Contrast this book with the Holy Koran, which has not changed one iota since it was written, and is still readable in its original language. When the Holy Koran says something, it *means* it. "As for the man who steals and the woman who steals, cut off their hands as punishment for what they have earned, an exemplary punishment from God" is a real command from the real God who really exists (yes it's a translation into English, now get all po-mo on it). Other holy books go through revisions, get translated, have pages lost, etc etc - they can hardly be called the True Word of God at all. Mock all you want, this is deadly serious business to millions of people who share the world you live in. It is one more reason why the true followers of God look down on all other competing theologies.
Stupid city of Seattle, prioritizing fire safety over property. The nerve! At least the staff knows better than fully trained fire professionals and judged that the system was unnecessary.
So, in a year or two, when Microsoft breaks their promise, I can sue them? Great! That will work fine. Let me just sue Microsoft and win. I have enough problems with local suppliers breaking contracts and getting away with it scot-free, I'm sure suing a Fortune 5 company will be a cinch.
Re:Media player classic + codec packs VLC
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VLC 1.0.0 Released
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· Score: 1
VLC "just works" when you throw video files at it. Where am I, a novice, supposed to find a "community made codec pack"? I barely know what a codec is, and moreover I don't care. And having downloaded one, which one's the best? I swear, it's like wanting to buy a shirt, and then having to spend time researching stitch counts and whether the garment was dyed after assembly or the fabric was dyed before stitching. As for subtitled movies, nobody watches them. If you're Wapanese then go to hell, otherwise use a different player for your foreign movies. Actually with most of the foreign movies I watch, the issue is how to turn the subtitles off.
Re:VLC media player and MPEG-2
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VLC 1.0.0 Released
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· Score: 2, Insightful
Thanks for that reminder. This comment only appears about fifty times a day on Slashdot.
I read through that, and he did not even once mention the Soviet Union, but only criticized the West. Typical 80s disarmament drabble, let's all lay down our weapons and then sunflowers and moonbeans will shoot out of everyone's ass. In 1985, the Soviets were falling desperately behind in technology, and the KGB (the only ones with accurate economic data) knew radical steps had to be taken. They had to "restructure" the economy to get more weapons production, and letting the population have a little bit of economic freedom seemed to be the only way to accomplish this goal. BTW the Russian word for restructuring is "Perestroika" - I think everyone knows what happened after the Soviets adopted that philosophy.
For homework, how would the agenda of the CPSU party congress in 1986 have been different if the West had followed New Zealand's lead and disarmed?
Yeah, I know - I can't wait for more nations to get nuclear weapons, because it will put the USA in its place. The Islamic Republic of Iran would never use its weapons against Israel, for instance.
Actually it works great. I'm not going to even bother responding to the rest of the dangerously naive comment, other than to say that showing kindness to a dictator only inspires contempt.
And let us know when you're a 40 year old expert RPG player with a tech support job and a rental apartment, that you really haven't lived life at all, but rather spent it in a fantasy world.
You know this is a record company executive's fantasy of what should happen to everyone who downloads MP3s. That's what this video is for: it's not for us, really. You know him and his Ivy League buddies had a hearty laugh at the screening in his office, and then he said, "Put that out there where people can download it - for free! Ha ha ha" and went back to torturing kittens or trading derivatives or whatever the fuck he does with his time.
1) The internet wasn't redundant, ARPANET was redundant. The internet hasn't been able to withstand a nuclear attack since it was put online.
Putting all your eggs in one basket is nothing new under the sun. You ever see Ma Bell's idea of a "redundant" circuit? Two wires in the same condiut. But at least Ma Bell was doing it out of thriftiness and laziness, not ignorance and superstition.
Myers was stunned by the reaction, since he obeyed the game's rules.
I weep for higher education. Here we have a man with a Ph.D. and a teaching position, and he doesn't know the first thing about culture. Is he lying when he says he was stunned?
