Pray tell, what evidence? The fossil record shows many fully-formed creatures, but no "half-way" creatures (sans a very few controversial exceptions, some shown to be hoaxes).
The biggest problem I have with evolution in any shape or form is the horrific odds against such a theory, and at any stage within the process of that theory. (From the 'big bang' to the creation of initial life to the "improvement" on said initial life up to and including a form of intelligence... it flies in the face of entropy.)
It's neat to see how many of the harder questions regarding the validity of evolution are neatly avoided by making massive assumptions, such as the passage (paraphrased) "the light sensitive cells formed in the (exposed?) brain and moved outward to form crude eyes, then improved further from that point" completely ignores the problem of having said brain in the first place. More importantly, it doesn't deal with the transition period in which the presumably useless-unless-exposed pseudo-eyes moved out from the brain and into their final position, a time when the organism would be spending resources on useless organs, therefore making it less efficient, less competitive, and less likely to survive among its own, let alone achieve sexual maturity and pass off its mutation to its offspring who then would suffer the exact same handicap for untold generations until the presumably useless organs actually became useful. Seems like just another variant of the "hopeful monster". Contrast this with the human body (or just about any other vertebrae), where the brain is the most heavily armored organ by far, and there are virtually NO useless organs. Except for that funky thing in the inside corner of your eye. Not sure what to make of that.
The mouse has become the single most non-productive enhancement to computing in history. People used to fly through applications using TAB and function keys.
Your opinion depends on the assumption that all computer users would know about the shortcut keys from the get-go. Admittedly, I don't like using the mouse PERIOD when it comes to anything application related (I was losing hair rapidly until I discovered SHIFT+F10)... but having access to decent menus and a mouse cuts the learning curve dramatically. A user with a mouse can still still be vastly more productive than a user without a computer (or the knowledge to use one).
Let's not even start on the REAL reason I use a mouse: games.
Now, if a woman is denied choices about her body by political or religious zealots, that might be considered something close to a form a slavery, yes.
Try this one on for size: who denied her the choice to have or not have intercourse in the first place? The real problem with society right now is that no one wants to take responsibility for their actions.
Again, I beg to differ. An EULA is supposed to be binding before one uses the software. The GPL doesn't even start to take effect until you try to re-distribute the GPL'd software. That is, in my mind, a large difference. (However, IANAL.)
Keep in mind this main difference: if you reject the terms of the GPL, you can still use and/or change the software as much as you want. If you reject the terms of an EULA, then, in theory, you cannot use the software *at all*. Big difference.
I can blow your argument out of the water in two sentences:
EULAs attempt to take away rights that you already have due to things such as the First Sale doctrine - it goes so far as to say that you cannot even use the software if you do not agree.
The GPL *gives* you rights that you never had before (due to copyright law) - if you do not agree to the GPL, no problem; you just cannot distribute the software, although you are still free to use it.
The stars in X2 are laid out like a city grid. The prog is loaded with crappy DRM drivers (yes, DRIVERS) that can screw up a system and nuke USB drives. The acting is half-assed at best. The systems are also laid out on a horizontal plane.
Sorry, but Hardwar is (still is) a much, much better game than X2: the Threat.
Being that this is supposed to be the Land of the Free, the very idea of attempting to squash competition via legal means, not via good business sense or technical merit, makes my blood boil.
I'm making a killing selling fancy buggy whips. Some young upstart has the gall to make a transportation device that doesn't require a whip. You suggest that "I" would/should not adapt to the new revolution/evolution in my market, but attempt to eliminate the newcomer by making it illegal to build cars? If so, move to Cuba, 'cause I sure as heck don't want you in my country.
Odd - one of the best things about DOOM3 is that it has run completely trouble-free. No crashes, no graphical glitches, no corrupt saves... it works. Strange that.
