAT case you would also have a honking loud horn and lots of flashing lights to let the slower driver know that you need to get past. YOu might have a female companion in the front seat, in the midst of a difficult delivery. But then...you should have called one of the services mentioned in the FIRST example, to provide the best, safest way of dealing the the situation. You might have a dying relative in the car...again...see example 1. However, in almost every other case, the few minutes of delay that MIGHT occur because of being caught behind a slower driver you cannot pass will not have any negative impact on your life, and, will certainly be better than the far more lengthy delay and impact that being involved in a collision because your unwillingness to give adequate space has caused a bad situation to escalate.
Finally...I have been driving for many decades, and, I can count the number of times that I have seen tailgaters attempting to push a vehicle driving at "half the speed limit" on one hand and STILL have fingers left over. Those were cases where the vehicle in question was having mechanical problems, and was trying to find a safe place to get off the road. The REST OF THE TIME the situation was that the car in front was driving at the speed limit, and, the cars behind were trying to get them pushed up to five or ten MPH OVER the posted speed limit. Not only is this illegal, but, it is massively stupid.
And yes...I AM one of those guys that people like you curse at because I am driving at the speed limit.
Now...just as a suggestion. If you are continually frustrated by drivers that are in front of you and going too slow, I have some alternatives to tailgating. 1) Turn at the next intersection and take a different road. 2) Take a deep breath, and let off the gas pedal until you are a few car lengths behind the slower vehicle, then, enjoy the ride. 3) Take some anger management courses. 4) Take up Tai Chi (or Yoga), as that will help deal with the unbridled flow of negative energies that are pushing you to this foolish and dangerous state.
Regards
Dave Mundt
I'm surprised no one else brought this up. If the driver reached 380mph, why is the record not 380mph (or, as mocked above, how is the driver not very very dead)?
Greetings and Salutations....
Since no one else seems to have mentioned it....this is likely because the top speed recorded between the points that are the measured course for the record was the smaller number, and, the bike was still accelerating at the end of the measure course. It would not take much more time to reach a peak speed only 12.62 MPH faster than the record.
Regards
Dave Mundt
Greetings and salutations...
First off, please understand that I consider Bucky Fuller to be in the running for the smartest inventor of the 20th century, and, (at least SO far) the 21st, so I have a small amount of bias towards him. Do a bit of research and SEE what basic parts of today's society his inventions have become - say, like Celotex.
Now, as for the Dymaxion car... Here is an interesting link that seems to be a pretty complete history. http://www.washedashore.com/projects/dymax/chronology.html
The car was, as is pointed out, a concept car, and, was in the process of evolving through its three incarnations. Each one was further away from the "pie in the sky" design, and closer to something that could be put in the hands of the average idiot, without them killing themselves in the first thirty minutes. The car also had some PRETTY innovative designs in it, including state of the art materials, and, individual suspension on all the wheels, with a decoupling of the body from the chassis, producing a VERY smooth ride. In "the Dymaxion world of Buckminster Fuller", it is quoted that the car could drive across a plowed field, at high speed, with the passengers feeling very little vibration or jostling.
I also question your assertion that rear wheel steering is unstable or dangerous. It is, I agree, different in its response to steering commands, but, I am not entirely sure that it is SO different that it is hard to get used to. I would think that the appropriate caster angle would tend to push the steered wheel back to a straight position, just as it works with front steered vehicles.
Your recollection as correct, but incomplete, as the third model of the Dymaxion car was a ALL-WHEEL steered vehicle.
Another poster says something about the danger of roll-overs. Fuller understood physics quite well, which is why the single wheel was located in the rear. Trikes are only prone to rolling over because the force vectors are unsupported by a single FRONT wheel. By putting the two wheels up front, it brings great stability to the vehicle. As an example of this...take a wheel barrow...put a bunch of stone in it, then, try pushing it along the ground, with the single wheel out front. It is hard to keep it upright and stable, and, to make turns. Then, take the same wheelbarrow, and, PULL it along by the handles. All of a sudden that wheelbarrow becomes a model of stability and maneuverability.
