Since they can probably: 1. Locate the retail card reseller from the account number 2. Cross-reference security video with receipt time stamp 3. Look up your license plate number or enhance your face
So make sure you walk or ride your bike, and maybe wear a fake mustache. In the future, all mustachioed cyclists will be suspected of piracy.
How can you live in the far out countryside yet not have transportation to get supplies (I assume anywhere supplies can be bought would have a post office nearby)? How many subsistence farmers are there in the US anyway?
Many of us liberals tend to claim the intellectual/rational high ground. If that is indeed the case, then we should expect to hold ourselves to a higher standard as well. And when we are wrong we should be the first to admit it, not the first to point out how often others are wrong.
Anything embarrassing can be used to blackmail someone, by political opponents and foreign agents alike. He was compromised, and this was the only way to ensure the integrity of the CIA, not just morally, but operationally as well. The latter consideration was likely the more important one.
So how do you want to proceed? Butt heads forever, or find avenues of progress with moderates in their camp? Look at how hardliners on the right want to deal with Iran. Now, look at how you want to deal with Republicans. If the Democratic administration can reach out to moderates in adversarial countries, then so too can they reach out to moderates in adversarial political parties.
Read your post and see all the "they" sentences. In your mind, every person connected with the GOP is the same. It is the same rationale that underlies all bigotry. It's obvious you are not a Democrat, as I don't believe any reasonable Democrat would want you as a fellow member.
But you can't deny that criticism of the Democratic party/policy/members is a more dangerous affair on Slashdot. One has to be very careful in wording such criticism, and it's often necessary to couch it in a general denunciation of the political right for it to ever be considered for upvoting. For those criticizing Republican party/policy/members the task is much easier, and petty name calling and broad generalizations of entire social groups by those posters are often overlooked. Now look at the moderation in this thread -- the off-topic and overrated votes have been given out with uncommon generosity.
I want to know how this post is off topic. Every time another country is in the negative spotlight here, Slashdotters jump at the chance bring up the US as a comparison, nearly always guaranteeing a +5 Insightful for a post which highlights the misdeeds of the US government for articles which never even mention the US. Parent poster has used the very same logic. Is Obama so sacred? Is the logic of bringing up the misdeeds of those who are "on our side" as a counterpoint no longer valid? Mods, and those who have used this type of argument before, let's hear your thoughts.
This sort of counter-bigotry and counter-hatred is as trashy and needlessly spiteful as any the GOP side can muster. Post-election is a time for healing and a time to work towards unity. Slashdot hates the polarized atmosphere of US politics, yet here we are deepening that divide even in a time of victory. Democrats, as the victors, need to be magnanimous, not petty like this.
It seems like this is just about finding out who has money, time, or social influence, and coaxing those out of people with a more focused approach. The greatest effect it has on their actual policy is to more clearly establish the boundaries of mass opinion so that they can color inside the lines so to speak and avoid controversy. It won't change the party message by much.
"Understand" is also an interesting word to use, and perhaps appropriate -- one can understand in order to better serve, or understand in order to better manipulate. And of course in our partisan world, when our guys do it it's smart, when the other guys do it it's sinister and full of ulterior motives.
should be glad. Strong STEM education is the foundation for a robust economy, which gives people the extra money to go see their dance performances. Would they rather be debtless and unemployed?
Besides what others have already said about local seats, popular vote for the Presidency means something for 3rd parties. Libertarian party is closer than ever to that goal. Even if you don't agree 100% (and who really does with ANY party?), you have the opportunity to contribute to a change in future debates.
While I lean towards this, it can also be argued that this would only further encourage rivals (or short-sellers) to employ mercenary intruders, since it lowers the bar for influencing the market (you'd need only to damage a company's reputation rather than spend time looking for useful secrets to employ/sell). It seems like one of those things where it makes tremendous sense if EVERY company in the world were bound by it, but if only SOME companies were bound by it then those which are not will find themselves with an advantage.
Though when I think about it, the more important question we should probably be asking is, "is there a more efficient way to get companies to secure their networks?" I think this is probably the fastest way, and least costly to the government, so I'm for it despite misgivings.
I think there could be other factors at play here besides our initial theory that this is all about expectation of privacy, for example an expectation of not being singled out or not being made a public spectacle.
I wonder how people would react if someone carried around a camera on a tall pole with a conspicuous sign saying "This camera is recording you" WITHOUT singling out anyone or following anyone. If there is no difference in reaction, then it's evidence that privacy is indeed the primary concern, but if there is a difference in reaction then perhaps considerations other than privacy is the primary concern.
Something to think about before jumping to conclusions.
It seems Chinese (and "distant" foreigners like other Asians, Middle Easterners) have to deal with two sides of prejudice -- one end regards us as soulless and less than human, the other fetishizes us to irreproachable heights.
