I would like to know if there is an inheritable genetic predisposition for obedience to authority
Probably.
Groups of people who obeyed leaders had a survival advantage for a long time, as the rise of the Roman and other empires showed time and time again. There's a downside though, because following incompetent leaders could get large numbers of your population wiped out..
Depends on the war in question. Neville Chamberlain clearly didn't have the necessary courage to stop Hitler in time to save tens of millions of lives. I would also say that the colonists showed a great deal of courage in starting the American revolution, for a second example.
I'm not prepared to dismiss an entire country like that, particularly when they've just elected Sarkozy. That's easily the best move the French have made in my lifetime, at least.
I guess it goes without saying that democratic politics seems to be something less than the shining beacon of leadership it's meant to be, at the moment.
Got that right.. The last Democrat who was worth a damn was Harry Truman.
Use his stuff or don't. It's not like all the coding talent in the world is being exhausted on his projects. I have no interest in.NET or Mono, and what's it to you if other people do?
Well, I stand corrected. I thought that Apple had long since passed the million unit mark, and weren't going to talk about it until the earnings report.
And you give one example back - do you think that somehow proves your point
Yes, because my example was of a computer memory technology with moving parts being superseded by one without moving parts, while his were about unrelated industries.
It takes more than just showing a judge a notebook and claiming that the date on it is correct. There's a well established practice of sending mail to yourself so you can show the postmark on the unopened envelope and show the court that the USPS attests to the date on it.
That's an interesting interpretation, but I think that if you litigated the matter, a court would hold that if you own a copyright, you're allowed to sell it outright.
The only reason that we issue copyrights and patents is to encourage producers to create and invent new works. Copyright isn't a right at all, it's a privilege which we the people grant to copyright holders, for limited times, for the benefit of the public.
Slashdot Mirror
Try it in Paris. Alsatians have lived on the border under one side's control or the other for centuries.
-jcr
I would like to know if there is an inheritable genetic predisposition for obedience to authority
Probably.
Groups of people who obeyed leaders had a survival advantage for a long time, as the rise of the Roman and other empires showed time and time again. There's a downside though, because following incompetent leaders could get large numbers of your population wiped out..
-jcr
If you happen to visit France, and anyone gets in your face for speaking English, answer them in German. They hate that.
-jcr
Or it supports my theory that people get more selfish as they get older.
You're kidding, right? Ever heard the piercing shriek of a four year-old yelling "mine!"?
-jcr
It doesn't take great courage to start a war.
Depends on the war in question. Neville Chamberlain clearly didn't have the necessary courage to stop Hitler in time to save tens of millions of lives. I would also say that the colonists showed a great deal of courage in starting the American revolution, for a second example.
-jcr
I'm not prepared to dismiss an entire country like that, particularly when they've just elected Sarkozy. That's easily the best move the French have made in my lifetime, at least.
-jcr
Then what happens if you are like me and a socialist? Do I cease to exist!?
We were hoping that after Stalin, Mao and Pol Pot, you people would have the decency to fade away.
-jcr
I guess it goes without saying that democratic politics seems to be something less than the shining beacon of leadership it's meant to be, at the moment.
Got that right.. The last Democrat who was worth a damn was Harry Truman.
-jcr
That whooshing sound you just heard was the joke passing way over your head.
-jcr
Mindshare has been taken from the portable and libre Java platform, which could have been used for GNOME and KDE to their advantage.
Oh, please. Java for desktop apps was a disaster, and that's nobody's fault but the Java crowd.
-jcr
Well, fuck you too.
Now that we've exchanged formalities, got a point to make, or are you just here to reduce the signal/noise ratio?
-jcr
Again: use it or don't. You have a lot of choices for GUIs on Linux, so where's the damage?
-jcr
Use his stuff or don't. It's not like all the coding talent in the world is being exhausted on his projects. I have no interest in .NET or Mono, and what's it to you if other people do?
-jcr
Well, I stand corrected. I thought that Apple had long since passed the million unit mark, and weren't going to talk about it until the earnings report.
-jcr
Dude, he was every chick in the BBS days.
-jcr
Did you have some kind of point you were trying to make? If so, try doing so without the infantile preamble.
-jcr
And you give one example back - do you think that somehow proves your point
Yes, because my example was of a computer memory technology with moving parts being superseded by one without moving parts, while his were about unrelated industries.
-jcr
More like, how core memory replaced the drum.
-jcr
That makes everyone who held on to their shares after he sold a chump, me and you included.
Speak for yourself, chump. I'm up 104% on my holdings, which make me very happy with Apple's management.
-jcr
They are now and will always be more expensive than mechanical drives.
Always?
I wouldn't bet on that. At some point, no moving parts has to beat moving parts.
-jcr
You know, jealousy is a repulsive personality trait.
-jcr
The trial court fucked up by admitting polygraphs as evidence.
-jcr
It takes more than just showing a judge a notebook and claiming that the date on it is correct. There's a well established practice of sending mail to yourself so you can show the postmark on the unopened envelope and show the court that the USPS attests to the date on it.
-jcr
That's an interesting interpretation, but I think that if you litigated the matter, a court would hold that if you own a copyright, you're allowed to sell it outright.
-jcr
The only reason that we issue copyrights and patents is to encourage producers to create and invent new works. Copyright isn't a right at all, it's a privilege which we the people grant to copyright holders, for limited times, for the benefit of the public.
-jcr