my web browsing relies heavily on Google to find sites that I will look at.
Even more important than Google's practical value is that UNIX/Linux/BSD+X Window System+Mozilla+Google is a 100% Microsoft-free web browsing and searching software stack that works very very well. If it comes down to Google will be bought, then someone needs to get into a bidding war with Microsoft...
You know, since Google apparently isn't a public company yet (considering IPO), they still can tell anyone to piss off. However, once they have a place on a stock market, what's to prevent Microsoft from buying every share, no matter the price? (Price goes up, Microsoft pulls another billion from the money mine)
One of my co-workers stepped outside right as it hit. His head swelled up and exploded right before us. The rest of his body melted into a pile of bubbling ooze before turning into pure ash and getting blown away by the wind. He was about to get laid off, anyway, so it's not like it really mattered.
A person makes their own way in life, making the best of whatever education they have. One person I knew became a millionaire having barely a high-school education yet was smart enough to work his way into owning several store franshises. Another person I knew inherited it from his parents, never needed to work a day in his life, and got a degree in History for the hell of it. Many people try to impose theories of linear relationships between education and various forms of success, but those relationships are merely statistical entities. The reality is that real success is derived from will and the freedom to unleash that will using the tools at hand, one of which might be education.
I'd rather fight tooth and nail and become dirt poor then sit back and become American.
This makes no sense at all. At least Americans have a way out, in spite of what the "woe is me" trolls say about the USA. As long as the politicians don't continue to fuck it up, the USA will remain the "land of opportunity" for a long long time.
my government, arguably the world's greatest proponent of free trade
It is? If the US was really behind free trade, the only artifical advantages given to domestic suppliers would be military purchase orders that require a US-based supplier, for basic defense infrastructure reasons.
people have more personal freedom in Viet Nam than they seem to have in California these days
Well, when they vote for Democrats, what should they expect? A magic goose that flys to each house on Christmas Eve leaving all the good boys and girls a golden egg that hatches into sustainable prosperity?
embargo
Sounds like you want to declare war...I'll stick with free trade.
It's probably that sodding awful Guinness.
Even the Guinness imported into the USA is pretty tasty. After having gone a long time without one, the taste of the roasted malt heady hoppy goodness filling one's head is quite refreshing and stimulating. Of course, one has to have developed a liking for beer, first.
This is a pretty recent development, as it takes time for people to shake loose of their parent's ideological influence (my parents are pretty hard-core Republicans, my dad by principle and my mom by shepherding, but without the Bush "my god is biggest" psychosis).
I feel we will never come to agreement.
That's fine. In part, my extremism is mostly to spur discussion, because it seems too many people take politician's words for granted or simply vote on way because their spouse/friend/parent voted that way. Watching some of the interviews from the California race was painful...people spoke as if choosing a canidate was like choosing a flavor of ice cream; it's quite disturbing.
Actually, they're another instance of the "stupid tax" (along with 20%+ APR loans, list prices on cars, telemarketed charities, etc.), where people are given genuine financial incentives to be responsible and knowledgable.
as a public company, needing to continue an unsustainable double-digit growth rate.
There is evidence that Microsoft is beginning to reap the consequences of this myth. They are trying new markets and faltering, and it is inevitable that they will need to find alternative systems for making their stock attractive (e.g., become like the auto companies).
I think that forcing computer vendors to ship only open source products is not the way to go.
As a large customer, the government can buy whatever it wants. If it wants computers with OSS, then I bet it takes less than five minutes for a whole line of vendors to form eager to sell them a shitload of computers with OSS on them. The government is effectively the only customer who can implement nationalistic policies in a free market system using a purchase order. Given that Vietnam is a communist country, that just means the government's purchasing power is amplified accordingly.
UL probably has one of the most successful branding campaigns in history all in the name of product safety. Seeing a UL symbol on an appliance at least means someone took a look at the basic design provide one check against a corporation cutting corners in the name of profit. In fact, a UL certification has become a marketable feature driving profit rather than stealing it. Organizations like UL are very relevant to these issues.
We're talking about deceptive advertising.
False advertising is already illegal. Advertising that conceals some facts without lying outright is expected, and customers who fall for these schemes had it coming and won't forget that experience.
...practices which are currently occuring everyday.
Cite the apparently many practices you are referring to. The biggest deceptive practice I can think of right now is those pre-approved loan offers I get in the mail (19% interest, LOL). The reason these schemes work is evidence that our public schools have failed not that the marketplace has failed. It always comes down to the parables of there being no free lunch, a sucker is born every minute, etc.