The professor was disturbed that game rules encouraging competition and varied tactics hardly mattered to gaming community members who wanted to preserve a deeply-rooted culture.
Again, how can an educated man be so ignorant? Ah well, I suppose he's like the Ph.D.s at my mom's job - the ones who regularly send her email hoaxes, viruses, and Howard Dean campaign contribution requests.
You keep using that word...I do not think it means what you think it means.
THOUGHTCRIME: To even consider any thought not in line with the principles of Ingsoc. Doubting any of the principles of Ingsoc. All crimes begin with a thought. So, if you control thought, you can control crime. "Thoughtcrime is death. Thoughtcrime does not entail death, Thoughtcrime is death.... The essential crime that contains all others in itself."
So, as the guy took action on his thoughts, it's not thoughtcrime. And I'd be careful using themes from George Orwell, the man was a well-known rightwing nutbag. His novels 1984 and Animal Farm were barely-disguised attacks on socalism (gasp! o noes! the socialists are coming to get us and ensure that everyone can get healthcare, annie get your gun...)
What a dumbass! The pilot should have continued to Dallas so that you didn't experience any delay. Heck, it's not like there are things like unexpected headwinds or air traffic diversions.
Southwest doesn't compete with other airlines, they compete with Greyhound - it's a totally different market segment. I mean, they don't even have first class or even business class seats, it's egalitarian. They are consistently ranked at the top for safety, on-time performance, customer satisfaction, luggage handling, you name it. The egalitarian nature of their business annoys a lot of people who demand a wall between themselves and "lesser humans." Heck, that's why business and first class exist, really - it's not for the extra comfort, it's getting the hell away from fellow Americans.
"WELCOME TO ALPHA COMPLEX, PERRY-R-ENL-2. HAPPINESS IS MANDATORY. HAVE A NICE DAYCYCLE."
That voice...It is the voice of authority. I should obey it.
"Thank you, Friend Computer."
"YOUR SUPERVISOR REPORTS THAT YOUR PREVIOUS CLONE, PERRY-R-ENL-1, HAD AN INSUFFICIENT HAPPINESS QUOTIENT. PLEASE REPORT TO RESEARCH AND DESIGN FOR A MALFEASANCE CONTROL DEVICE."
Research and Design... why does the name send shivers down my spine? Is it a half-memory from my previous clone? Or just treasonous rumors?
"Yes, Friend Computer."
The transbot is over there, it can take me to R&D. Just have to remember to keep smiling. Always smile. Happiness is mandatory. Cameras are everywhere. Never stop smiling. You're happy. You're in Alpha Complex, a wonderful place to be, and you're happy. You love Friend Computer. You've never heard of any secret societies. You aren't a dirty mutant. You're happy. Keep smiling. The Computer Is Your Friend. You're happy.
"Says here that your supervisor, Gregor-O, reported insufficient levels of happiness in your prior clone. Is that right, Perry-R?"
This citizen is a YELLOW. Respond to him quickly and humbly. "Yes sir." The lab is stark, bare, metallic. The items clustered on counters and tables are complicated, intricate, dangerous-looking. They are probably above my security clearance; I shouldn't look at them. All of the things in this lab--which one is he picking up? That one?
"This device is called the Joy Adjustment and Monitoring Elevated Device. J.A.M.E.D. for short, of course. Let me just strap this on..."
I can't move, or I'll be terminated for treason. I'm RED and he's YELLOW; I have to let him strap this metal cylinder on my head. Computer knows what it does. Those two arms--
"There we go, nice and snug. And these two little arms here go in the corners of your mouth like-- so. Now, the bot brain in here will monitor you for signs of unhappiness, and correct you into a smile if it detects any. Isn't Friend Computer generous?"
It hurts-- a bit. The wider I smile, the less it hurts. Smile. You're happy. Friend Computer is generous to you. "Yes sir." Keep smiling. Maybe your friends in the society will know how to get it off---ow--but you don't want it off, you're happy that it's on your head. You're happy...
