1) I think it's great for purely economic reasons. I intend to get a fully electric vehicle (hopefully the Tesla Model S gets good reviews). Also, as I turn more and more into my father, I don't have to go ballistic when the lights get left on. It will pay for itself in about 8 to 10 years, after that, it's gravy.
2) I received a 30% tax credit without which I wouldn't have done the project.
3) I think overall it's a good long-term investment both for myself and society. Ten years goes by faster than people think and if we all started converting to solar we'd need less and less energy. Combined with advances in electric cars we could wave goodbye to middle east and oil-funded nuttiness. Better investment on that front I think than blowing holes in sand.
4) I don't really buy AGW (one way or the other), and I didn't do it remotely for that reason. I do believe it is apparent we have limited fossil energy and that prices can only rise there.
5) I also support nuclear, but given Fukushima, that is sadly dead for another couple decades.
The US could eliminate our deficits immediately by cutting our Pentagon/CIA budget to under $300B a year from its current $TRILLION+, and soon pay off the accumulated debt with the surplus.
Ummm, no. Our deficit in 2010 was $1,560B. The DOD was $664B. The CIA budget is classified, but $50B is a good guess.
Eliminating both entirely would only remove half the deficit. Those are real numbers. $TRILLIONS is not.
I concur strongly with cutting defense to, well, actually defending the borders. I also believe we need to raise taxes a bit. To actually reduce the deficit we'll need to cut else where as well.
But using inaccuracy and hyperbole will not make the case.
The exceptions are the games that I know aren't going to drop much in price on the used market anyway. A high rated Mario/Donkey Kong game? The used prices are going to be so close to new prices for years, I might as well just buy new. Nintendo has found the best way to reduce used game sales. Create quality games with a lot of replay value.
This is simply incorrect on the face of it. Released in 2007, Super Mario Galaxy goes for around $20 on Ebay. The sequel, SMG2, goes for around $30 used, being about a year old. This is a 40% discount. Both games were very highly rated.
what do I care how much the developer got paid for it? I just care about it being good value for money if and when I buy it, like I could care less whether or not the artist got paid when I buy a CD - it's their contract, they can negotiate it....
That there might be other people who are developers reading? That you are actually interested in how people get paid? The mildest curiosity perhaps?
Not all his points held equal gravitas, but to dismiss them out of hand is like going on a knitting board and saying that while I like sweaters, I have no interest in hearing how the yarn they use is made.
There are around 150,000 troops in Iraq/Afghanistan. We have bases all over the world. We are currently bombing other nations (Libya/Yemen/Somalia). We have bases in over a hundred other countries around the world.
When put next to, british, australian, french, and german engineers and accountants, even the ones who've come from fancy american universities, seem almost retarded in comparison. (I said engineers and accountants as they're the ones I primarily come into contact with)
Two possibilities leap to mind:
1) You are receiving a general sample and they are generally retarded.
2) Only the retarded ones would leave the US and/or work for your company.
Consequently, to maybe 50% of the U.S. population, Al Gore is first and foremost a "Democrat" and therefore the enemy. This makes it incredibly easy to ignore everything he says as lies and liberal propaganda.
Probably more like a very vocal 10% of the population. Most simply don't care.
And then there's the converse, like my mother-in-law, who literally said to me once "If Al Gore supports it, then I'll vote for it. Good enough for me."
The last was about ten years ago when some moron put that The Lone Gunmen were killed off in X-Files in the story title. Before it had aired on the West Coast. And this is well after TIVO was alive. I sat down to the TV, pulled out my laptop, and... boom. I can't remember the editor's name, but *ZAP*.
It's mainly backed by the expectation that the US will honor its debts in the future, and will be able to do so because the US economy is productive enough to provide the resources to do that
Perhaps we should stop growing our debt dramatically faster than our GDP if that is our intent.
I do not want to have to take my cell or my remote with me to the bathroom to turn on the light. I do not want them to be automatic because I want to go into the bathroom and then turn on the light so I do not wake up my wife.
Bush cannot run for a third term as President. He can run as Vice President and replace the President; however, he can only hold the Office of President for 2 years.
The other option is to stop spending so much on the military so they can afford to take care of their own people without worrying about the budget ceiling all the time.
That ship has sailed. The deficit is over twice DOD spending. Interest on the debt alone is a third again of DOD levels, and that's at record low interest rates.
Those in Washington probably figure the military will be needed when the populace finally figures out there is no way to continue all the spending, like Greece.
Of course, if you think their is a global climate conspiracy, then there is no way to convince you otherwise. So enjoy your beliefs. I'm sticking with the science.
