It has become impolite in the USA to tell people that they are wrong. In fact, in some states now it is required to teach creationism alongside evolution as an equal theory. The point of science is to determine fact, not truth. Truth is down the hall in philosophy class.
See, it is hard to think scientifically when person A says to you "There are eight colors in the spectrum of visible light: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet, and octarine."
And you respond "Octarine is fiction!"
And the other in this dialog responds "No it is NOT! I really, really believe in magic! It's my religion so you cannot tell me it's wrong!" And then goes and gets thier legislature to pass a law that requires the teaching of "Octarine Theory".
See, we cannot allow religion, faith, belief, and etiquette to prevent us from pointing at what is wrong and calling it out and then explaining why something else is right. If feelings get hurt and values systems get shaken so be it, but if we want to promote science then we must not let fantasy get in the way.
---sung to the tune of Woody Guthrie's Hard Travelling D Diebold's stealing elections, I thought you knowed.
Diebold's stealing elections A7 on machines with closed source code. D We dont need no double dealing, G electronic vote stealing. A7 Diebold's stealing elections, D Lord.
Diebold's stealing our votes, the right that makes us free. Diebold's stealing our votes, oh cant you see. How can they say I'm free if their machines can vote for me? Diebold's stealing our votes, Lord.
Diebold's stealing our votes, I thoought you knowed. They've been shredding the paper trail at the end of the road. It doesn't matter who you choose, when you're sure you're gonna lose. Diebold's stealing our votes, Lord.
I'm gonna vote with pen and paper I thought you knowed. I'm gonna see it counted at the end of the road. I'm gonna vote with pen and paper so I know that there's a record. And I'm gonna go vote my conscience Lord.
A quick couple of notes (so to speak)... The chords are right as far as I know. The words are mine, though they dont fit quite right in all the places. Either apply Tom Leherer's rule that "it doesnt even matter if you fit a few extra syllables into a line" or use the folk process to make it fit so you can sing it.
Also, I've got one line with no verse to put around it...
"Voting wont be so scary if the countings not binary"
The main thrust of this song is to educate and protest on the issue of electronic voting. I am a New York State resident and for those who dont know we are being sued by the feds to upgrade our nice mechanical voting machines to electronic voting. If we do not they are going to withhold federal money for the upkeep of our voting system. This is blackmail, the same kind of blackmail that was used to put the 55 mph speed limit in place.
Our voting machines have worked for a century with the same design. We trust them to do the job and know where the flaws and weak spots in the security are. We, as a group, when polled, do not show a desire to change the system at this point and our state voting commission and legeslative review boards have rejected electronic voting as an unsecure and immature technology. The peculiarities of how a state does it's voting is a state's right to decide, which is why different states have different rules about every aspect of the electoral process. Some states are proportional, some are by district. Some states use machines and others use punchcards. Election laws are made at the local level.
The lawsuit by the federal government smacks of blackmail and manipulation. Why is the federal gov trying to control the electoral process at the local level? What do they hope to gain?
Your point would be valid except that I'm not dealing with one individual when I negotiate, I am dealing with a WHOLE ORGANIZATION of people called a corporation. They have far more man hours and resources than I do when it comes to the bargaining table and a far better idea of what the rest of the potetial employees are asking for. Often times people are laid off and replaced with younger people who dont command the same salary. If you would face a street gang on your own then you have a point. Otherwise you're just a damn scab.
I do not recall the exact quote but it goes something like this... "When they cam for the Jews, I said nothing. When they came for the Gypsies, I said nothing. When they came for the Communists I said nothing. When they came for me there was no one left to speak for me."
Freedom in the United States has been losing a war of attrition. When the property rights of those who use drugs and prostitutes were trampled with seizure laws no one spoke up. Now the government and big business have moved on and now have the philosophical and legal precedents to seize underdeveloped, privately owned property if they feel they can use the land better than the current owenrs. When they took the house of the pot grower and auctioned it before trial no one spoke up. When they sold the car of the guy soliciting a prostitute before trial no one spoke up. Now when they take the houses of the middle class to build hotels there are fewer left to speak.
When the pornographers were attacked and forced to put their racy magazine covers inside black bags they were left to fend for themselves. When the flag burners were fighting for the right to express anger and disssatisfaction they were thrown to the wolves. Now the legal and philosophical precedents are in place for censoring what you see and say.
