"It does if you're doing a "Boston Tea Party/Rodney King" defense as part of your argument."
I still don't think so. I can't speak to the Boston Tea Party, because it happened so long ago that I don't really know the circumstances. History isn't alwyas what we are taught in class. And I don't condone what happened after the Rodney King verdict. I did not agree with the verdict, and I can understand why people rioted as a result. But I still don't condone it. I remember footage of people being dragged out of their cars and beaten during that riot. That isn't right and it had nothing to do with the case.
I am not a pacifist. I think there are times when violence is necessary. But it is necessary in far fewer cases than it is used.
"Simple. We fix, they blow it up. Yes it does get back to that whole "mismanagment" issue, but the blame isn't a black and white issue."
I don't have a crystal ball that lets me see alternate realities. But the US had an opportunity, right after the fall of Baghdad, to impose order. Instead our soldiers stood by while museums, govt. buildings, hospitals, etc. were looted and vandalized. First we kept the Iraqi army, then we disbanded it (sending thousands of armed men away without a job), then we tried to reconstitute it. If we had established law and order when we had the chance, we would not be in the situation we are in today.
I agree that blame is not black and white. But I think this situation is largely our responsibility, since we chose to start it. Difficult situation? Absolutely. But that is just one more reason to not have done it to begin with. I can't cut the US much slack, as this was not a necessary war, but a chioce.
This is a great post, and I appreciate your sharing your views. I do not often hear from people "on the ground". You make good points and I believe you when you say that the US military is professional. You guys do an important job that I, frankly, would not want to do. But I am concerned that not every person is as professional as you are. I am also concerned that things can get out of hand and that many situations are quite open to interpretation.
If someone is pointing a gun at you, you probably do have to shoot them. Not too much interpretation there. But governments around the world, including the US govt., have a history of misusing power and classifying protesters as "rioters" or worse. We have seen many examples of police and soldiers overreacting to situations. Kent State and all that kind of stuff. Although, perhaps this microwave thingy would have helped in that situation.
Basically, I hold our men and women in uniform in high regard, but I don't trust our civilian leadership one bit. And I know how clashes between citizens and the authorities can get out of control. Anyway, thanks again for your perspective. And thanks for doing the job you do. I hope, in the future, our government has better reasons for sending people like you into harm's way.
"For all the sympathy we're supposed to have for 'innocent bystanders' accidentally caught in this weapon's area of effect, I don't see a SINGLE post suggesting sympathy for the people whose businesses, cars, property, and yes, even LIVES are threatened/damaged/ruined by the rioters."
This is a good point, and a view that is probably underrepresented here. The act of rioting does not deserve a defense. I don't condone violence in response to a problem. But it is useful to ask why a riot happens. Sometimes it is as you say; a group of unemployed vandals or a pack of boneheaded sports fans after a Superbowl win.
In the case of Iraq though, I think a lot of the rioting is a result of our negligence and mismanagement. That is why so many here have the reaction they do. The US military never established order. There has been looting, rioting, and lawlessness in Iraq from the moment we toppled the government there. We had a responsibility to establish law and order and we didn't do it. Now, as a result of this and the fact that clean water and electricity are in short supply, we have rioting. In response to this, we are developing new weapons, but having very little honest discussion of why the riots are happening.
I agree with you that riot control is necessary in the short term. But more important in the short, medium, and long term is to understand why people are so upset that they riot.
"As long as they don't abuse it, I don't see what the problem is."
That's the thing though. How do we know it won't be abused? Really, the same thing could be said about anything from drugs to guns to government power. It's not the substance, object, or power, but the abuse of it. Personally, there is not much I have a problem with, as long as it's not abused. But with the general attitude of soldiers regarding the enemy, or police regarding criminals or protesters, I am not confident this would not be abused.
Though not the thrust of your post, cars have actually changed quite a bit in 50 years. Yes, they still use internal combustion engines, have four wheels, seats, and a steering wheel. But that's about all that modern cars have in common with cars of the 50's. I drive a 1991 Honda, and if it weren't paid for and so cheap to maintain, I'd get a new car in a heartbeat. Air bags, anti-lock brakes, and a more powerful engine are reasons enough.
Good points. I was wondering myself why these people didn't just reinstall the OS. Doing that and reloading all of the programs shouldn't take more than a few hours. A pain in the neck, yes, but much better than buying a new machine! And yes, a Mac Mini would solve a lot of these people's problems. That's my advice to anyone who complains to me about infected machines. Few listen, but the ones that do are glad they did.
If you have a volume license key, there is no activation. You just type it in and go. We use Ghost in conjunction with the Sysprep utility, and it works fine.
I'm not sure we would see a worldwide depression. Think of all the new products to be created and sold! The status quo would change, yes. But I'm not sure that would be a bad thing for most people.
You have hit it right on the head. We are lied to to take us into a war, in which thousands of people are killed and an entire region is put at risk. Most Americans are not too concerned. Congress dilutes our ability to declare bankrupcy, and people hardly notice. But gasoline hits $2.25 a gallon and people are pissed!
