Did you happen to see the debate between the Democratic candidates last night? John Edwards (D-SC) laid into Howard Dean for his blatantly ignorant stereotype of Southerners - and he was right on.
Why is the country so hypocritical when it comes to the whole accent thing? Have you ever heard a native Bostonian speak? How about someone that spent their entire life in NYC? Hell, I've heard some midwestern accents that could qualify as a foreign language.
Get over the Southern accent! Holding such a blatant bias against someone because they were raised in the South is quite ignorant.
Yes, he did judge. Had GWB or any other extremist-wacko Christians (no that is *not* redundant) any actual faith in their god, then they would let him do his job and stay the fuck out of his way rather than explicitly violating his orders to promote their hatred.
How (according to your rant above) has GWB been in the way of God? Has he authorized the national guard to harass gays? Has he passed laws against gays? Has he encouraged violence or bigotry agianst gays?
Isn't it actually certain Dems and the homosexual lobby that want anything to actively be done? GWB is leaving the issue alone, IIRC (which leans more toward a Libertarian stance, for those of you that seem to care).
One of the main reasons you think all scientists and techie types are Dems is because you read it here. At my place of employment, an overwhelming majority of the engineers are Republicans (if not pretty conservative).
Also, as professionals whose standard of living is directly related to how hard they work, they probably feel a little closer to the "working-class" folks than someone who either inherited a lot of money or who got a lot of money through luck in business or some similar situation.
I can tell you that the engineers I work with (self included) are not "rich and powerful." And by the way...we bust our asses every day to get the job done. Working is not exclusive to the Democrats. If anything, Republicans want to allow the "working-class" folks to keep more of their money via lower taxes. Just because the super-rich heads of the AFL-CIO and the Teamsters back Dems doesn't mean they're looking out for Joe Six-pack.
Also, don't throw the "we're more logical" arguement out here. It's the rhetorical equivalent of a five year-old yelling "Mine!" about everything they see. "Opinions are like assholes...everyone has got one."
We kick the Iraqi army's ass, and now we're supposed to turn tail and leave? Do you have any idea what would happen to Iraq?
It would implode. Arab extremists would overtake the country in a heartbeat, making Iran look like Sweden by comparison. The right thing to do is to stay there and ensure the country is stabilized before handing over complete control to a national government.
"But they can still vote for their own government" you say. Yeah. UN and Red Cross offices, police stations and hotels - all being bombed regularly. You think a polling place wouldn't become a target?
Sometimes I don't feel like trudging through my CD collection to locate what I want to listen to (besides the fact that doing so would be quite dangerous in Atlanta traffic). Not everyone can afford to purchase an mp3 player, either.
Radio can suck at times, but sometimes a little exploration of the dial reveals a show, or song, or some news - that you're glad you found in the end.
The best part is it's free. Yeah, yeah...you've got to listen to commercials, which may be annoying as hell, but it sure beats paying a monthly bill (cold, hard cash).
That is 50% more than the files at 128 kbit AAC...so you make the call, flexibility or value?
I jumped on the iTunes bandwagon last night and downloaded an album. The music I purchased is filled with rich guitar and a wealth of higher frequency sounds. It sounded ok playing from my PC, so I burned it to CD and listened to it on the way to work.
It sucked. To me, it sounded just slightly better than a 128 kbps mp3. Cymbals would sound washed out at times and the rich guitar that was supposed to be there just didn't cut it. Also, the volume level was extremely low.
I'm guessing there are some settings I can tweak, but I have some doubt as to the quality aspect. Anyone else have a similar experience?
Actually, I've already received an education in electrical engineering. I just wish channels which claim to be "learning" and "discovery" channels would present topics that allow viewers to do just that - learn and discover. Right now, the only thing that's discovered is how to remake a room on a thousand dollars.
Shows presenting real science have aired before, and even succeeded. Other posters have mentioned many.
IIRC, C-SPAN was created because of an agreement between the cable companies and the US government. C-SPAN doens't depend on ratings, they're funded either way.
Ideally, this would be how a science channel would operate as well - no commercials, no fluff, just science. Ahhhhhhh.
Popular Science is the opposite of what I'd want to see. I used to get that magazine, but turned it down because it became too glossed-over. If you're looking for the latest gadget, it's for you. If you really want to learn how the gadget works on a basic level, you're SOL.
The degree to which a comedian is funny is a matter of personal opinion (which by the way has absolutely nothing to do with this topic).
But...I think Conan's funny, and apparently many others do as well. Do I find other types of comedy entertaining? Sure. It's all about my mood at the time.
You're kidding, right? Trading Spaces, American Chopper (which I happen to love, but hate it's on Discovery), and a plethora of "real-life" shows about such scintillating topics as interior decorating and fashion sense.
