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User: grainofsand

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Comments · 165

  1. Re:nice on 2011: Record Year For Airline Safety · · Score: 1

    "The stated goal from bin Laden was the destruction of the capitalist monster that is the United States."

    This myth persists but is entirely wrong. bin Laden's clearly stated goals were to force the US to remove its military bases from the Holy Lands and have the US end its support for Israel. Nothing more - nothing less.

    bin Laden made these comments on many many occasions on the record to respected newspapers. Why Americans refuse to accept what he said and instead make it about bin Laden hating "freedom" or "capitalism" is beyond me.

  2. Re:Let me rephrase that on World's Worst PR Guy Gives His Side · · Score: 1

    Always and forever. Politeness goes a long way even in the face of those "screwing you without lube".

    Being polite is not hard at all regardless of the situation.

  3. Re:Footage of Kim on Kim Jong-Il Was an "Internet Expert" · · Score: 1

    "... love clapping".

    Sounds like any RNC / DNC convention then.

  4. Re:Asia goes up! on Apple Outsources A5 Chip Manufacture ... To Texas · · Score: 1

    I don't know who will but I hope that it won't be mine and your children (and so do you).

  5. Re:Asia goes up! on Apple Outsources A5 Chip Manufacture ... To Texas · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Structural unemployment is indeed a natural consequence of the move from primary to secondary and then from secondary to tertiary economies.

    Provide for those who do not neatly fit into the result of the transition and stop demonising unemployment.

  6. Re:Asia goes up! on Apple Outsources A5 Chip Manufacture ... To Texas · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I have been to manufacturing centres (we used to call them factories) and I can promise you we do not want them back nor the jobs.

    When ever I hear someone talking about the loss of manufacturing jobs, especially no-skill or low-skill jobs, I ask them if they hope their own children will one day work in such a job. They always say no.

    Working in a no-skill / low-skill job in a factory is awful. We should not want any part of our labour market filling jobs like those.

  7. Re:Google shouldn't had given them such right on YouTube Says UMG Had No 'Right' To Take Down Megaupload Video · · Score: 1

    No. Universal are arguing that the internal Google system falls outside of the Act.

    From the parent-linked article:

    "Universal said Googleâ(TM)s private system doesnâ(TM)t count as an official takedown notice under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, and thus it was immune from legal liability. Itâ(TM)s a position that Ira Rothken, Megauploadâ(TM)s attorney, said was preposterous."

  8. Re:Google shouldn't had given them such right on YouTube Says UMG Had No 'Right' To Take Down Megaupload Video · · Score: 1

    Indeed there are some sections of the Act that make it less awful than it would be otherwise.

    But my understanding of Universal's in argument in this case is that the internal Google takedown system doesnâ(TM)t count as an official takedown notice under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, and thus Universal is immune from legal liabilityeven if they did "game" the system.

    Obviously Megauploadâ(TM)s attorney argues otherwise.

  9. Re:Comparative Advantage... on Why Amazon Can't Manufacture a Kindle In the US · · Score: 1

    Not better, but cheaper.

    When we all stop demanding the cheapest rather than the best, when we start making spending decisions based on criteria other than simply "cheapest", manufacturing may return to OECD economies.
       

  10. Re:Propaganda Bullshit Disinfo on Pakistan Lets China View US Stealth Technology · · Score: 1

    Why would trying Usama bin Laden be "in the best interests of Afghanistan"?

    He was not an Afghani citizen. He held no public office in that country. He spent time in that country but no one has accused him of committing any crimes against Afghanistan.

    Trying bin Laden may have been in the best interests of the United States but no one I know in Afghanistan wanted him tried there or any where else.

  11. Re:MUCH more to the story than you see on Slashdot on Circuit Flaws Blamed For China Train Crash · · Score: 1

    I think you may have misunderstood what Chinasmack actually does. Fauna does a great job in translating the popular threads on the mainland China BBSs - latest stories, pictures, videos, and topics that are "hot".

    Chinasmack is not a news organisation in any way. Fauna translates what the thread posters said. Chinasmack is not there to "verify" what is being posted but to help outsiders and those without Chinese language skills to understand what is being said / posted on mainland discussion sites.