The people and groups in power today can only retain their power by keeping the "bread and circuses" coming. This is why the Bush administration has never really asked anything of the American people. We are in a very costly war, but to look around you wouldn't know it (outside military families of course). There is no rationing, no sacrifice. That's why people put up with it. But I think those in power have put us on an unsustainable trajectory. This means that sooner or later the bread and circuses will end, and there will be hell to pay.
As a general rule, I use at least two drives. I have three in my G4 PowerMac at the moment. What I love about multiple drives on the Mac is that you can install a system on more than one and boot to it if one drive fails. Yes, this can be done on a PC, but not without fussing with the boot.ini file and the like, IIRC. On a Mac it is quite easy to boot into a different system; either through the control panel, or by having it search available drives for bootable systems!
That, and his desk is entirely too clean. And my desk is also starting to bow from the weight of my massive 20" CRT. It was free, so the price was right.
You definitely have a point, but I think that aesthetics can certainly play a part in a computer purchace. No, you don't walk into a store an pick the shiniest computer. But making something visually appealing makes it more appealing in general. Advertisers know this, and so does Apple. There are hot women in beer ad's. They have nothing to do with the beer, and you don't necessarily think about them in the store, but the image influences your thinking nonetheless. The auto industry works alot like this too; using imagery, styling, and suggestion to make cars more appealing.
In Apple's case, they are always looking for ways to differentiate themselves from other computers. Slick case design is a way to do this. Frankly, Apple's case design is often functionally superior as well, but I digress. Apple products have a reputation for being hip and cool. That makes them more appealing on an emotional level. And that does sell computers.
Please provide support for small form factor (akin to the Mini) PC's being "all the rage". They have existed for many years, yes, but they still represent a slice of the PC world. Apple has historically had success with form factors that never caught on in the PC world (eg. all-in-one Mac Classic, iMac, etc). I would not be surprised if Apple succeeds with the Mac Mini, while this new Intel box fades into memory. Because, as you say, it's nothing new in the PC world.
"Now, the keyboard doesn't map well, there is several important characters that I am unable to type"
There is a little program called Keycaps that should let you know the default mappings of the keys and their modifier keys on the keyboard. There are also language packs that can be installed from the OS X CD.
Your wireless card definitely has drivers. Nothing ships with a Mac that has no drivers; they're part of the OS install. If the wireless card isn't working, it may be a hardware issue. Check with Apple for a warranty repair.
A little OT, but my favorite part of Offline Files is when I'm not connected to any network and the system tells me that synchronization completed successfully. So confidence inspiring!
That's right, just keep shooting the messenger. Just once I'd like to hear a conservative argue a point on the merits, rather than impugning the integrity of the source.
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I still don't think so. I can't speak to the Boston Tea Party, because it happened so long ago that I don't really know the circumstances. History isn't alwyas what we are taught in class. And I don't condone what happened after the Rodney King verdict. I did not agree with the verdict, and I can understand why people rioted as a result. But I still don't condone it. I remember footage of people being dragged out of their cars and beaten during that riot. That isn't right and it had nothing to do with the case.
I am not a pacifist. I think there are times when violence is necessary. But it is necessary in far fewer cases than it is used.
"Simple. We fix, they blow it up. Yes it does get back to that whole "mismanagment" issue, but the blame isn't a black and white issue."
I don't have a crystal ball that lets me see alternate realities. But the US had an opportunity, right after the fall of Baghdad, to impose order. Instead our soldiers stood by while museums, govt. buildings, hospitals, etc. were looted and vandalized. First we kept the Iraqi army, then we disbanded it (sending thousands of armed men away without a job), then we tried to reconstitute it. If we had established law and order when we had the chance, we would not be in the situation we are in today.
I agree that blame is not black and white. But I think this situation is largely our responsibility, since we chose to start it. Difficult situation? Absolutely. But that is just one more reason to not have done it to begin with. I can't cut the US much slack, as this was not a necessary war, but a chioce.
If someone is pointing a gun at you, you probably do have to shoot them. Not too much interpretation there. But governments around the world, including the US govt., have a history of misusing power and classifying protesters as "rioters" or worse. We have seen many examples of police and soldiers overreacting to situations. Kent State and all that kind of stuff. Although, perhaps this microwave thingy would have helped in that situation.
Basically, I hold our men and women in uniform in high regard, but I don't trust our civilian leadership one bit. And I know how clashes between citizens and the authorities can get out of control. Anyway, thanks again for your perspective. And thanks for doing the job you do. I hope, in the future, our government has better reasons for sending people like you into harm's way.
In response to your sig: Don't be alarmed now. It's just a spring clean for the May Queen.
Oh, and all you jingoistic conservative mouth-breathers can suck my balls.