Regards
Dave Mundt
And in a good example of previous art, MANY years ago, I used a chat program called "powwow" (yes, created by the Native American community), that not only allowed group interactions, but, had shared games, and the ability to surf the Net as a group (one URL click would take the entire group to that website) and many other group interactions.
Since this pedated paltalk, I suspect that the awards should go someplace BESIDES into their pocket.
here are some comments about Powwow....
Slashdot Mirror
It's not just religious people who attempt to rationalize the fact Earth may be the only place with intelligent life.
what proof is there that there IS intelligent life on Earth? Considering some of the amazingly short-sighted and silly actions taken in the world, and, the general contempt for education that is so prevalent in the USA, I would argue that it is time we removed the beam from our own eye, before we attempt to remove the mote from our brother's eye. We likely need to start acting a LOT more intelligent before any other possible intelligence in the Universe would be interested in contacting us.
pleasant dreams
dave mundt
Greetings and Salutations...
Do you have a citation for that "30+ million illegal immigrants" statement? The best I can find is that the number is closer to 11 million, and, THAT is down from the peak of 12.5 million a few years ago.
Inaccuracy and hyperbole undercuts the validity of one's argument.
As for the system "working" just fine.....That is a matter of opinion. Here is an interesting link dealing with hunger in America...
http://www.frac.org/html/hunger_in_the_us/hunger_index.html
This indicates that the actual number of "food secure" folks is closer to 89% rather than the 95% you mention. Beyond that, there is the issue of housing and health care. There are thousands of families losing their homes, and, millions of people who cannot afford health care because of the misplaced priorities of the Federal Government and, the insane push to make EVERYTHING a profit center for some one.
Can we honestly say that this is a sign that the system is working just fine? I think not...
I know of a business out there that is surviving simply because they can buy their products for pennies from China, and, sell it for dollars here in the USA. It is ONLY surviving because of obscene profit margins, not because of efficiency, or excellent planning. Does the fact that it is surviving mean that it is "working just fine"....Once again...I do not think so.
Pleasant dreams.
Dave Mundt
Greetings and Salutations...
---snip-----
The way I see it, speed limits are set such that the posted speed limit is generally about 10mph slower than what most sane people (say, maybe a decade past puberty) would drive if left to their own devices.
----snip-----
It is my understanding, from references I read far in the past, that the posted speed limit is the maximum safe speed for that section of road under poor conditions (rain, etc). I was taught that, taking that into consideration, one should adjust one's speed according to the conditions. If in thick fog, or torrential rains, slow down another 10/15 MPH.
Now, having said that, I can pretty much guarantee that driving the speed limit under all conditions will ensure two things. 1) the driver is VERY unlikely to get a ticket and 2) the driver will ALWAYS have a ever-widening gap between the front of their vehicle, and the cars in front of him/her.
One of the things that torques me off no end are the lousy drivers today who seem to think that 10-20 over the speed limit is appropriate no matter what the conditions. Another, by the by, are the drivers who never learned to pass on the left, and, so continually make it impossible for folks to get out of middle lanes by blasting by on the right.
I could go on, but, in closing let me say You Dang Kids! Get Off My Lawn
regards
dave mundt
Greetings and Salutations...
If all of you chicken hawks REALLY think that blasting pirates out of the water is the best option, I would suggest this:
1) Band together (facebook is a good option).
2) Pool your savings and buy a freighter (lots of them parked now, and available for cheap).
3) Join the crew, and bring your biggest guns along.
4) Cruise the Somolia coast a few times and have fun blasting the pirates.
5) PROFIT!
Now...do not be too surprised if, after the second or third time you blow a group of attacking pirates out of the water, you find yourself
visited by support ships with RATHER larger guns.
Pleasant Dreams
Dave Mundt
Greetings and Salutations...
I usually just say that "godlike genius" covers it well enough, and move on.
regards
dave mundt
Greetings and Salutations...
The Billy Cotrell case is another example of the excellent job that the U.S. Government does of ensuring that if their wards were not terrorists before going into custody, they certainly would be when released! That is probably the only really documented results of the hundreds if not thousands of folks being imprisoned at Gitmo. Hundreds and thousands of folks who now hate America and what it stands for with a passion.