Imagine your rights as a man in chainmail. The chainmail suit is the actions of all those who exercise their rights with each link in the chain a different variation, a different reason, a different point of view. Eliminate JUST ONE LINK and it becomes easier dagger of facist totalitarianism to find its mark and penetrate to your very heart.
It is the responsibility of all who want to see forum access remain in libraries to fight unjust flag laws. It is the same damn issue and we cannot make rules by special cases and half-complete reasoning. If you want to be free of unreasonable searches by DVD-sniffing dogs then you must defend the rights of drug dealers against unreasonable property seizure. It's all the same issues.
And BTW, if they first ask you to register your guns, then to license your guns...where do you think this is going?
I could never figure out how I could leave for work 10 minutes earlier and still get there at the same damn time. I knew traffic patterns were killing my commute time.
Doesn't copyright law protect derivative work? You cant resell pictures from Life Magazine, but you can use them to make a collage and sell that? It's something like that...'cause I'm pretty sure you can use less than 30 seconds of video for almost anything, no matter who owns it.
An xbox360 at best buy costs $399.99--unless you go for the lesser core system for $299.99
I can only assume that a ps3 will be in that higher price range, around $400 to $500 at release (and as a side note thats when MS will drop the 360's price, or offer free games with it, or free xbox live or something).
A Mac Mini costs $599.99 and can dual boot into windows and then run all those MS compatible games.
I think a lot of people are going to consider the nextgen consoles way too expensive for too few features and opt for a Nintendo Revolution as Nintendo seems to be the "baragain label" these days.
In a lot of states it is illegal to do things that require you to take your hands away from controlling the vehicle. Eating, drinking, turning the pages of a book, reading a ticket, masturbating, are all illegal under these laws.
Hams have been doing email over packet radio since the 70's! They've also been doing wireless email over radio teletype before that! And if the issue is the portable receiver then I must still stand by those who were using tandy handhelds for packet.
I have to disagree. One of the major things that keeps me on Windows is the availability of gaming software. Dell might offer linux systems, BSD systems, Be OS systems, or OS/X systems and I would still need to have a large windows partition so I could use entertainment software.
I have spent a good part of today deliberating on this story and have constructed a carefully reasoned and highly cogent argument against the bill. It follows in the next paragraph.
Fuck that noise.
I feel that my reasoning is plain and does not require explanation.
For those with questions I refer you to the Declaration of Independence, the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights, and the Colonial Revolution of 1776.
If I post on a Wiki entry about a senator saying I feel they are too biased on some issue and then the Senator's staff changes my post...is that a violation of my civil rights? Is that an example of the government violating the First Amendment? The staffers are paid from federal funds and are part of the government. It seems to me like the act of changing the wiki might be unconstitutional on the grounds that 1)it abridges freedom of speech and 2)it is a case of congress overstepping it's authority. Congress is not authorized to take direct action, that's for the police and military which are controlled by the executive branch.
I love living in the USA controlled by monied interests and the Republican party. They foster such an honest, compassionate, and responsible atmosphere for civil discourse.
Torture, lying, spying on citizens, the list of crimes Bush is responsible for goes on and on. Would someone give this guy a blowjob already so we can impeach him?
See, now here's the thing. When Congress hears about new tv's with better pictures they say "ooo, how much?" If you ask them about subsidies to advance fuel cell technology and build the infrastructure to support such a move you get hand wringing and fear.
I know that HDTV will allow me to see more flags on stage during election seasons. The screen is wider, therefore...more flags per appearance. And I know HOW importatant that is.
Maybe someday, when we have a courageous and attentive public, we will be able to change the disturbing game we have for politics. Personally, I would prefer that the money be spent on developing alternative energy sources like solar and wind and developing our irrigation infrastructure, concentrate on how to convert that energy and water into hydrogen at the filling station, and then figure out how to retrofit all those cars on the road. It could be a glorious, revitalizing, World War II style public works project that could change the face of the world.
Oh wait...I can spend money on saving the world...or onb getting better images of war on HDTV. I wonder how many embedds are already carrying HDTV cameras?