This is a good point, and a view that is probably underrepresented here. The act of rioting does not deserve a defense. I don't condone violence in response to a problem. But it is useful to ask why a riot happens. Sometimes it is as you say; a group of unemployed vandals or a pack of boneheaded sports fans after a Superbowl win.
In the case of Iraq though, I think a lot of the rioting is a result of our negligence and mismanagement. That is why so many here have the reaction they do. The US military never established order. There has been looting, rioting, and lawlessness in Iraq from the moment we toppled the government there. We had a responsibility to establish law and order and we didn't do it. Now, as a result of this and the fact that clean water and electricity are in short supply, we have rioting. In response to this, we are developing new weapons, but having very little honest discussion of why the riots are happening.
I agree with you that riot control is necessary in the short term. But more important in the short, medium, and long term is to understand why people are so upset that they riot.
That's the thing though. How do we know it won't be abused? Really, the same thing could be said about anything from drugs to guns to government power. It's not the substance, object, or power, but the abuse of it. Personally, there is not much I have a problem with, as long as it's not abused. But with the general attitude of soldiers regarding the enemy, or police regarding criminals or protesters, I am not confident this would not be abused.
Though not the thrust of your post, cars have actually changed quite a bit in 50 years. Yes, they still use internal combustion engines, have four wheels, seats, and a steering wheel. But that's about all that modern cars have in common with cars of the 50's. I drive a 1991 Honda, and if it weren't paid for and so cheap to maintain, I'd get a new car in a heartbeat. Air bags, anti-lock brakes, and a more powerful engine are reasons enough.
Good points. I was wondering myself why these people didn't just reinstall the OS. Doing that and reloading all of the programs shouldn't take more than a few hours. A pain in the neck, yes, but much better than buying a new machine! And yes, a Mac Mini would solve a lot of these people's problems. That's my advice to anyone who complains to me about infected machines. Few listen, but the ones that do are glad they did.
If you have a volume license key, there is no activation. You just type it in and go. We use Ghost in conjunction with the Sysprep utility, and it works fine.
Woo hoo! Free neutrons!
I'm not sure we would see a worldwide depression. Think of all the new products to be created and sold! The status quo would change, yes. But I'm not sure that would be a bad thing for most people.
That's great, except TFA was about software...
Hey, it's their funeral...
You have hit it right on the head. We are lied to to take us into a war, in which thousands of people are killed and an entire region is put at risk. Most Americans are not too concerned. Congress dilutes our ability to declare bankrupcy, and people hardly notice. But gasoline hits $2.25 a gallon and people are pissed!
The people and groups in power today can only retain their power by keeping the "bread and circuses" coming. This is why the Bush administration has never really asked anything of the American people. We are in a very costly war, but to look around you wouldn't know it (outside military families of course). There is no rationing, no sacrifice. That's why people put up with it. But I think those in power have put us on an unsustainable trajectory. This means that sooner or later the bread and circuses will end, and there will be hell to pay.
As a general rule, I use at least two drives. I have three in my G4 PowerMac at the moment. What I love about multiple drives on the Mac is that you can install a system on more than one and boot to it if one drive fails. Yes, this can be done on a PC, but not without fussing with the boot.ini file and the like, IIRC. On a Mac it is quite easy to boot into a different system; either through the control panel, or by having it search available drives for bootable systems!
That's just freakin' hilarious.
That, and his desk is entirely too clean. And my desk is also starting to bow from the weight of my massive 20" CRT. It was free, so the price was right.
In Apple's case, they are always looking for ways to differentiate themselves from other computers. Slick case design is a way to do this. Frankly, Apple's case design is often functionally superior as well, but I digress. Apple products have a reputation for being hip and cool. That makes them more appealing on an emotional level. And that does sell computers.
I just read that back. Jeez, can I say "PC World" one more time?? ;-P
Please provide support for small form factor (akin to the Mini) PC's being "all the rage". They have existed for many years, yes, but they still represent a slice of the PC world. Apple has historically had success with form factors that never caught on in the PC world (eg. all-in-one Mac Classic, iMac, etc). I would not be surprised if Apple succeeds with the Mac Mini, while this new Intel box fades into memory. Because, as you say, it's nothing new in the PC world.
Good point. In addition, from a hardware standpoint, I doubt Apple is on Intel's radar screen at all.
There is a little program called Keycaps that should let you know the default mappings of the keys and their modifier keys on the keyboard. There are also language packs that can be installed from the OS X CD.
Your wireless card definitely has drivers. Nothing ships with a Mac that has no drivers; they're part of the OS install. If the wireless card isn't working, it may be a hardware issue. Check with Apple for a warranty repair.
A little OT, but my favorite part of Offline Files is when I'm not connected to any network and the system tells me that synchronization completed successfully. So confidence inspiring!
Interesting idea. Do you like being a consumer as opposed to a citizen?
Thanks! I appreciate the recognition. Got mod points? ;-)
That's right, just keep shooting the messenger. Just once I'd like to hear a conservative argue a point on the merits, rather than impugning the integrity of the source.