I'm playing it at 800x600 at high detail with an Athlon 2800+, Radeon 9800 Pro 128, and 1GB of RAM. Perhaps you should try turning down the detail/resolution a bit before trying it again on your 486?
(Okay, one caveat. The damn filters don't seem to work for multiplayer. Feh.)
Calculate your chances of being directly affected by a "terror" attack/event. For the sake of gross oversimplification, let's say that 10,000 Americans were killed on U.S. soil as a direct result of the actions of "terror"ists, including domestic ones, over the last 12 years. (OKC bombing, the unibomber, anthrax letters, '93 WTC and '01 WTC, those exploding planes, the DC *cough* snipers *cough*, etc.)
Now let's look at a non-"terror", non-health related activity that just about everyone in the US participates in in one form or another: transporation via roadway. Let's see... according to saferoads.org, we're looking at 43,220 deaths. Interesting. You are at least four times more likely to be killed in a traffic accident, assuming you don't bus about everywhere, than by the result of an act of "terror".
You believe my figures are wrong? Actually, you're correct. The 43,220 people that died in traffic accidents? They all died in 2003. I don't know about you, but the only thing these "terror"ists have me terrified of is the resulting actions of my own government, state and local as applicable.:P
I stopped during book #3. I'd never before thought it possible for a writer to balloon a single chapter into a book, and a fatty book at that. After confirming that there are more than ten books in the "series" and more *still coming*, I decided to cut my losses...
mv/etc/shadow/etc/shadow.old cp/etc/shadow.old/etc/shadow vi/etc/shadow (do your vile password manipulations now) (do whatever vile deeds wanted to do as victim user) mv/etc/shadow.old/etc/shadow
No need for any "cracker site"... Also, if root really wants a specific password, he can run John the Ripper locally with a nice dictionary.
I'm in the middle of a project to read the entire Bible from cover-to-cover; already finished the New Testament, and am now somewhere in the OT. (heh) The Old Testament is a historical record more than anything else. Yes, the Israelites were commanded to do a great many things that seem very barbaric to us now. I won't go in-depth as to why, but it happened.
The New Testament, however, is (among other things) the aftermath of Jesus Christ fulfilling the prophesies of the Old Testament. In other words, if someone tries to be a "christian" via the Old Testament, they are doomed. There is no salvation to be found in the Old Testament, just temporary coverings and the like.
The law (OT) is not there to help people get to God - it's there to demonstrate how humans FAIL IT.;) Jesus is the only way (now) that humans can establish a relationship with God, and he summed up all the OT into two things: love God with all your heart, and love your neighbor as yourself. A 'neighbor' is any human you meet. Much of this is made clear when actually *studying* the Bible, rather than just browsing through it.
A troll! ... I'll bite.
on
Reverse Graffiti
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· Score: 0, Offtopic
Oh, in case you think I'm being excessive, I suggest you read exactly what the fanatics want. The cliff-notes version: forced conversion of all non-Muslims. Death to all who resist. The total destruction of the U.S. and Israel. Slavery for the wives and children of those who resist. Islam has been hijacked by hatemongers and fanatics. The tolerant members of that religion need to take it back - and soon.
And that differs from what the Fundamentalist Christian fanatics want, how exactly?
"Fundamentalist Christian fanatics" believe:
No one can be forced to convert to Christianity (though in the past, sadly, some appeared to be trying).
The USA, a nation founded on the very principles of Biblical Christianity, is being destroyed by... Christians?
Christians say the Bible advocates slavery for anyone?
What part of "love your neighbor as yourself" (especially when a 'neighbor' is any other human) appears to be hateful?
Methinks you are in terrible need of a fact-check. BTW, this whole segment is terribly off-topic.
Ah, a real-life psychic! You don't know how long I've been waiting to meet one of your kind!... What? You mean you can't read minds? What good are you, then?
It sure would be nice if I knew exactly why some random stranger is choosing to assault me... maybe I should just give him my stu...!
This just in: serial killer scores another - police baffled. More at 11.