An axe...get a good single bit two handed axe, learn to use it properly. It can serve as many kinds of hammers and has a nice sharp edge for all sorts of cutting.
Cooking pots, the deep kind
Rolls of clear plastic sheeting, with this and the cooking pots above you can distill water
Solar cells, batteries, power inverter, power tools, windmills?, hand tools,
First aid gear, dont stop with bandages and peroxide. Get some of the more advanced stuff, learn to use it. During the recovery you're going to be seeing all sorts of construction site kinds of injuries.
Rope. Lots. Rope is important for heavy lifting and semi permanent construction. So, prolly lots of clothesline and a few hundred feet of 1/2inch sisal.
Lumber. Tents.
Scuba gear. I know, it sounds funny, but the ability to go into the bottom of a flooded basdement and stay there will be very useful.
It really depends on your plan of action. What role do you plan to fill? If you go to build homes you should bring different things than if you were going to open a shelter or a free kitchen.
On the other hand...almost anything you bring will be needed.
If I understand correctly these kids were required to accept the laptops. And they were required to accept the license. And then, the admin password was supplied to them.
If I were the defense team I would be arguing entrapment. It seems to me that the students were put in a situation by the authorities where they were being put in a position to commit a crime. In fact, it seems fair to say that since the password was supplied with the laptop there was no way for the students to know that using it was banned.
It's the same reason cops cant go out and actively sell drugs and arrest people. They cannot initiate the illegal activity. They cannot coerce you to do0 something you would not normally do. If I go to the hooker, I can be arrested. If she comes to me, then no. I think. IANAL.
So, if that principle applies, then yes, stealing the password from the admins desk, file-o-fax, or safety deposit box would be illegal. Reading it from the label on the machine? Sounds to me like a set up.
So, a list of things the admin did wrong that sound actionable...
1)Entrapment 2)Endangerment of a minor by supplying unsecured access to pornography by way of an unregul;ated internet connection. 3)Entering into a contract with a minor. 4)Violation of the DMCA by circumveting digital secrity vis a vis writing the secret admin password on the machine.
I am a professional admin and would happily testify to the deficient nature and incompetent handling of the administrative duties on the part of the school district.
So, how many editorials has the WSJ published crying about the expense and wasteful nature of Nasa and the space program? Now that we're running launches on a shoestring (also known as the "Quicker, cheaper, faster" policy)things are bound to be slower, less spectacular and more dangerous.
My answer? Say fuck off to these semi literate journalists who cant remeber past their last bowel movement. I'm tired of listening to these op-ed managers put a timetable on science and invention. They act like cost overruns at NASA are big news. These are the same people who vote down school budgets and then act surprised by large class sizes.
Stupidity, my dear editorialist, DOES invalidate your opinion.
Could get personla? For 10's of years now I've been recieving advertising mail that says things like "[myname] you may have won [prize]" and "[myname] has been pre-approved.
Personalized advertising hardly seems new.
The FCC might seem like it's putting itself out of business by deregulating some bandwidth but the nature of radio is that those frequencies are scarce. No matter how much digital encoding and adaptive technology that is used there will still be legit uses for wireless analog communications at high power. Therefore there will always be a need for some regulation of the wireless spectrum and a need for some governing body to decide what is allowed where and how much.
Now, the question is, will the FCC become irrelevant. Well, if current governmental trends continue then no. The current feds will NOT give up their current moral valve that the FCC provides. The FCC may become absorbed by the FTC or the Dept of Homeland Defense, or it's responsibilites split between them but be sure that the government will not give up it's eminent domain over the radio spectrum because they want to control availability and content.
Another thing to consider is all the other nations that have not given up their regulations over wireless communications. The brits still license TV recievers and most nations license their Ham Radio operators. The FCC will not disappear until there is no international need for them.
Yeah, I was wondering when people would realize that the challenge of the hydrogen infrastructure is bullshit.
I mean...you can get hydrogen from water. I've never seen a gas station that lacks water OR electricity...so how hard is it REALLY to supply hydrogen at every gas staion in america?
Slashdot Mirror
It has become impolite in the USA to tell people that they are wrong. In fact, in some states now it is required to teach creationism alongside evolution as an equal theory. The point of science is to determine fact, not truth. Truth is down the hall in philosophy class.