I actually find the campaign promises of the current batch of presidential canidates much much more deceptive than any mail offer. Save the jobs, war on terror, right every wrong, blah, blah, blah. Doing any of those things in four years is like trying to push an elephant around with a broomstick and just results in a confused and angry elephant.
examples of government programs and agencies working and working well.
Which ones? The only good service I've recieved from government organizations was when I dealt with the tax collectors (property tax, mainly).
Our, poor, terribly innefficient government programs are responsible for creating the world's best military.
Like other people have said, $5,000,000,000 gets contractors riled up like nothing else. You should see the $2,000,000 contracts (a typcial pork-barrel domain), where the inefficiency is often sinful in proportion.
The Interstate Highway system makes cross country travel effecient and quick
Interstates were originally a defense system. They work extremely well for long-distance point-to-point travel. However, you fail to mention that the 16-lane highways around our cities still grind to a halt during rush hour. Cities are not scaling well, and the money that keeps getting thrown into the highways system is a dead end measure. How many acres are consumed by those 16-lane highways that could be put towards real estate or parks?
But I can tell you that the service of the DMV and even the IRS looks positively stellar compared to any number of private entitities -- several health insurance companies, Sprint, Microsoft Customer support, and the hosting company I called last week (no, not some dinky provider either -- I'm talking freakin' Interland here).
Companies who have a sound business model tend to have very good customer support. I have good support experiences more often than not, usually the bad experiences come from companies hanging on by a string (my ISP, for example). Health insurance companies have to meet such a mind-swimmingly large set of regulations that they can't provide good support (just wading through medical bills and getting questions answered is nearly impossible). Phone companies are regulated monopolies and don't have an incentive for good support, although I think they've picked up speed now that cable companies and ISPs are beginning to compete in the telephone markets. Microsoft simply has no incentive for good support at all (monopoly, monopoly, monopoly) and they will only improve as Linux, Sun JDS, etc. start eating at their bottom line.
Our beloved commercial driven-to-efficiency-by-the-market companies have produced an absolute steaming heap of bovine excrement when it comes to an e-voting product.
No, they have produced shit through a politically-corrupt deal. Don't confuse business and politics, here.
Agreed. $500 would get a smile and a thank you, but $1000 would incite a little irrational giddyness. $1500 might be pushing it, though, unless of course, they are already getting $75,000 a year and $1500 is like debating the sun roof option on a BMW.
Granted, it might be in my selfish interest to contribute it to a charity, but at this point in my life and my level of income -- I'm pretty sure I wouldn't spend on Charity.
It doesn't matter. The global economy is the largest charity there is, so you win, either way.
They think that in a world without government, community groups would band together to fix potholes, rather than just letting streets fall into disrepair.
One, it isn't a world without government, rather a world with only enough government to maintain freedom for its citizens. This requires mitigating violent crime, for example.
As far as roads go, I see the local and state governments letting the streets fall into disrepair every day. On one road, we've been waiting for six months for stripes! All because the government created some perverse spending plan that encourages contractors to drag their feet like never before.
They think that if people were paying $200 a month less in taxes, that they'd give that same $200 a month to charities, rather than doing something more selfish with that $200.
Spending that $200 on anything but government is the most charitable thing a person can do.
I doubt the average libertarian has even *though* about anyeone other than himself since 1980.
At least they will be honest about it. Recognizing human nature for what it is is something the Republicans and Democrats have been struggling with for some time, now.
The LP today is nothing but a club for whiny rich tax-dodgers and Ayn Rand fanboys.
Rather it is people who understand where our generally very high quality of life comes from and they don't want to see it taken away.
we have a Conservative government that has increased the size, cost and level of beaurocracy more in three years than any administration since Washington's.
Our current administration isn't conservative, they only say that they are.
They also generally ignore the fact that all players in a regulated industry see higher profits after regulation than before it.
I would bet the increased profits are only due to instances where regulation created standardization on some level. Standardization eventually falls out of the free market, anyway, and it doesn't require the government to enact it. For example, look at the dozens and perhaps hundred and thousands of independent non-government safety organizations for everything from fire extinguishers to a table lamp. The same motivator, death and injury, is the only thing that creates industry standards and legislation regarding safety. At least an industry standard doen't carry the inertia of Congress and a federal bureaucracy with it.
Slashdot Mirror
my web browsing relies heavily on Google to find sites that I will look at.
Even more important than Google's practical value is that UNIX/Linux/BSD+X Window System+Mozilla+Google is a 100% Microsoft-free web browsing and searching software stack that works very very well. If it comes down to Google will be bought, then someone needs to get into a bidding war with Microsoft...