Is THIS what we want America to be in the world? I think not, and, I hope that the politicians in the Federal Government get their heads pulled out of the dark places they have them impacted in, and, realize that if they do not take the lead in changing this insane behavior, America will soon be the Rome of the 21st Century.
As for the previous rants about Asperger's being nothing but an affectation and a false excuse for bad or illegal behavior...! That shows a Medieval level of knowledge and understanding of the mind's functioning that is truly disheartening to see on Slashdot. I would expect that sort of thing from Rush Limbaugh, or Glenn Beck followers, but, I would hope that the people posting here were slightly more educated and intellectual. the diagnosis of Asperger's came from years of analysis of the spectrum of autism, and, perhaps more importantly, the increasing understanding that autism IS a spectrum ranging from slight effect, to severe withdrawal and physical problems. Anyone with the slightest skill at searching Google should be able to find any of a number of sites that provide forums for those involved to discuss the problem and their efforts to deal with it, either as a person WITH it, or a relative/friend. Before you spout nonsense that will live forever, perhaps it would be a good idea to spend an hour or so and research the topic to gain some understanding of the reality behind it.
To get back to the original issue, Mr. McKinnon...perhaps it would be a good idea to read this lengthy article: http://www.pcpro.co.uk/features/252972/gary-mckinnon-britains-hacking-hero/1 examining his journey. There were three major points that jumped out at me in reading the article. First...he hardly "hacked" into anything. He ran a script to look for default or null passwords on common administrator accounts...and apparently found a LOT of them. Secondly, he talks about installing remote access software...which, if one looks at the site, is nothing more than a WINDOWS ONLY version of VNC. Finally, although there appears to be much handwaving and eyebrow-raising about these mysterious computers he hacked into, there is no actual proof mentioned that they were anything more than some workstation on a pointy-haired boss's desk, used for nothing more "secure" than keeping track of the number of pencils in inventory. While it is true enough that what he did was legally wrong, and ethically questionable, it is more akin to a starving man stealing a loaf of bread than it is the actual damage done to America by Aldrich Ames. For those of us not afflicted with an Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, there is no real way to understand what a powerful push that can be to take an action without regard to the consequences. Think of it as super-gluing your urethra closed, then, drinking a couple of six packs of beer. The more I read about this, though, the more it seems that the truth of the matter is that Mr. McKinnon has simply embarrassed the U.S. Military in public, and that because of this he is going to be a very public scapegoat.
A more apt course of action would be for the US to allow the British court system to slap his wrists, and forget about him. If security is so important to the U.S. Military, then, perhaps they should take the steps of either (a) switching over to a SLIGHTLY more secure OS than Windows (can you say Linux? I THOUGHT you co
It's the insurance company's job to
make as much money as possible for the shareholders and
pay out
AS LITTLE AS THEY CAN IN
claims. Period. End of story.
That is what they exist for.
If they don't pay claims then they might as well be all arrested for fraud.
They do their best to avoid paying claims even when there aren't people around willing to make excuses for them.
There. Fixed that for you. If my insurance simply paid any claim I couldn't afford it.
There Corrected the Misconception for all of you
regards
dave mundt
greetings and Salutations.
I am sorry to hear that you had such a negative experience from your ONE mensa meeting. While I am not a member, in spite of being urged to join, I found them to be an interesting and eccentric group of people with a wide variety of views of reality. As with most meetings, the actual business meeting was a bit of a pain to get through. However, the usual socialization before and after had some interesting activities and discussions.
Alas, folks of any level of intelligence can be pretty reclusive and anti-social. That is how reality is. However, that same sort of reclusive attitude and difficulty with dealing with folks of differing levels of education and intelligence can also be a BIG roadblock if one wants to go into management (Which is implied by your later remark). Even if it is uncomfortable, it might be worthwhile to attempt to learn to deal with that limit.
Good luck
Dave Mundt
Greetings and Salutations....
This proliferation of anti-smoking legislation, while well-meaning, may have an unexpected side effect. Both my parents were smokers, and, there were days when I would walk into the kitchen to find an inversion layer of smoke about 3' thick hanging from the ceiling. This exposure to the stale odor of old smoke made such an impression that I do not smoke, and, consider it to be a terrible and filthy habit. If the smoking thing is sanitized, how are impressionable kids going to find this out? They may be more likely to get addicted because they will only see the "cool" aspects of it...