See, it is hard to think scientifically when person A says to you "There are eight colors in the spectrum of visible light: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet, and octarine."
And you respond "Octarine is fiction!"
And the other in this dialog responds "No it is NOT! I really, really believe in magic! It's my religion so you cannot tell me it's wrong!" And then goes and gets thier legislature to pass a law that requires the teaching of "Octarine Theory".
See, we cannot allow religion, faith, belief, and etiquette to prevent us from pointing at what is wrong and calling it out and then explaining why something else is right. If feelings get hurt and values systems get shaken so be it, but if we want to promote science then we must not let fantasy get in the way.
---sung to the tune of Woody Guthrie's Hard Travelling
D
Diebold's stealing elections, I thought you knowed.
Diebold's stealing elections
A7
on machines with closed source code.
D
We dont need no double dealing,
G
electronic vote stealing.
A7
Diebold's stealing elections,
D
Lord.
Diebold's stealing our votes, the right that makes us free.
Diebold's stealing our votes, oh cant you see.
How can they say I'm free if their machines can vote for me?
Diebold's stealing our votes, Lord.
Diebold's stealing our votes, I thoought you knowed.
They've been shredding the paper trail at the end of the road.
It doesn't matter who you choose, when you're sure you're gonna lose.
Diebold's stealing our votes, Lord.
I'm gonna vote with pen and paper I thought you knowed.
I'm gonna see it counted at the end of the road.
I'm gonna vote with pen and paper so I know that there's a record.
And I'm gonna go vote my conscience Lord.
A quick couple of notes (so to speak)...
The chords are right as far as I know. The words are mine, though they dont fit quite right in all the places. Either apply Tom Leherer's rule that "it doesnt even matter if you fit a few extra syllables into a line" or use the folk process to make it fit so you can sing it.
Also, I've got one line with no verse to put around it...
"Voting wont be so scary if the countings not binary"
The main thrust of this song is to educate and protest on the issue of electronic voting. I am a New York State resident and for those who dont know we are being sued by the feds to upgrade our nice mechanical voting machines to electronic voting. If we do not they are going to withhold federal money for the upkeep of our voting system. This is blackmail, the same kind of blackmail that was used to put the 55 mph speed limit in place.
Our voting machines have worked for a century with the same design. We trust them to do the job and know where the flaws and weak spots in the security are. We, as a group, when polled, do not show a desire to change the system at this point and our state voting commission and legeslative review boards have rejected electronic voting as an unsecure and immature technology. The peculiarities of how a state does it's voting is a state's right to decide, which is why different states have different rules about every aspect of the electoral process. Some states are proportional, some are by district. Some states use machines and others use punchcards. Election laws are made at the local level.
The lawsuit by the federal government smacks of blackmail and manipulation. Why is the federal gov trying to control the electoral process at the local level? What do they hope to gain?
Your point would be valid except that I'm not dealing with one individual when I negotiate, I am dealing with a WHOLE ORGANIZATION of people called a corporation. They have far more man hours and resources than I do when it comes to the bargaining table and a far better idea of what the rest of the potetial employees are asking for. Often times people are laid off and replaced with younger people who dont command the same salary. If you would face a street gang on your own then you have a point. Otherwise you're just a damn scab.
It would have worked if people had bought the products from union shops. Instead they all went and bought from Payless and WalMArt
Sure, IT workers LOVE to change jobs, they dont WANT job security. They'd rather be the migrant workers of the middle class.
I do not recall the exact quote but it goes something like this...
"When they cam for the Jews, I said nothing. When they came for the Gypsies, I said nothing. When they came for the Communists I said nothing. When they came for me there was no one left to speak for me."
Freedom in the United States has been losing a war of attrition. When the property rights of those who use drugs and prostitutes were trampled with seizure laws no one spoke up. Now the government and big business have moved on and now have the philosophical and legal precedents to seize underdeveloped, privately owned property if they feel they can use the land better than the current owenrs. When they took the house of the pot grower and auctioned it before trial no one spoke up. When they sold the car of the guy soliciting a prostitute before trial no one spoke up. Now when they take the houses of the middle class to build hotels there are fewer left to speak.
When the pornographers were attacked and forced to put their racy magazine covers inside black bags they were left to fend for themselves. When the flag burners were fighting for the right to express anger and disssatisfaction they were thrown to the wolves. Now the legal and philosophical precedents are in place for censoring what you see and say.