You know, since Google apparently isn't a public company yet (considering IPO), they still can tell anyone to piss off. However, once they have a place on a stock market, what's to prevent Microsoft from buying every share, no matter the price? (Price goes up, Microsoft pulls another billion from the money mine)
I've never felt like recognizing pop as a society.
You're not too far off...just add some yogurt, and you get pop culture.
One of my co-workers stepped outside right as it hit. His head swelled up and exploded right before us. The rest of his body melted into a pile of bubbling ooze before turning into pure ash and getting blown away by the wind. He was about to get laid off, anyway, so it's not like it really mattered.
So, yes, I guess there is an effect on humans.
If you enjoy it, it is a game.
If you are addicted to it, it is a society.
Makes you wonder how important education is.
A person makes their own way in life, making the best of whatever education they have. One person I knew became a millionaire having barely a high-school education yet was smart enough to work his way into owning several store franshises. Another person I knew inherited it from his parents, never needed to work a day in his life, and got a degree in History for the hell of it. Many people try to impose theories of linear relationships between education and various forms of success, but those relationships are merely statistical entities. The reality is that real success is derived from will and the freedom to unleash that will using the tools at hand, one of which might be education.
I'd rather fight tooth and nail and become dirt poor then sit back and become American.
This makes no sense at all. At least Americans have a way out, in spite of what the "woe is me" trolls say about the USA. As long as the politicians don't continue to fuck it up, the USA will remain the "land of opportunity" for a long long time.
But not the highest standard of education.
True, in the context of public schools.
my government, arguably the world's greatest proponent of free trade
It is? If the US was really behind free trade, the only artifical advantages given to domestic suppliers would be military purchase orders that require a US-based supplier, for basic defense infrastructure reasons.
people have more personal freedom in Viet Nam than they seem to have in California these days
Well, when they vote for Democrats, what should they expect? A magic goose that flys to each house on Christmas Eve leaving all the good boys and girls a golden egg that hatches into sustainable prosperity?
embargo
Sounds like you want to declare war...I'll stick with free trade.
It's probably that sodding awful Guinness.
Even the Guinness imported into the USA is pretty tasty. After having gone a long time without one, the taste of the roasted malt heady hoppy goodness filling one's head is quite refreshing and stimulating. Of course, one has to have developed a liking for beer, first.
You are clearly a hardcore libertarian
This is a pretty recent development, as it takes time for people to shake loose of their parent's ideological influence (my parents are pretty hard-core Republicans, my dad by principle and my mom by shepherding, but without the Bush "my god is biggest" psychosis).
I feel we will never come to agreement.
That's fine. In part, my extremism is mostly to spur discussion, because it seems too many people take politician's words for granted or simply vote on way because their spouse/friend/parent voted that way. Watching some of the interviews from the California race was painful...people spoke as if choosing a canidate was like choosing a flavor of ice cream; it's quite disturbing.
He's already got the 'sucky sucky' part down pretty well.
And the Vietnamese still refused. Man, Ballmer must be nasty.
Why do you need a cat locator?
I gotta eat, you know. And when I'm hungry, I wannt eat NOW.
I'd attach those chips to my wife and kids.
Ask and ye shall recieve...two fold (your wife is asking for an electric clamp for your balls!)
"extended viewing fees"
Actually, they're another instance of the "stupid tax" (along with 20%+ APR loans, list prices on cars, telemarketed charities, etc.), where people are given genuine financial incentives to be responsible and knowledgable.
as a public company, needing to continue an unsustainable double-digit growth rate.
There is evidence that Microsoft is beginning to reap the consequences of this myth. They are trying new markets and faltering, and it is inevitable that they will need to find alternative systems for making their stock attractive (e.g., become like the auto companies).
I think that forcing computer vendors to ship only open source products is not the way to go.
As a large customer, the government can buy whatever it wants. If it wants computers with OSS, then I bet it takes less than five minutes for a whole line of vendors to form eager to sell them a shitload of computers with OSS on them. The government is effectively the only customer who can implement nationalistic policies in a free market system using a purchase order. Given that Vietnam is a communist country, that just means the government's purchasing power is amplified accordingly.
"Me love you long time."
This was Ballmer's last attempt to woo the Vietnamese.
UL has nothing to do with the issues here.
...practices which are currently occuring everyday.
UL probably has one of the most successful branding campaigns in history all in the name of product safety. Seeing a UL symbol on an appliance at least means someone took a look at the basic design provide one check against a corporation cutting corners in the name of profit. In fact, a UL certification has become a marketable feature driving profit rather than stealing it. Organizations like UL are very relevant to these issues.
We're talking about deceptive advertising.
False advertising is already illegal. Advertising that conceals some facts without lying outright is expected, and customers who fall for these schemes had it coming and won't forget that experience.