Life is never simple.
Regards
Dave Mundt
Greetings and Salutations...
Hum...do YOU realize that that originally, computer programmers were ALL women?
http://www.witi.com/center/witimuseum/halloffame/1997/eniac.php
and, for quite some time this remained true.
The pendulum swings both ways, and, perhaps one day we will be back to an all female programming staff.
regards
dave mundt
Greetings and Salutations....
While this is a huge discussion, I am moved to address some of the points you raise in this and your subsequent post.
...As a straight man that has a roommate and friend that's a gay man, and is good friends with two lesbians, I don't believe I'm homophobic. Yet, I don't support gay marriage. It's really nothing personal.
Ok....and, my qualifications for holding the following opinions are that I am familiar with single and multi-parent families, and, have a number of friends who work for Department of Human Services. I, also, have a number of gay friends and acquaintances, and, my general opinion is that (gay or straight) what someone else chooses to do with a consenting adult is not only not any of my business, but, in general, is NOT something I want to know about.
The primary reason I oppose gay marriage is because of the huge body of evidence which suggests that single motherhood produces unfit offspring.
First off, with this, and a couple of other remarks you make in these postings, that you believe that the only way for the species to continue is through reproduction within the confines of marriage. The good news is that the species will continue, no matter WHAT, and marriage is not now, or ever has been, necessary for that.
Now...as for the "huge body of evidence". Could you provide some citations for that? i can find a number of discussions and studies across the Net that indicate that a single parent rearing a child has a lot more challenges, but, so far, not one of them has shown that the children are "unfit". I would suggest that a more correct observation would be that "poor parenting" causes "unfit children". (and by "unfit", I mean children that grow up to be antisocial in the extreme, being caught in the net of drug abuse, hate, gangs, etc). All the citations I have been able to find consistently say that a parent who practices good parenting skills such as: maintaining communication with their children; giving them clear boundries and structure while they are growing up; instilling in them good rules for living a positive life, including respect for others, empathy, etc; are far more likely to produce well adjusted adults who fit into society and become good members of it.
Oh, yes, I know there are likely a number of single FATHERS who might take issue with your insistence on "motherhood"...
When you control for all other factors, single motherhood plays a huge role in the success of a child.
As I pointed out above, a more apt way of putting it would be "good parenting plays a huge role in the success of a child".
In my view, many of the same issues that plague children that grow up in single parent households, will also plague those that are raised by same-sex couples.
I take issue with your opinion here, because you are comparing apples and oranges. You are comparing a single parent household with a two-parent household. Two parent households tend to be "better", because the two adults can share responsibilities in rearing the children, and, can supply some of the vital support for each other in times of trouble. Also, there is an economic benefit, in that two incomes added together tend to provide more cash at hand than ONE income. It is as if, in your mind, having a same sex couple causes the two people to merge together into a chimera of some sort, and, not maintain their individuality...needless to say, this is unlikely to happen in any kind of an equal relationship.
Therefore, given that marriage is designed to encourage family life, I do not support gay marriage as I feel it would be unfair to the child, and ultimately to society as a whole as they will ultimately have to pay for the child.
Greetings and salutations....
And finally:
0: The bad news is that you are dying from a VERY rare disease...
The GOOD news is that I'm going to get a new Mercedes out of treating it!
And this is what turning medicine into a profit making enterprise has done for Amercans.
Pleasant dreams
dave mundt
True enough....There have not been any real scientists writing SF since (to name a couple) Isaac Asimov and Fred Hoyle. However, the really GOOD SF writers DO tend to be far more educated in science and technology than the average population...
I would argue, though, that there has not been any "true" SF written since the 50s and 60s. A vast majority of what passes for SF today is nothing more than a fantasy trip. While that is not bad, in and of itself, it is not the root strength of the genre. In my opinion, that strength came from two areas...1) an examination of the failures of society, cloaked in a scientific disguise, which allowed taboo topics to be examined, and, more positive alternatives posited. 2) an extrapolation of how advancing technology might change society, cheering on the positive aspects, and, warning of the dangerous pits we might fall into.