You are exactly right on one point: In most cases, most people could probably live with that fact, but there are cases when you might give it a second thought.
Before someone makes the choice to carry around (or use) a deadly weapon in any manner, they had best think through the potential consequences to decide if they are willing to risk taking the life of another human.
you know, i'd rather have my stuff stolen than live with shooting someone... even a crook.
A very noble statement - potentially taking the life of another human is a very sobering situation to have to consider living with. As for myself, if I ever feel as if a threat to my life exists (i.e., violently accosted by a stranger), I've thought through and made my decision already...
I'm filling the sucker full of lead. My life is more important than a would-be criminal's.
One of the most interesting FPS games of all time (IMHO) is Aliens vs. Predator (and its somewhat improved sequel).
There haven't been too many games derived from movie(s) that get it about 90% right. In this case, though, the wall-walking aliens are the Coolest Thing Ever. I'm sure there are many other examples of perfectly good, yet aging, games that are far better in terms of gameplay and uniqueness that could take the place of the latest and "greatest". Aside from vehicles, there is not much difference between the four mentioned titles in terms of mechanics and/or gameplay, is there not? At the least, they could have included Chrome, so that there would be a few maps' worth of trying to hunt foes down on an island covered in five foot high grass...
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm in the mood for a pred face sandwich. Rawr.
That's not far off the mark. Harrison Ford is/was Da Bomb, especially for his awesome performance in the original trilogy.
Curiously, he was (purportedly) a set painter and not an actor. They were taking tryouts by acting out the "mad charge" scene we see after the Falcon was tractored and captured by the first Death Star. He put on such a show, they wrote him in for the part. Talk about neat.
I beg to differ. I am a native speaker of (American) English, and while I loathe the study of my own language, I daresay that only willfully ignorant (or just plain stupid) people continue to butcher the spellings of commonly pronounced, but very different, words.
Slashdot Mirror
Pray tell, what evidence? The fossil record shows many fully-formed creatures, but no "half-way" creatures (sans a very few controversial exceptions, some shown to be hoaxes).
The biggest problem I have with evolution in any shape or form is the horrific odds against such a theory, and at any stage within the process of that theory. (From the 'big bang' to the creation of initial life to the "improvement" on said initial life up to and including a form of intelligence... it flies in the face of entropy.)
It's neat to see how many of the harder questions regarding the validity of evolution are neatly avoided by making massive assumptions, such as the passage (paraphrased) "the light sensitive cells formed in the (exposed?) brain and moved outward to form crude eyes, then improved further from that point" completely ignores the problem of having said brain in the first place.
More importantly, it doesn't deal with the transition period in which the presumably useless-unless-exposed pseudo-eyes moved out from the brain and into their final position, a time when the organism would be spending resources on useless organs, therefore making it less efficient, less competitive, and less likely to survive among its own, let alone achieve sexual maturity and pass off its mutation to its offspring who then would suffer the exact same handicap for untold generations until the presumably useless organs actually became useful. Seems like just another variant of the "hopeful monster".
Contrast this with the human body (or just about any other vertebrae), where the brain is the most heavily armored organ by far, and there are virtually NO useless organs. Except for that funky thing in the inside corner of your eye. Not sure what to make of that.
You hurt my brain. So, MS wins because they don't sell a CD set it cost them $3 to make to you for $50+? Explain that one, Einstein.
... damn kiddy-proof caps...)
(Where's my Tylenol?
Your opinion depends on the assumption that all computer users would know about the shortcut keys from the get-go. Admittedly, I don't like using the mouse PERIOD when it comes to anything application related (I was losing hair rapidly until I discovered SHIFT+F10)... but having access to decent menus and a mouse cuts the learning curve dramatically. A user with a mouse can still still be vastly more productive than a user without a computer (or the knowledge to use one).
Let's not even start on the REAL reason I use a mouse: games.