The smell of the food vats is nauseating--ouch--the smell of the food vats is happy. You like working in the food vats. You like working for Gregor-O-ENL-4. You like making the algae that sustains all of Alpha Complex's citizens. You are the backbone of the society. You are important. You are happy. Smile. Smile at Gregor-O.
"You're late to your shift, Perry-R. Are you seeking to damage the efficiency of Alpha Complex?"
His face is unpleasant. And I saw the society propaganda in his office the other day. He's probably a traitor. Ouch-- it's really beginning to hurt, now. If I grimace at the pain, it only pulls up harder. My lips are sore and raw at the corners, my head is heavy with the weight of the bot. He isn't a traitor. You were mistaken. That was just paranoia. He's a loyal, happy citizen, just like you are a loyal, happy citizen. "No sir, Friend--augh-- Gregor-O." They pull up harder. It hurts. It doesn't hurt you, you're happy...
"Then why are you so tardy, Perry-R!?" He's fuming. His face is turning pink. "Production is falling behind because YOU aren't at your station!"
The smile is fading, the machine is pulling, the flesh is ripping. Drops of blood fall to the ground. You should be smiling--but he's making me so angry, he's the treasonous one, I'm the loyal one!
"Sir, might I-- yeagh!--" The pain... It won't stop pulling!
"Citizen! Answer my questions! Or have you been a traitor all along!?"
Well, the point of this is to make the "good" people (i.e. people who are good at math, Us) different from the "bad" people (i.e. ignorant fools who can't do math, The Other.) The good people agree with me, and the bad people...I've given it some thought, and their opinion is not only wrong, but head-scratchingly incoherent. By casting The Other as incoherent, we are saved the trouble of actually thinking, and can instead reassure ourselves that we are correct and don't need to examine any of our beliefs. I mean, look at this: I've tried, and I can't think of any coherent point that could be made in order to argue that the Miley photoshopper really did violate the Tennessee law. What kind of debater can't take up either side of a position? Even if you don't agree with it, an intellectual can at least see the other side's points.
Implicit in this is the racism of the elite white people, as culture tells us that Latinos and African-Americans aren't as good at math as other groups in society. Thus, this is a socially acceptable way to express racism, as well as classism (white-on-white racism actually.)
discrimination against an arbitrary list of students - Students who paid the same tuition as every other student, yet cannot experience the same intellectual freedoms as their peers
Hey guy, try going to China and getting a look at defense materials if you aren't Chinese. Pretending security is some sort of negative aspect, purely unique to our own culture is just ridiculous. But hey, nothing like a good self-hating rant to keep society healthy.
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Contrast this book with the Holy Koran, which has not changed one iota since it was written, and is still readable in its original language. When the Holy Koran says something, it *means* it. "As for the man who steals and the woman who steals, cut off their hands as punishment for what they have earned, an exemplary punishment from God" is a real command from the real God who really exists (yes it's a translation into English, now get all po-mo on it). Other holy books go through revisions, get translated, have pages lost, etc etc - they can hardly be called the True Word of God at all. Mock all you want, this is deadly serious business to millions of people who share the world you live in. It is one more reason why the true followers of God look down on all other competing theologies.
Stupid city of Seattle, prioritizing fire safety over property. The nerve! At least the staff knows better than fully trained fire professionals and judged that the system was unnecessary.
As long as they pass a law banning the posession of these devices by anyone over 200 lbs. Ugh.
So, in a year or two, when Microsoft breaks their promise, I can sue them? Great! That will work fine. Let me just sue Microsoft and win. I have enough problems with local suppliers breaking contracts and getting away with it scot-free, I'm sure suing a Fortune 5 company will be a cinch.
VLC "just works" when you throw video files at it. Where am I, a novice, supposed to find a "community made codec pack"? I barely know what a codec is, and moreover I don't care. And having downloaded one, which one's the best? I swear, it's like wanting to buy a shirt, and then having to spend time researching stitch counts and whether the garment was dyed after assembly or the fabric was dyed before stitching. As for subtitled movies, nobody watches them. If you're Wapanese then go to hell, otherwise use a different player for your foreign movies. Actually with most of the foreign movies I watch, the issue is how to turn the subtitles off.