With the exception of some of the Cyberpunk writings of Gibson, et al, and POSSIBLY some of the Steampunk genre becoming popular, there are almost no examples of this sort of writing any longer.
Regards
Dave Mundt
Did they stop making the Norton Utilities for the Macintosh? IIRC it had an Undelete program at one time.
This user claims Norton Utilities for the Mac says "You idiot, this is a Macintosh, your file is f***ing gone!"
Now, I have to say that this is one of the best rants I have seen in QUITE a while. It ranks right up there with the Mac/PC ads for humor. He COULD have done it without the "objectionable" words, and it would have been just as good, but, considering the level of frustration there, I can see why he would be unrestrained.
Even if it is a special case, it has enough touches of truth to cause laughter in agreement...we have all been there at times....
Regards
Dave Mundt
Greetings and Salutations,
Actually, in most cases, if one is listed as Self-Employed, then unemployment benefits are never granted. The reasoning there appears to be that if one works for oneself, then, one is NEVER unemployed. That does not mean one does not have work to do by, the by...
it is part of that labyrinth of regulations that makes a 55 gallon drum of cooked spaghetti look simple to trace through.
If you think this is unfair, then, you need to let your representative know how things SHOULD be, and, be sure to vote for someone else in the next election if the laws do not change. If enough people did this in America, we would see REAL change in the government. However, since there is only about a 10% to 15% chance that the incumbent will get voted out of office it appears that, for all the fussing and fuming, we all really DO like how things are being run.
Pleasant dreams.
Dave Mundt
Apparently someone else has been into the Jim Beam mouthwash.
*smile*
Greetings and Salutations...
Thanks to this new fangled thing called "Advertising" it is hard to avoid getting smacked in the face with information about upcoming entertainment offerings. It is also very easy to tell from these ads that the movie being pushed is probably mindless pap that has nothing to offer but tired retreads of ancient plots, and, characters being forced into making the worst possible decisions in order to keep the weak plot moving forwards to the inevitable conclusion.
Not that I have strong opinions about them...of course.
pleasant dreams
dave mundt
Greetings and Salutations...
Well, back in the Dark Ages when I was in college, I took English, and, had a great professor by the name of DeWolf Miller. He walked into class on the first day, and, the first words out of his mouth were "you will be writing essays on many topics in this class. I do not believe that any subject can be thoroughly examined in less than 750 words". Of course, there was an amusing moment a few minutes later when one of the more clueless stuck their hand up once the topic of the week was presented and asked how many words had to be in the essay....
There is a lot to be said about asking a person to write a short essay on a subject. It shows one's ability to communicate, spell, and distill the subject down to a smallish, easily digested format. It should not be the ONLY tool used to determine the student's abilities, but, it can be a very useful one.
Regards
Dave Mundt
Greetings and Salutations....
I tend to agree about Sony....they used to be good, but, today? too many questionable decisions.
On the other hand, the update DID increase the stability of the units. After all, what is more stabile than a brick?
regards
dave mundt
Greetings and Salutations...
However, as any BASE jumper will tell you, there is a LOT of prior art to show for leaping off structures with a parachute...and examples of prior art are exactly what keep this idea from being new and unique.
I do agree with the general trend of this discussion though, that software should not be patentable. Copyright, yea...Patent, no.
Regards
Dave Mundt
Neither is driving half the speed limit. The rest of the population should not have to suffer because one incompetent driver refuses to get out of the way. Sometimes tailgating is the only way to convince someone to pull over so the 30 people stuck behind them have a chance of getting where they are going on time.
Greetings and Salutations...
Sophistic argument here. There is NO valid reason for tailgating. This is ALWAYS overly-aggresive driving, and, has more to do with the ego of the person following than the supposed lacks of the person in front. There are a few situations where the couple of minutes delay caused by safe and sane driving makes a difference. For example, if you happen to be at the wheel of an ambulance, fire truck or police cruiser, and, are on the way to a life-and-death situation. But then...in THAT case you would also have a honking loud horn and lots of flashing lights to let the slower driver know that you need to get past. YOu might have a female companion in the front seat, in the midst of a difficult delivery. But then...you should have called one of the services mentioned in the FIRST example, to provide the best, safest way of dealing the the situation. You might have a dying relative in the car...again...see example 1. However, in almost every other case, the few minutes of delay that MIGHT occur because of being caught behind a slower driver you cannot pass will not have any negative impact on your life, and, will certainly be better than the far more lengthy delay and impact that being involved in a collision because your unwillingness to give adequate space has caused a bad situation to escalate.