Chinese thought process is not much different from the thought process of anyone else around the world. Their desire for comfort, for love, for every bit of freedom they can get to live without encumbrance is no less than yours. When housing prices are astronomical, they blame speculators and mafia-connected developers; when street cops beat up unlicensed vendors trying their best to survive, they blame the uncompromising inhumanity of the law; when there is melamine in milk and kids get sick, they blame greedy companies and regulatory complicity; when government waste stares at them in the face, they shake their heads and wonder where the country is headed; when the rich do as they please without regard they take offense; when they see heartlessness towards the common man they stand with him in anger, when they see the weak treated with indecency they offer their most heartfelt sympathy.
But they cannot do any of those things too loudly, you see. They cannot desire too loudly, blame too loudly, wonder too loudly, take offense too loudly, gather together too loudly, show anger too loudly, or sympathize too loudly. It's not because they don't want to express themselves to that degree, it's because there are consequences for doing so -- consequences not only from the government, but from society itself which has normalized towards repression. Think of it this way: how publicly and how vociferously can a church member dissent within his congregation and still be regarded as faithful? He wouldn't dare, he would only do what little he can while bending over backwards to not be ostracized. It is not culture, it is a social disease, and by elevating it to culture in a pretense of tolerance and understanding you give it legitimacy.
With that said, however, those who are not Chinese cannot do anything themselves to help. Change has to come from the Chinese people. But know that when you unwittingly make excuses and give support to the illnesses that afflict China, you make the job of those Chinese who wish to cure it that much more difficult.
I hate when bullshit like this gets modded up. Do you also take the Religious Right's culture into context, and implore others to sympathize? Do you also take the racist rural white culture into context, and implore others to sympathize? When confronted with domestic abuse, do you say "well maybe she likes it, who are we to judge?" When conservatives say "don't disturb the social order" do you pipe up in their defense, because they too have a culture of their own?
In your over-enthusiasm to be tolerant, you've embraced a type of paternalistic prejudice. You judge, albeit with a well-meaning heart, an entire nation of people with broad assumptions and meaningless generalizations. I find posts like yours only slightly less intolerable than overt racism.
I'll tell you this as a Chinese person: The majority of Chinese aren't followers of the same organic vegan yoga-studio interpretation of Buddhism that you might be enamored with -- they follow a mixture of traditional local paganism that has been intertwined with figments of Buddhism over hundreds of years. They are not "ok" with government censorship, but through years of being powerless in the face of the government, the majority have taken on the attitude of "there's nothing to be done, so just cope."
As you say, China has indeed been the geopolitical victim for much of its modern life, but having been bullied by foreign nations is not a argument for or a rational explanation of Chinese apathy. In fact, the government and nationalist groups/individuals have consistently relied on China's history of victimhood as a rallying cry for activism, though always for rights of the state and respect for the country, yet rarely if ever for rights of the people. There's a sentiment common among majority of Chinese internet users which I've noticed, and can be summarized as "no matter who's in charge [Imperial/foreign/GMD/CPC] we're always the downtrodden rabble." They're are not content, they merely deal with it the best they can since business, marriage, and finding a house they can afford are far more urgent matters. But that doesn't mean accept censorship, or embrace it as you imply.
And no, people in the West don't "idolize social disturbance" either. In every nation there are conservatives who want stability above all. In the US, we have at least half who are adamantly conservative, and half again more who are nominally liberal but don't dare rock the boat. Your propensity to generalize the unfamiliar I've seen in friends and family back in China. When they ask me "Do Americans really do/believe/think this?" I have to explain to them "No, American attitudes are diverse, just like Chinese attitudes here are diverse."
I have the GS3, and after filling it up with my music and apps, I still have more than 6GB left. Plus, I find myself listening to internet radio 90% of the time. I thought the microSD would be a good investment, but now I'm convinced I don't need it, and wouldn't ever need it.
And isn't most web data pulled by the receiver, not pushed by the sender? How can anyone justify the sender paying in such a context, except to mask the desire to grab money from deeper pockets?
But others do. A kid who has someone who can understand his thought processes and teach accordingly will come out better than if left alone (talking about the average kid here, not Mr G&T who'll be a physicist no matter what). So, I guess good teachers will always be needed, bad teachers have always been obsolete.
I thought this was troll, too, but as pointed out here it's very much relevant.
FOXDIE is an engineered retrovirus developed by the DIA for the Pentagon. It is programmed to kill specific people by identifying the person's DNA and their nanomachines then causing cardiac arrest. The only known host for FOXDIE was Solid Snake.
Slashdot Mirror
Since they can probably:
1. Locate the retail card reseller from the account number
2. Cross-reference security video with receipt time stamp
3. Look up your license plate number or enhance your face
So make sure you walk or ride your bike, and maybe wear a fake mustache. In the future, all mustachioed cyclists will be suspected of piracy.