Cite the apparently many practices you are referring to. The biggest deceptive practice I can think of right now is those pre-approved loan offers I get in the mail (19% interest, LOL). The reason these schemes work is evidence that our public schools have failed not that the marketplace has failed. It always comes down to the parables of there being no free lunch, a sucker is born every minute, etc.
I actually find the campaign promises of the current batch of presidential canidates much much more deceptive than any mail offer. Save the jobs, war on terror, right every wrong, blah, blah, blah. Doing any of those things in four years is like trying to push an elephant around with a broomstick and just results in a confused and angry elephant.
examples of government programs and agencies working and working well.
Which ones? The only good service I've recieved from government organizations was when I dealt with the tax collectors (property tax, mainly).
Our, poor, terribly innefficient government programs are responsible for creating the world's best military.
Like other people have said, $5,000,000,000 gets contractors riled up like nothing else. You should see the $2,000,000 contracts (a typcial pork-barrel domain), where the inefficiency is often sinful in proportion.
The Interstate Highway system makes cross country travel effecient and quick
Interstates were originally a defense system. They work extremely well for long-distance point-to-point travel. However, you fail to mention that the 16-lane highways around our cities still grind to a halt during rush hour. Cities are not scaling well, and the money that keeps getting thrown into the highways system is a dead end measure. How many acres are consumed by those 16-lane highways that could be put towards real estate or parks?
But I can tell you that the service of the DMV and even the IRS looks positively stellar compared to any number of private entitities -- several health insurance companies, Sprint, Microsoft Customer support, and the hosting company I called last week (no, not some dinky provider either -- I'm talking freakin' Interland here).
Companies who have a sound business model tend to have very good customer support. I have good support experiences more often than not, usually the bad experiences come from companies hanging on by a string (my ISP, for example). Health insurance companies have to meet such a mind-swimmingly large set of regulations that they can't provide good support (just wading through medical bills and getting questions answered is nearly impossible). Phone companies are regulated monopolies and don't have an incentive for good support, although I think they've picked up speed now that cable companies and ISPs are beginning to compete in the telephone markets. Microsoft simply has no incentive for good support at all (monopoly, monopoly, monopoly) and they will only improve as Linux, Sun JDS, etc. start eating at their bottom line.
Our beloved commercial driven-to-efficiency-by-the-market companies have produced an absolute steaming heap of bovine excrement when it comes to an e-voting product.
No, they have produced shit through a politically-corrupt deal. Don't confuse business and politics, here.
Agreed. $500 would get a smile and a thank you, but $1000 would incite a little irrational giddyness. $1500 might be pushing it, though, unless of course, they are already getting $75,000 a year and $1500 is like debating the sun roof option on a BMW.
I propose a Twinkie. So mysterious, yet so tasty.
Granted, it might be in my selfish interest to contribute it to a charity, but at this point in my life and my level of income -- I'm pretty sure I wouldn't spend on Charity.
It doesn't matter. The global economy is the largest charity there is, so you win, either way.
They think that in a world without government, community groups would band together to fix potholes, rather than just letting streets fall into disrepair.
One, it isn't a world without government, rather a world with only enough government to maintain freedom for its citizens. This requires mitigating violent crime, for example.
As far as roads go, I see the local and state governments letting the streets fall into disrepair every day. On one road, we've been waiting for six months for stripes! All because the government created some perverse spending plan that encourages contractors to drag their feet like never before.
They think that if people were paying $200 a month less in taxes, that they'd give that same $200 a month to charities, rather than doing something more selfish with that $200.
Spending that $200 on anything but government is the most charitable thing a person can do.
I doubt the average libertarian has even *though* about anyeone other than himself since 1980.
At least they will be honest about it. Recognizing human nature for what it is is something the Republicans and Democrats have been struggling with for some time, now.
The LP today is nothing but a club for whiny rich tax-dodgers and Ayn Rand fanboys.
Rather it is people who understand where our generally very high quality of life comes from and they don't want to see it taken away.
we have a Conservative government that has increased the size, cost and level of beaurocracy more in three years than any administration since Washington's.
Our current administration isn't conservative, they only say that they are.
They also generally ignore the fact that all players in a regulated industry see higher profits after regulation than before it.
I would bet the increased profits are only due to instances where regulation created standardization on some level. Standardization eventually falls out of the free market, anyway, and it doesn't require the government to enact it. For example, look at the dozens and perhaps hundred and thousands of independent non-government safety organizations for everything from fire extinguishers to a table lamp. The same motivator, death and injury, is the only thing that creates industry standards and legislation regarding safety. At least an industry standard doen't carry the inertia of Congress and a federal bureaucracy with it.