On the other hand, record snowfalls in other areas of the planet are ignored. You don't get to cherry pick a location (the arctic) and a time period (twenty years) and call it global warming.
"Apart from the increase in thyroid cancer after childhood exposure, no increases in overall cancer incidence or mortality have been observed that could be attributed to ionizing radiation. The risk of leukemia, one of the main concerns (leukemia is the first cancer to appear after radiation exposure, because of its short latency time of 2 to 10 years), does not appear to be elevated, even among the recovery operation workers. Neither is there any proof of other non-malignant disorders that are related to ionizing radiation. However, there were widespread psychological reactions to the accident, which were due to fear of the radiation, not to actual radiation doses."
People's fear is very real and important. But it's not substantiated by facts.
I'm a proponent of nuclear energy. There isn't a whole lot of choice in the short term if we're going to move away from fossil fuels.
I'm also, however, a survivor of thyroid cancer. It's not something I'd set apart in any study of negative effects. It's not the worst as far as cancers go, but it's certainly a significantly negative life altering event.
Regarding Steam, I had a problem with the DRM on one of the games they sell. It was a common problem reported in their forums, and I contacted them regarding a return within 12 hours of purchase.
I learned that it is not their policy to do returns for non-functioning software. And if you do a chargeback on your credit card they close your account... and you lose access to your entire library.
I found that if you push you can get your money back "this one-time". It took some effort in emails. This is fine... I just don't buy from Steam if there are alternatives.
Slashdot Mirror
Coalition of the Unwilling
A few things that might be interesting...
1) I think it's great for purely economic reasons. I intend to get a fully electric vehicle (hopefully the Tesla Model S gets good reviews). Also, as I turn more and more into my father, I don't have to go ballistic when the lights get left on. It will pay for itself in about 8 to 10 years, after that, it's gravy.
2) I received a 30% tax credit without which I wouldn't have done the project.
3) I think overall it's a good long-term investment both for myself and society. Ten years goes by faster than people think and if we all started converting to solar we'd need less and less energy. Combined with advances in electric cars we could wave goodbye to middle east and oil-funded nuttiness. Better investment on that front I think than blowing holes in sand.
4) I don't really buy AGW (one way or the other), and I didn't do it remotely for that reason. I do believe it is apparent we have limited fossil energy and that prices can only rise there.
5) I also support nuclear, but given Fukushima, that is sadly dead for another couple decades.
The US could eliminate our deficits immediately by cutting our Pentagon/CIA budget to under $300B a year from its current $TRILLION+, and soon pay off the accumulated debt with the surplus.
Ummm, no. Our deficit in 2010 was $1,560B. The DOD was $664B. The CIA budget is classified, but $50B is a good guess.
Eliminating both entirely would only remove half the deficit. Those are real numbers. $TRILLIONS is not.
I concur strongly with cutting defense to, well, actually defending the borders. I also believe we need to raise taxes a bit. To actually reduce the deficit we'll need to cut else where as well.
But using inaccuracy and hyperbole will not make the case.
My name, email and home address are all over the net, and have been for years. I'm still alive.
And you have lovely hair.
Clinton had 4 years where budget was in surplus and the US was paying down the debt.
This is simply untrue. The debt increased every year.
Saying anything else is Enron accounting and calls deeply into question any source which does so.
The exceptions are the games that I know aren't going to drop much in price on the used market anyway. A high rated Mario/Donkey Kong game? The used prices are going to be so close to new prices for years, I might as well just buy new. Nintendo has found the best way to reduce used game sales. Create quality games with a lot of replay value.
This is simply incorrect on the face of it. Released in 2007, Super Mario Galaxy goes for around $20 on Ebay. The sequel, SMG2, goes for around $30 used, being about a year old. This is a 40% discount. Both games were very highly rated.
what do I care how much the developer got paid for it? I just care about it being good value for money if and when I buy it, like I could care less whether or not the artist got paid when I buy a CD - it's their contract, they can negotiate it....
That there might be other people who are developers reading? That you are actually interested in how people get paid? The mildest curiosity perhaps?
Not all his points held equal gravitas, but to dismiss them out of hand is like going on a knitting board and saying that while I like sweaters, I have no interest in hearing how the yarn they use is made.
There are around 150,000 troops in Iraq/Afghanistan. We have bases all over the world. We are currently bombing other nations (Libya/Yemen/Somalia). We have bases in over a hundred other countries around the world.
When did we stop nation building again?