How can you live in the far out countryside yet not have transportation to get supplies (I assume anywhere supplies can be bought would have a post office nearby)? How many subsistence farmers are there in the US anyway?
What are the negative externalities which Fedex and UPS incur and in what way does USPS mitigate them?
R2D2 gets married and lives happily ever after. The End.
Many of us liberals tend to claim the intellectual/rational high ground. If that is indeed the case, then we should expect to hold ourselves to a higher standard as well. And when we are wrong we should be the first to admit it, not the first to point out how often others are wrong.
It's just a phonetic approximation of Fu Shi Kang
Anything embarrassing can be used to blackmail someone, by political opponents and foreign agents alike. He was compromised, and this was the only way to ensure the integrity of the CIA, not just morally, but operationally as well. The latter consideration was likely the more important one.
So how do you want to proceed? Butt heads forever, or find avenues of progress with moderates in their camp? Look at how hardliners on the right want to deal with Iran. Now, look at how you want to deal with Republicans. If the Democratic administration can reach out to moderates in adversarial countries, then so too can they reach out to moderates in adversarial political parties.
Read your post and see all the "they" sentences. In your mind, every person connected with the GOP is the same. It is the same rationale that underlies all bigotry. It's obvious you are not a Democrat, as I don't believe any reasonable Democrat would want you as a fellow member.
But you can't deny that criticism of the Democratic party/policy/members is a more dangerous affair on Slashdot. One has to be very careful in wording such criticism, and it's often necessary to couch it in a general denunciation of the political right for it to ever be considered for upvoting. For those criticizing Republican party/policy/members the task is much easier, and petty name calling and broad generalizations of entire social groups by those posters are often overlooked. Now look at the moderation in this thread -- the off-topic and overrated votes have been given out with uncommon generosity.
I want to know how this post is off topic. Every time another country is in the negative spotlight here, Slashdotters jump at the chance bring up the US as a comparison, nearly always guaranteeing a +5 Insightful for a post which highlights the misdeeds of the US government for articles which never even mention the US. Parent poster has used the very same logic. Is Obama so sacred? Is the logic of bringing up the misdeeds of those who are "on our side" as a counterpoint no longer valid? Mods, and those who have used this type of argument before, let's hear your thoughts.
This sort of counter-bigotry and counter-hatred is as trashy and needlessly spiteful as any the GOP side can muster. Post-election is a time for healing and a time to work towards unity. Slashdot hates the polarized atmosphere of US politics, yet here we are deepening that divide even in a time of victory. Democrats, as the victors, need to be magnanimous, not petty like this.
It seems like this is just about finding out who has money, time, or social influence, and coaxing those out of people with a more focused approach. The greatest effect it has on their actual policy is to more clearly establish the boundaries of mass opinion so that they can color inside the lines so to speak and avoid controversy. It won't change the party message by much.
"Understand" is also an interesting word to use, and perhaps appropriate -- one can understand in order to better serve, or understand in order to better manipulate. And of course in our partisan world, when our guys do it it's smart, when the other guys do it it's sinister and full of ulterior motives.
should be glad. Strong STEM education is the foundation for a robust economy, which gives people the extra money to go see their dance performances. Would they rather be debtless and unemployed?
Besides what others have already said about local seats, popular vote for the Presidency means something for 3rd parties. Libertarian party is closer than ever to that goal. Even if you don't agree 100% (and who really does with ANY party?), you have the opportunity to contribute to a change in future debates.
maybe get Gary Johnson above 5%? It will change the national discourse even if you don't agree with him 100%.
While I lean towards this, it can also be argued that this would only further encourage rivals (or short-sellers) to employ mercenary intruders, since it lowers the bar for influencing the market (you'd need only to damage a company's reputation rather than spend time looking for useful secrets to employ/sell). It seems like one of those things where it makes tremendous sense if EVERY company in the world were bound by it, but if only SOME companies were bound by it then those which are not will find themselves with an advantage.
Though when I think about it, the more important question we should probably be asking is, "is there a more efficient way to get companies to secure their networks?" I think this is probably the fastest way, and least costly to the government, so I'm for it despite misgivings.
I think there could be other factors at play here besides our initial theory that this is all about expectation of privacy, for example an expectation of not being singled out or not being made a public spectacle.
I wonder how people would react if someone carried around a camera on a tall pole with a conspicuous sign saying "This camera is recording you" WITHOUT singling out anyone or following anyone. If there is no difference in reaction, then it's evidence that privacy is indeed the primary concern, but if there is a difference in reaction then perhaps considerations other than privacy is the primary concern.
Something to think about before jumping to conclusions.