  12. Re:Just 10 million english searches on Microsoft Partners With Baidu, China's Top Search Engine · · Score: 1

    No one outside of the Baidu management team actually believes that Baidu has anything like an 83% of the search market in China.

  13. Re:Blacklist? on Telstra Starts Implementing Australian Censorship Scheme · · Score: 1

    Far from illegal in most countries?

    No. The majority of the world's countries do indeed have laws preventing the explotation of children in labour, sexually etc.

    Yes there are some countries that have lax child protection laws. But the idea that most countries have yet to legislate to protect children is not supported by fact.

  14. Re:FUCK CHINA on China Blocks Web Searches About Protests · · Score: 0

    95%? Really?

    I know Americans tend to be very proud of their country and its systems, but hyperbole like the 95% claim undermines all that is actually good.

  15. Re:The issue... on Australian Journalist Arrested, Released After Detailing Facebook Flaws · · Score: 1

    Not trying to make any cups of tea here at all. Just correcting the statement that he "was not arrested".

    He was.

  16. Re:The issue... on Australian Journalist Arrested, Released After Detailing Facebook Flaws · · Score: 4, Informative

    In fact he was placed under questioning arrest and taken to a police station.

    He was questioned for an unspecified number of hours and released.

  17. Re:Inevitable on No Pirate Bay for Comcast Customers · · Score: 3, Informative

    " The written contract (which you read and sign) overrules and verbal promises that a salesman or manager tells you."

    Wrong, wrong and wrong. Those "verbal promises" are just as binding (in most US states and most other global common law jurisdictions) as the written / signed document.

    And yes, I am a lawyer.

  18. Re:Exceptions on Why Does the US Cling To Imperial Measurements? · · Score: 1

    Well I live in Shanghai (a non-English speaking country) and my Chinese friends do not use metric when boasting about their members.

    Same in Tokyo, Barcelona and Moscow (other places I have lived).

  19. Exceptions on Why Does the US Cling To Imperial Measurements? · · Score: 1

    There are however notable exceptions.

    The UK is metric with the exception of speeds that are still marked and posted in miles / miles per hour.

    The US is imperial with the exception of powdered drugs which are measured and sold metrically.

    And no matter where you live, a penis is always imperial, never metric. I have no idea why, but saying you have a 12 inch cock sounds better than saying its 30.48 cms.

  20. Very misleading indeed on Is Your Antivirus Made By the Chinese Government? · · Score: 1

    The /. headline screams "Is Your Antivirus Made By the Chinese Government?"

    By the first paragraph that is watered down to an "IT company with close ties to the Chinese military".

    The linked BBC article says nothing about Huawei being government owned, controlled or even related. The only tie the BBC mentions is that Huawei was founded (over 20 years ago) by an "ex-Chinese army officer".

    I am not an apologist for the Chinese government nor am I necessarily in favour of Huawei being able to make investments outside of China but deliberately misleading reporting of reporting does not help anyone's understanding of the issues here.

    The BBC got it right; /. didn't.

         

  21. Re:COPYRIGHT applies only to Commercial Use/Profit on Google Sends Repeat Infringers To Copyright School · · Score: 1

    No. No they are not. They are neither criminals nor offenders at this stage.

    They may be is they are found guilty or plead so in court proceedings, but an accusation alone does not make one a criminal.

    "Alleged offenders" or "alleged criminals" would be more accurate.

  22. Re:Defending Satan on RIM Co-CEO Cries 'No Fair' On Security Question · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Whilst this may be the case in the US (and I am not sure that it is) it is most certainly not the case at the BBC.

    Interview subjects would never be given "a list of questions". They may be provided an overview or outline of the areas to be covered but a list of actual questions would not be provided.

  23. Re:If true... on Chinese Stealth Fighter Jet May Use US Technology · · Score: 1

    And yet I can still read your post from Shanghai.

  24. Re:If true... on Chinese Stealth Fighter Jet May Use US Technology · · Score: 1

    Good news - /. is not blocked in China.

    I am posting from Shanghai and can confirm that /. has not been blocked here for more than five years.

  25. Re:That's CHAIRMAN Hu! on Ballmer Says 90% of Chinese Users Pirate Software · · Score: 3, Informative

    In fact Hu has three official titles:

    General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (since 2002)

    President of the People's Republic of China (since 2003)

    Chairman of the Central Military Commission (since 2004)