Thanks for that reminder. This comment only appears about fifty times a day on Slashdot.
For homework, how would the agenda of the CPSU party congress in 1986 have been different if the West had followed New Zealand's lead and disarmed?
Yeah, I know - I can't wait for more nations to get nuclear weapons, because it will put the USA in its place. The Islamic Republic of Iran would never use its weapons against Israel, for instance.
Actually it works great. I'm not going to even bother responding to the rest of the dangerously naive comment, other than to say that showing kindness to a dictator only inspires contempt.
And let us know when you're a 40 year old expert RPG player with a tech support job and a rental apartment, that you really haven't lived life at all, but rather spent it in a fantasy world.
You know this is a record company executive's fantasy of what should happen to everyone who downloads MP3s. That's what this video is for: it's not for us, really. You know him and his Ivy League buddies had a hearty laugh at the screening in his office, and then he said, "Put that out there where people can download it - for free! Ha ha ha" and went back to torturing kittens or trading derivatives or whatever the fuck he does with his time.
It wasn't me!!
Putting all your eggs in one basket is nothing new under the sun. You ever see Ma Bell's idea of a "redundant" circuit? Two wires in the same condiut. But at least Ma Bell was doing it out of thriftiness and laziness, not ignorance and superstition.
I weep for higher education. Here we have a man with a Ph.D. and a teaching position, and he doesn't know the first thing about culture. Is he lying when he says he was stunned?
The professor was disturbed that game rules encouraging competition and varied tactics hardly mattered to gaming community members who wanted to preserve a deeply-rooted culture.
Again, how can an educated man be so ignorant? Ah well, I suppose he's like the Ph.D.s at my mom's job - the ones who regularly send her email hoaxes, viruses, and Howard Dean campaign contribution requests.
And it's always so sad when bigoted people enjoy flaunting their ignorant opinions in public. It baffles me.
This thing I describe is horrible! Although I've never actually experienced it, I feel it necessary to reveal my hatred and ignorance in public.
THOUGHTCRIME: To even consider any thought not in line with the principles of Ingsoc. Doubting any of the principles of Ingsoc. All crimes begin with a thought. So, if you control thought, you can control crime. "Thoughtcrime is death. Thoughtcrime does not entail death, Thoughtcrime is death.... The essential crime that contains all others in itself."
So, as the guy took action on his thoughts, it's not thoughtcrime. And I'd be careful using themes from George Orwell, the man was a well-known rightwing nutbag. His novels 1984 and Animal Farm were barely-disguised attacks on socalism (gasp! o noes! the socialists are coming to get us and ensure that everyone can get healthcare, annie get your gun...)
Southwest doesn't compete with other airlines, they compete with Greyhound - it's a totally different market segment. I mean, they don't even have first class or even business class seats, it's egalitarian. They are consistently ranked at the top for safety, on-time performance, customer satisfaction, luggage handling, you name it. The egalitarian nature of their business annoys a lot of people who demand a wall between themselves and "lesser humans." Heck, that's why business and first class exist, really - it's not for the extra comfort, it's getting the hell away from fellow Americans.
"DECANTING CITIZEN PERRY-R-ENL-2."
"WELCOME TO ALPHA COMPLEX, PERRY-R-ENL-2. HAPPINESS IS MANDATORY. HAVE A NICE DAYCYCLE."
That voice...It is the voice of authority. I should obey it.
"Thank you, Friend Computer."
"YOUR SUPERVISOR REPORTS THAT YOUR PREVIOUS CLONE, PERRY-R-ENL-1, HAD AN INSUFFICIENT HAPPINESS QUOTIENT. PLEASE REPORT TO RESEARCH AND DESIGN FOR A MALFEASANCE CONTROL DEVICE."