It seems Chinese (and "distant" foreigners like other Asians, Middle Easterners) have to deal with two sides of prejudice -- one end regards us as soulless and less than human, the other fetishizes us to irreproachable heights.
Chinese thought process is not much different from the thought process of anyone else around the world. Their desire for comfort, for love, for every bit of freedom they can get to live without encumbrance is no less than yours. When housing prices are astronomical, they blame speculators and mafia-connected developers; when street cops beat up unlicensed vendors trying their best to survive, they blame the uncompromising inhumanity of the law; when there is melamine in milk and kids get sick, they blame greedy companies and regulatory complicity; when government waste stares at them in the face, they shake their heads and wonder where the country is headed; when the rich do as they please without regard they take offense; when they see heartlessness towards the common man they stand with him in anger, when they see the weak treated with indecency they offer their most heartfelt sympathy.
But they cannot do any of those things too loudly, you see. They cannot desire too loudly, blame too loudly, wonder too loudly, take offense too loudly, gather together too loudly, show anger too loudly, or sympathize too loudly. It's not because they don't want to express themselves to that degree, it's because there are consequences for doing so -- consequences not only from the government, but from society itself which has normalized towards repression. Think of it this way: how publicly and how vociferously can a church member dissent within his congregation and still be regarded as faithful? He wouldn't dare, he would only do what little he can while bending over backwards to not be ostracized. It is not culture, it is a social disease, and by elevating it to culture in a pretense of tolerance and understanding you give it legitimacy.
With that said, however, those who are not Chinese cannot do anything themselves to help. Change has to come from the Chinese people. But know that when you unwittingly make excuses and give support to the illnesses that afflict China, you make the job of those Chinese who wish to cure it that much more difficult.
I hate when bullshit like this gets modded up.
Do you also take the Religious Right's culture into context, and implore others to sympathize?
Do you also take the racist rural white culture into context, and implore others to sympathize?
When confronted with domestic abuse, do you say "well maybe she likes it, who are we to judge?"
When conservatives say "don't disturb the social order" do you pipe up in their defense, because they too have a culture of their own?
In your over-enthusiasm to be tolerant, you've embraced a type of paternalistic prejudice. You judge, albeit with a well-meaning heart, an entire nation of people with broad assumptions and meaningless generalizations. I find posts like yours only slightly less intolerable than overt racism.
I'll tell you this as a Chinese person: The majority of Chinese aren't followers of the same organic vegan yoga-studio interpretation of Buddhism that you might be enamored with -- they follow a mixture of traditional local paganism that has been intertwined with figments of Buddhism over hundreds of years. They are not "ok" with government censorship, but through years of being powerless in the face of the government, the majority have taken on the attitude of "there's nothing to be done, so just cope."
As you say, China has indeed been the geopolitical victim for much of its modern life, but having been bullied by foreign nations is not a argument for or a rational explanation of Chinese apathy. In fact, the government and nationalist groups/individuals have consistently relied on China's history of victimhood as a rallying cry for activism, though always for rights of the state and respect for the country, yet rarely if ever for rights of the people. There's a sentiment common among majority of Chinese internet users which I've noticed, and can be summarized as "no matter who's in charge [Imperial/foreign/GMD/CPC] we're always the downtrodden rabble." They're are not content, they merely deal with it the best they can since business, marriage, and finding a house they can afford are far more urgent matters. But that doesn't mean accept censorship, or embrace it as you imply.
And no, people in the West don't "idolize social disturbance" either. In every nation there are conservatives who want stability above all. In the US, we have at least half who are adamantly conservative, and half again more who are nominally liberal but don't dare rock the boat. Your propensity to generalize the unfamiliar I've seen in friends and family back in China. When they ask me "Do Americans really do/believe/think this?" I have to explain to them "No, American attitudes are diverse, just like Chinese attitudes here are diverse."
I have the GS3, and after filling it up with my music and apps, I still have more than 6GB left. Plus, I find myself listening to internet radio 90% of the time. I thought the microSD would be a good investment, but now I'm convinced I don't need it, and wouldn't ever need it.
I partially agree with you
And isn't most web data pulled by the receiver, not pushed by the sender? How can anyone justify the sender paying in such a context, except to mask the desire to grab money from deeper pockets?
But others do. A kid who has someone who can understand his thought processes and teach accordingly will come out better than if left alone (talking about the average kid here, not Mr G&T who'll be a physicist no matter what). So, I guess good teachers will always be needed, bad teachers have always been obsolete.
I thought this was troll, too, but as pointed out here it's very much relevant.
FOXDIE is an engineered retrovirus developed by the DIA for the Pentagon. It is programmed to kill specific people by identifying the person's DNA and their nanomachines then causing cardiac arrest. The only known host for FOXDIE was Solid Snake.