Finally...I have been driving for many decades, and, I can count the number of times that I have seen tailgaters attempting to push a vehicle driving at "half the speed limit" on one hand and STILL have fingers left over. Those were cases where the vehicle in question was having mechanical problems, and was trying to find a safe place to get off the road. The REST OF THE TIME the situation was that the car in front was driving at the speed limit, and, the cars behind were trying to get them pushed up to five or ten MPH OVER the posted speed limit. Not only is this illegal, but, it is massively stupid.
And yes...I AM one of those guys that people like you curse at because I am driving at the speed limit.
Now...just as a suggestion. If you are continually frustrated by drivers that are in front of you and going too slow, I have some alternatives to tailgating. 1) Turn at the next intersection and take a different road. 2) Take a deep breath, and let off the gas pedal until you are a few car lengths behind the slower vehicle, then, enjoy the ride. 3) Take some anger management courses. 4) Take up Tai Chi (or Yoga), as that will help deal with the unbridled flow of negative energies that are pushing you to this foolish and dangerous state.
Regards
Dave Mundt
I'm surprised no one else brought this up.
If the driver reached 380mph, why is the record not 380mph (or, as mocked above, how is the driver not very very dead)?
Greetings and Salutations....
Since no one else seems to have mentioned it....this is likely because the top speed recorded between the points that are the measured
course for the record was the smaller number, and, the bike was still accelerating at the end of the measure course. It would not take
much more time to reach a peak speed only 12.62 MPH faster than the record.
Regards
Dave Mundt
Greetings and salutations...
First off, please understand that I consider Bucky Fuller to be in the running for the smartest inventor of the 20th century, and, (at least SO far) the 21st, so I have a small amount of bias towards him. Do a bit of research and SEE what basic parts of today's society his inventions have become - say, like Celotex.
Now, as for the Dymaxion car... Here is an interesting link that seems to be a pretty complete history.
http://www.washedashore.com/projects/dymax/chronology.html
The car was, as is pointed out, a concept car, and, was in the process of evolving through its three incarnations. Each one was further away from the "pie in the sky" design, and closer to something that could be put in the hands of the average idiot, without them killing themselves in the first thirty minutes. The car also had some PRETTY innovative designs in it, including state of the art materials, and, individual suspension on all the wheels, with a decoupling of the body from the chassis, producing a VERY smooth ride. In "the Dymaxion world of Buckminster Fuller", it is quoted that the car could drive across a plowed field, at high speed, with the passengers feeling very little vibration or jostling.
I also question your assertion that rear wheel steering is unstable or dangerous. It is, I agree, different in its response to steering commands, but, I am not entirely sure that it is SO different that it is hard to get used to. I would think that the appropriate caster angle would tend to push the steered wheel back to a straight position, just as it works with front steered vehicles.
Your recollection as correct, but incomplete, as the third model of the Dymaxion car was a ALL-WHEEL steered vehicle.
Another poster says something about the danger of roll-overs. Fuller understood physics quite well, which is why the single wheel was located in the rear. Trikes are only prone to rolling over because the force vectors are unsupported by a single FRONT wheel. By putting the two wheels up front, it brings great stability to the vehicle. As an example of this...take a wheel barrow...put a bunch of stone in it, then, try pushing it along the ground, with the single wheel out front. It is hard to keep it upright and stable, and, to make turns. Then, take the same wheelbarrow, and, PULL it along by the handles. All of a sudden that wheelbarrow becomes a model of stability and maneuverability.
Regards
Dave Mundt
And in a good example of previous art, MANY years ago, I used a chat program called "powwow" (yes, created by the Native American community), that not only allowed group interactions, but, had shared games, and the ability to surf the Net as a group (one URL click would take the entire group to that website) and many other group interactions.
Since this pedated paltalk, I suspect that the awards should go someplace BESIDES into their pocket.
here are some comments about Powwow....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paltalk
no schist....