Try this one on for size: who denied her the choice to have or not have intercourse in the first place?
The real problem with society right now is that no one wants to take responsibility for their actions.
Again, I beg to differ. An EULA is supposed to be binding before one uses the software. The GPL doesn't even start to take effect until you try to re-distribute the GPL'd software. That is, in my mind, a large difference. (However, IANAL.)
Keep in mind this main difference: if you reject the terms of the GPL, you can still use and/or change the software as much as you want. If you reject the terms of an EULA, then, in theory, you cannot use the software *at all*. Big difference.
I can blow your argument out of the water in two sentences:
EULAs attempt to take away rights that you already have due to things such as the First Sale doctrine - it goes so far as to say that you cannot even use the software if you do not agree.
The GPL *gives* you rights that you never had before (due to copyright law) - if you do not agree to the GPL, no problem; you just cannot distribute the software, although you are still free to use it.
The stars in X2 are laid out like a city grid. The prog is loaded with crappy DRM drivers (yes, DRIVERS) that can screw up a system and nuke USB drives. The acting is half-assed at best. The systems are also laid out on a horizontal plane.
Sorry, but Hardwar is (still is) a much, much better game than X2: the Threat.
Being that this is supposed to be the Land of the Free, the very idea of attempting to squash competition via legal means, not via good business sense or technical merit, makes my blood boil.
I'm making a killing selling fancy buggy whips. Some young upstart has the gall to make a transportation device that doesn't require a whip.
You suggest that "I" would/should not adapt to the new revolution/evolution in my market, but attempt to eliminate the newcomer by making it illegal to build cars? If so, move to Cuba, 'cause I sure as heck don't want you in my country.
If you can remount the partition in question as read-only, then you can fsck it without risking data corruption.
Odd - one of the best things about DOOM3 is that it has run completely trouble-free. No crashes, no graphical glitches, no corrupt saves... it works. Strange that.
I'm playing it at 800x600 at high detail with an Athlon 2800+, Radeon 9800 Pro 128, and 1GB of RAM. Perhaps you should try turning down the detail/resolution a bit before trying it again on your 486?
(Okay, one caveat. The damn filters don't seem to work for multiplayer. Feh.)
Calculate your chances of being directly affected by a "terror" attack/event. For the sake of gross oversimplification, let's say that 10,000 Americans were killed on U.S. soil as a direct result of the actions of "terror"ists, including domestic ones, over the last 12 years. (OKC bombing, the unibomber, anthrax letters, '93 WTC and '01 WTC, those exploding planes, the DC *cough* snipers *cough*, etc.)
:P
Now let's look at a non-"terror", non-health related activity that just about everyone in the US participates in in one form or another: transporation via roadway. Let's see... according to saferoads.org, we're looking at 43,220 deaths. Interesting. You are at least four times more likely to be killed in a traffic accident, assuming you don't bus about everywhere, than by the result of an act of "terror".
You believe my figures are wrong? Actually, you're correct. The 43,220 people that died in traffic accidents? They all died in 2003. I don't know about you, but the only thing these "terror"ists have me terrified of is the resulting actions of my own government, state and local as applicable.
I stopped during book #3. I'd never before thought it possible for a writer to balloon a single chapter into a book, and a fatty book at that. After confirming that there are more than ten books in the "series" and more *still coming*, I decided to cut my losses...
Yup. If you copy it (cp), you goof up the timestamps. Moving it, at least on the systems I've used, doesn't change the stamps. It's a little sneakier.
mv /etc/shadow /etc/shadow.old /etc/shadow.old /etc/shadow /etc/shadow /etc/shadow.old /etc/shadow
cp
vi
(do your vile password manipulations now)
(do whatever vile deeds wanted to do as victim user)
mv
No need for any "cracker site"... Also, if root really wants a specific password, he can run John the Ripper locally with a nice dictionary.