Imagine your rights as a man in chainmail. The chainmail suit is the actions of all those who exercise their rights with each link in the chain a different variation, a different reason, a different point of view. Eliminate JUST ONE LINK and it becomes easier dagger of facist totalitarianism to find its mark and penetrate to your very heart.
It is the responsibility of all who want to see forum access remain in libraries to fight unjust flag laws. It is the same damn issue and we cannot make rules by special cases and half-complete reasoning. If you want to be free of unreasonable searches by DVD-sniffing dogs then you must defend the rights of drug dealers against unreasonable property seizure. It's all the same issues.
And BTW, if they first ask you to register your guns, then to license your guns...where do you think this is going?
I could never figure out how I could leave for work 10 minutes earlier and still get there at the same damn time. I knew traffic patterns were killing my commute time.
Doesn't copyright law protect derivative work? You cant resell pictures from Life Magazine, but you can use them to make a collage and sell that? It's something like that...'cause I'm pretty sure you can use less than 30 seconds of video for almost anything, no matter who owns it.
An xbox360 at best buy costs $399.99--unless you go for the lesser core system for $299.99
I can only assume that a ps3 will be in that higher price range, around $400 to $500 at release (and as a side note thats when MS will drop the 360's price, or offer free games with it, or free xbox live or something).
A Mac Mini costs $599.99 and can dual boot into windows and then run all those MS compatible games.
I think a lot of people are going to consider the nextgen consoles way too expensive for too few features and opt for a Nintendo Revolution as Nintendo seems to be the "baragain label" these days.
In a lot of states it is illegal to do things that require you to take your hands away from controlling the vehicle. Eating, drinking, turning the pages of a book, reading a ticket, masturbating, are all illegal under these laws.
Hams have been doing email over packet radio since the 70's! They've also been doing wireless email over radio teletype before that! And if the issue is the portable receiver then I must still stand by those who were using tandy handhelds for packet.
Upon discovery of the blue ring NASA administrators immediatly began a search for an Astroproctologist.
I have to disagree. One of the major things that keeps me on Windows is the availability of gaming software. Dell might offer linux systems, BSD systems, Be OS systems, or OS/X systems and I would still need to have a large windows partition so I could use entertainment software.
I have spent a good part of today deliberating on this story and have constructed a carefully reasoned and highly cogent argument against the bill. It follows in the next paragraph.
Fuck that noise.
I feel that my reasoning is plain and does not require explanation.
For those with questions I refer you to the Declaration of Independence, the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights, and the Colonial Revolution of 1776.
Here's a test case...
If I post on a Wiki entry about a senator saying I feel they are too biased on some issue and then the Senator's staff changes my post...is that a violation of my civil rights? Is that an example of the government violating the First Amendment? The staffers are paid from federal funds and are part of the government. It seems to me like the act of changing the wiki might be unconstitutional on the grounds that 1)it abridges freedom of speech and 2)it is a case of congress overstepping it's authority. Congress is not authorized to take direct action, that's for the police and military which are controlled by the executive branch.
But! IANAL
I love living in the USA controlled by monied interests and the Republican party. They foster such an honest, compassionate, and responsible atmosphere for civil discourse.
Torture, lying, spying on citizens, the list of crimes Bush is responsible for goes on and on. Would someone give this guy a blowjob already so we can impeach him?
Can we get you guys to test the myth of the power of prayer?
See, now here's the thing. When Congress hears about new tv's with better pictures they say "ooo, how much?" If you ask them about subsidies to advance fuel cell technology and build the infrastructure to support such a move you get hand wringing and fear.
I know that HDTV will allow me to see more flags on stage during election seasons. The screen is wider, therefore...more flags per appearance. And I know HOW importatant that is.
Maybe someday, when we have a courageous and attentive public, we will be able to change the disturbing game we have for politics. Personally, I would prefer that the money be spent on developing alternative energy sources like solar and wind and developing our irrigation infrastructure, concentrate on how to convert that energy and water into hydrogen at the filling station, and then figure out how to retrofit all those cars on the road. It could be a glorious, revitalizing, World War II style public works project that could change the face of the world.