Research and Design... why does the name send shivers down my spine? Is it a half-memory from my previous clone? Or just treasonous rumors?
"Yes, Friend Computer."
The transbot is over there, it can take me to R&D. Just have to remember to keep smiling. Always smile. Happiness is mandatory. Cameras are everywhere. Never stop smiling. You're happy. You're in Alpha Complex, a wonderful place to be, and you're happy. You love Friend Computer. You've never heard of any secret societies. You aren't a dirty mutant. You're happy. Keep smiling. The Computer Is Your Friend. You're happy.
"Says here that your supervisor, Gregor-O, reported insufficient levels of happiness in your prior clone. Is that right, Perry-R?"
This citizen is a YELLOW. Respond to him quickly and humbly. "Yes sir." The lab is stark, bare, metallic. The items clustered on counters and tables are complicated, intricate, dangerous-looking. They are probably above my security clearance; I shouldn't look at them. All of the things in this lab--which one is he picking up? That one?
"This device is called the Joy Adjustment and Monitoring Elevated Device. J.A.M.E.D. for short, of course. Let me just strap this on..."
I can't move, or I'll be terminated for treason. I'm RED and he's YELLOW; I have to let him strap this metal cylinder on my head. Computer knows what it does. Those two arms--
"There we go, nice and snug. And these two little arms here go in the corners of your mouth like-- so. Now, the bot brain in here will monitor you for signs of unhappiness, and correct you into a smile if it detects any. Isn't Friend Computer generous?"
It hurts-- a bit. The wider I smile, the less it hurts. Smile. You're happy. Friend Computer is generous to you. "Yes sir." Keep smiling. Maybe your friends in the society will know how to get it off---ow--but you don't want it off, you're happy that it's on your head. You're happy...
The smell of the food vats is nauseating--ouch--the smell of the food vats is happy. You like working in the food vats. You like working for Gregor-O-ENL-4. You like making the algae that sustains all of Alpha Complex's citizens. You are the backbone of the society. You are important. You are happy. Smile. Smile at Gregor-O.
"You're late to your shift, Perry-R. Are you seeking to damage the efficiency of Alpha Complex?"
His face is unpleasant. And I saw the society propaganda in his office the other day. He's probably a traitor. Ouch-- it's really beginning to hurt, now. If I grimace at the pain, it only pulls up harder. My lips are sore and raw at the corners, my head is heavy with the weight of the bot. He isn't a traitor. You were mistaken. That was just paranoia. He's a loyal, happy citizen, just like you are a loyal, happy citizen. "No sir, Friend--augh-- Gregor-O." They pull up harder. It hurts. It doesn't hurt you, you're happy...
"Then why are you so tardy, Perry-R!?" He's fuming. His face is turning pink. "Production is falling behind because YOU aren't at your station!"
The smile is fading, the machine is pulling, the flesh is ripping. Drops of blood fall to the ground. You should be smiling--but he's making me so angry, he's the treasonous one, I'm the loyal one!
"Sir, might I-- yeagh!--" The pain... It won't stop pulling!
"Citizen! Answer my questions! Or have you been a traitor all along!?"
"No!"
Implicit in this is the racism of the elite white people, as culture tells us that Latinos and African-Americans aren't as good at math as other groups in society. Thus, this is a socially acceptable way to express racism, as well as classism (white-on-white racism actually.)
Except for the fact that something like 90% of Slashdot viewers never, ever click on the comments, much less register for an account and post.
Hey guy, try going to China and getting a look at defense materials if you aren't Chinese. Pretending security is some sort of negative aspect, purely unique to our own culture is just ridiculous. But hey, nothing like a good self-hating rant to keep society healthy.
Yeah, I just got crazy there for a second. Please continue recycling!
What about on one of London's famous rainy days? How about when it's snowing? How about if you feel ill that day?
Sorry, if this is the cutting edge of lunar science, then we're all doomed. Who cares about some junky old probe?