When put next to, british, australian, french, and german engineers and accountants, even the ones who've come from fancy american universities, seem almost retarded in comparison. (I said engineers and accountants as they're the ones I primarily come into contact with)
Two possibilities leap to mind:
1) You are receiving a general sample and they are generally retarded.
2) Only the retarded ones would leave the US and/or work for your company.
Consequently, to maybe 50% of the U.S. population, Al Gore is first and foremost a "Democrat" and therefore the enemy. This makes it incredibly easy to ignore everything he says as lies and liberal propaganda.
Probably more like a very vocal 10% of the population. Most simply don't care.
And then there's the converse, like my mother-in-law, who literally said to me once "If Al Gore supports it, then I'll vote for it. Good enough for me."
If cops want respect, they should first put their effort into making a government that is respectible. Only then can police be respected.
Theoretically that extends to those paying their salaries... ie: taxes.
Unless you are actively working against it, you are tacitly supporting it every payday.
The last was about ten years ago when some moron put that The Lone Gunmen were killed off in X-Files in the story title. Before it had aired on the West Coast. And this is well after TIVO was alive. I sat down to the TV, pulled out my laptop, and... boom. I can't remember the editor's name, but *ZAP*.
This story makes the second one.
Well, you've convinced me. I'm definitely not voting for Bush in 2012, like I almost did in 2008.
It's mainly backed by the expectation that the US will honor its debts in the future, and will be able to do so because the US economy is productive enough to provide the resources to do that
Perhaps we should stop growing our debt dramatically faster than our GDP if that is our intent.
I do not want to have to take my cell or my remote with me to the bathroom to turn on the light. I do not want them to be automatic because I want to go into the bathroom and then turn on the light so I do not wake up my wife.
I don't even know why we have a bottle!
Bush cannot run for a third term as President. He can run as Vice President and replace the President; however, he can only hold the Office of President for 2 years.
Two more years! Two more years!
The other option is to stop spending so much on the military so they can afford to take care of their own people without worrying about the budget ceiling all the time.
That ship has sailed. The deficit is over twice DOD spending. Interest on the debt alone is a third again of DOD levels, and that's at record low interest rates.
Those in Washington probably figure the military will be needed when the populace finally figures out there is no way to continue all the spending, like Greece.
Of course, if you think their is a global climate conspiracy, then there is no way to convince you otherwise. So enjoy your beliefs. I'm sticking with the science.
On the other hand, record snowfalls in other areas of the planet are ignored. You don't get to cherry pick a location (the arctic) and a time period (twenty years) and call it global warming.
That's not the science you hold dear.
They'll repeal it the second we get Osama.
Chop that defense money down by 50% or more and the USA will be rolling in dough.
The defense budget is about $700B. Half that is $350B.
The deficit (shortfall) is $1.2 trillion.
Cutting the defense department in half is a start. A good and necessary start, but still just a start.
Software patents retarded. Idea obvious. Prior art exists. And so on and so forth...
Dr. Solus??!!
"Apart from the increase in thyroid cancer after childhood exposure, no increases in overall cancer incidence or mortality have been observed that could be attributed to ionizing radiation. The risk of leukemia, one of the main concerns (leukemia is the first cancer to appear after radiation exposure, because of its short latency time of 2 to 10 years), does not appear to be elevated, even among the recovery operation workers. Neither is there any proof of other non-malignant disorders that are related to ionizing radiation. However, there were widespread psychological reactions to the accident, which were due to fear of the radiation, not to actual radiation doses."
People's fear is very real and important. But it's not substantiated by facts.
I'm a proponent of nuclear energy. There isn't a whole lot of choice in the short term if we're going to move away from fossil fuels.
I'm also, however, a survivor of thyroid cancer. It's not something I'd set apart in any study of negative effects. It's not the worst as far as cancers go, but it's certainly a significantly negative life altering event.
I hooked up with an EMS swinger couple under... interesting circumstances... many moons ago.
Being in the health field, they wouldn't even swap saliva without protection. I'm all for cautious, but that was just boring...
Regarding Steam, I had a problem with the DRM on one of the games they sell. It was a common problem reported in their forums, and I contacted them regarding a return within 12 hours of purchase.
I learned that it is not their policy to do returns for non-functioning software. And if you do a chargeback on your credit card they close your account... and you lose access to your entire library.
I found that if you push you can get your money back "this one-time". It took some effort in emails. This is fine... I just don't buy from Steam if there are alternatives.
Im in my 20's so i guess it started with my generation
I just turned 40 and it's nothing new. Welcome to the club.