Oh wait...I can spend money on saving the world...or onb getting better images of war on HDTV. I wonder how many embedds are already carrying HDTV cameras?
Things I have thought I would want there...
An axe...get a good single bit two handed axe, learn to use it properly. It can serve as many kinds of hammers and has a nice sharp edge for all sorts of cutting.
Cooking pots, the deep kind
Rolls of clear plastic sheeting, with this and the cooking pots above you can distill water
Solar cells, batteries, power inverter, power tools, windmills?, hand tools,
First aid gear, dont stop with bandages and peroxide. Get some of the more advanced stuff, learn to use it. During the recovery you're going to be seeing all sorts of construction site kinds of injuries.
Rope. Lots. Rope is important for heavy lifting and semi permanent construction. So, prolly lots of clothesline and a few hundred feet of 1/2inch sisal.
Lumber. Tents.
Scuba gear. I know, it sounds funny, but the ability to go into the bottom of a flooded basdement and stay there will be very useful.
It really depends on your plan of action. What role do you plan to fill? If you go to build homes you should bring different things than if you were going to open a shelter or a free kitchen.
On the other hand...almost anything you bring will be needed.
If I understand correctly these kids were required to accept the laptops. And they were required to accept the license. And then, the admin password was supplied to them.
If I were the defense team I would be arguing entrapment. It seems to me that the students were put in a situation by the authorities where they were being put in a position to commit a crime. In fact, it seems fair to say that since the password was supplied with the laptop there was no way for the students to know that using it was banned.
It's the same reason cops cant go out and actively sell drugs and arrest people. They cannot initiate the illegal activity. They cannot coerce you to do0 something you would not normally do. If I go to the hooker, I can be arrested. If she comes to me, then no. I think. IANAL.
So, if that principle applies, then yes, stealing the password from the admins desk, file-o-fax, or safety deposit box would be illegal. Reading it from the label on the machine? Sounds to me like a set up.
So, a list of things the admin did wrong that sound actionable...
1)Entrapment
2)Endangerment of a minor by supplying unsecured access to pornography by way of an unregul;ated internet connection.
3)Entering into a contract with a minor.
4)Violation of the DMCA by circumveting digital secrity vis a vis writing the secret admin password on the machine.
I am a professional admin and would happily testify to the deficient nature and incompetent handling of the administrative duties on the part of the school district.
---Gorehog
nt
So, how many editorials has the WSJ published crying about the expense and wasteful nature of Nasa and the space program? Now that we're running launches on a shoestring (also known as the "Quicker, cheaper, faster" policy)things are bound to be slower, less spectacular and more dangerous.
My answer? Say fuck off to these semi literate journalists who cant remeber past their last bowel movement. I'm tired of listening to these op-ed managers put a timetable on science and invention. They act like cost overruns at NASA are big news. These are the same people who vote down school budgets and then act surprised by large class sizes.
Stupidity, my dear editorialist, DOES invalidate your opinion.
Could get personla? For 10's of years now I've been recieving advertising mail that says things like "[myname] you may have won [prize]" and "[myname] has been pre-approved. Personalized advertising hardly seems new.
The FCC might seem like it's putting itself out of business by deregulating some bandwidth but the nature of radio is that those frequencies are scarce. No matter how much digital encoding and adaptive technology that is used there will still be legit uses for wireless analog communications at high power. Therefore there will always be a need for some regulation of the wireless spectrum and a need for some governing body to decide what is allowed where and how much.
Now, the question is, will the FCC become irrelevant. Well, if current governmental trends continue then no. The current feds will NOT give up their current moral valve that the FCC provides. The FCC may become absorbed by the FTC or the Dept of Homeland Defense, or it's responsibilites split between them but be sure that the government will not give up it's eminent domain over the radio spectrum because they want to control availability and content.
Another thing to consider is all the other nations that have not given up their regulations over wireless communications. The brits still license TV recievers and most nations license their Ham Radio operators. The FCC will not disappear until there is no international need for them.
So sez KC2MMW.
73's
Yeah, I was wondering when people would realize that the challenge of the hydrogen infrastructure is bullshit.
I mean...you can get hydrogen from water. I've never seen a gas station that lacks water OR electricity...so how hard is it REALLY to supply hydrogen at every gas staion in america?