I'm in the middle of a project to read the entire Bible from cover-to-cover; already finished the New Testament, and am now somewhere in the OT. (heh) The Old Testament is a historical record more than anything else. Yes, the Israelites were commanded to do a great many things that seem very barbaric to us now. I won't go in-depth as to why, but it happened.
;) Jesus is the only way (now) that humans can establish a relationship with God, and he summed up all the OT into two things: love God with all your heart, and love your neighbor as yourself. A 'neighbor' is any human you meet.
The New Testament, however, is (among other things) the aftermath of Jesus Christ fulfilling the prophesies of the Old Testament. In other words, if someone tries to be a "christian" via the Old Testament, they are doomed. There is no salvation to be found in the Old Testament, just temporary coverings and the like.
The law (OT) is not there to help people get to God - it's there to demonstrate how humans FAIL IT.
Much of this is made clear when actually *studying* the Bible, rather than just browsing through it.
"Fundamentalist Christian fanatics" believe:
No one can be forced to convert to Christianity (though in the past, sadly, some appeared to be trying).
The USA, a nation founded on the very principles of Biblical Christianity, is being destroyed by... Christians?
Christians say the Bible advocates slavery for anyone?
What part of "love your neighbor as yourself" (especially when a 'neighbor' is any other human) appears to be hateful?
Methinks you are in terrible need of a fact-check. BTW, this whole segment is terribly off-topic.
Me.
Ah, a real-life psychic! You don't know how long I've been waiting to meet one of your kind! ... What? You mean you can't read minds? What good are you, then?
It sure would be nice if I knew exactly why some random stranger is choosing to assault me... maybe I should just give him my stu...!
This just in: serial killer scores another - police baffled. More at 11.
You are exactly right on one point: In most cases, most people could probably live with that fact, but there are cases when you might give it a second thought.
:P
Before someone makes the choice to carry around (or use) a deadly weapon in any manner, they had best think through the potential consequences to decide if they are willing to risk taking the life of another human.
I have, and I am. Watch out, crooks.
We're talking robbery, no rape here.
I see your point, Sir. The next time I see someone coming at me in a threatening manner, I'll look for the placard that says "Robbery, Not Rape".
Thanks for the tip!
you know, i'd rather have my stuff stolen than live with shooting someone... even a crook.
A very noble statement - potentially taking the life of another human is a very sobering situation to have to consider living with.
As for myself, if I ever feel as if a threat to my life exists (i.e., violently accosted by a stranger), I've thought through and made my decision already...
I'm filling the sucker full of lead. My life is more important than a would-be criminal's.
One of the most interesting FPS games of all time (IMHO) is Aliens vs. Predator (and its somewhat improved sequel).
There haven't been too many games derived from movie(s) that get it about 90% right. In this case, though, the wall-walking aliens are the Coolest Thing Ever.
I'm sure there are many other examples of perfectly good, yet aging, games that are far better in terms of gameplay and uniqueness that could take the place of the latest and "greatest". Aside from vehicles, there is not much difference between the four mentioned titles in terms of mechanics and/or gameplay, is there not? At the least, they could have included Chrome, so that there would be a few maps' worth of trying to hunt foes down on an island covered in five foot high grass...
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm in the mood for a pred face sandwich. Rawr.
FYI, that sentence is read as "We still beat the hell out of your crappy state or country."
The slash is shorthand, or something, for "or". Also substitutes for "and" as well as "and/or".
That's not far off the mark. Harrison Ford is/was Da Bomb, especially for his awesome performance in the original trilogy.
Curiously, he was (purportedly) a set painter and not an actor. They were taking tryouts by acting out the "mad charge" scene we see after the Falcon was tractored and captured by the first Death Star. He put on such a show, they wrote him in for the part. Talk about neat.
I beg to differ. I am a native speaker of (American) English, and while I loathe the study of my own language, I daresay that only willfully ignorant (or just plain stupid) people continue to butcher the spellings of commonly pronounced, but very different, words.