They have the occasional show that they'll tout as being scientific and educational, but all it does is present glossed-over explanations of the topic at hand. Discovery and TLC have seemingly been lost forever to the entertainment wars.
If this is learning to you, please don't ever become a teacher.
People are people, the whole world over. You've got smart ones, drunk ones, dumb ones...(you get the picture).
I agree that school systems have failed us. They no longer realize that different people have different potentials to do different tasks in life, whether it requires a college education or a five minute introduction to the deep-fryer. All students are pushed into a "college-prep" education; the ones that fail are left by the wayside, rather than determining the best way to make them contributors to society (that came out sounding a little too communistic).
But other than the education system, I think things aren't as dire as you seem to indicate. Take a little Prozac and relax...people are imperfect the world over.
Mass transit, for the most part, just isn't practical in many parts of the US.
Far too much of the population has migrated to the suburbs, making us too spread out for an efficient mass transit system. And this doesn't only go for residents...many businesses have also migrated away from the city in order to avoid higher taxes and to take advantage of cheaper labor.
So let's not jump to conclusions and spew the tired ol' "Americans are lazy" line. Besides, Americans are some of the hardest working people in the world. It's just that in return for our hard work, we want to be able to reap some benefits, such as more isolated living arrangements and a little "alone time" to/from work as we ride in our own cars.
Smaller stores with good products and service have people come in to browse and consume salesperson's time, but then the people go off to the megastore to actually spend money.
Yes, these are the "joys of capitalism." I'm a consumer, and I want product X at the cheapest price. End of story.
Now, having said that, would I choose a mom-and-pop over Wally-World for slightly more? Sure. But I'm in a situation to be able to do so.
And what the hell are you talking about with regards to quality/service/warranty at Wal-Mart? If anything, Wal-Mart is the absolute easiest place to exchange/return goods, and I've never had a problem with service.
Does Wal-Mart look like a swanky uptown retail store? Nope. But who gives a rat's ass? Are you that damn much of a snob that you have to be isolated from "the commoners"?
I'm not in favor of any wealth transfer schemes. But I do have a problem when the wealthy pay a smaller percentage in taxes than the lower and middle classes. [If you want to dispute that, use all taxes in your calculations not just income]
What you're really promoting here is socialism/communism. You fail to recognize that in a capitalistic society, some people will prosper and some will not. This is just a fact of life.
Comparing one rich person to one poor person, there are common needs such as food, medicine, housing, etc. Does the poor person pay more as a percentage of income than the rich person? Yes. So what.
The real solution to the problem you present is to enact a fair tax system, such as a national sales tax. You can make all the money you want, and it's all yours until you go to spend it.
That would make you happy, right? Or does it not fit into your Robin Hood story?
Actually, Pave Low is pretty accurate. His Flaimbate mod and your comment prove that quite clearly.
Your comment (and Pave Low's moderation) also demonstrate how utterly fucking hypocritical most Slashdotters are when moderating. If the tables were turned, and he were saying the same thing WRT Bush he would have been instantly modded up.
Sometimes I am amazed that someone who is so uncurious, poorly educated, and whose greatest accomplishment was stopping drinking at age 40 got himself taken seriously as a candidate.
I'll assume you're a Clinton fan. If you want to get technical about things, the major difference between Bush and Clinton is that Clinton was good at bullshitting, and you obviously took the bait. He was uber-politician and maybe uber-salesman, but not uber-intelligent. After all, who risks a major political scandal by getting a BJ from an intern in the White House - the intelligent guy, or the moron? I'm not talking morals here, but utter stupidity.
I know that I was working a long time before I turned 40.
IIRC, Bush worked in some oil business and was owner of the Texas Rangers baseball team. I don't know his entire work history (which I'm sure you'll share), but he obviously did work.
What does a student need with a graphing calculator anyway? He should be learning to multiply, divide, and take the square roots of insanely large numbers in his head. That's what school is all about.
You're right, that is quite an overstatement. Granted, high school students should learn the basics before going on to graphing, but that already takes place by way of the order of math courses. By the time a student reaches calculus and physics, a graphing calculator is an invaluable tool to demonstrate graphing techniques "live."
And the TIs I have owned have been great, doing exactly what I needed them to do. In engineering school, those I knew that had HPs were doing no more than I was. The difference was they had to battle through an HP manual to figure out how to do it.
Creative Loafing is a mag circulated in the greater Atlanta/Athens, Georgia area. Bob Barr easily won elections in his conservatively mapped district until the Democrats in the Georgia legislature mapped his district so he had little chance of winning. For this reason, it makes the article applicable to residents of the Atlanta area.
Also, Barr does carry significant weight among conservative individuals, and his position on this issue could be quite influental.
If that mother disconnects the cablemodem, one more kid from the next generation will be lost.
So who are you really - Gates, Dell? Come one, you can tell us. And where did you get your marketing degree?
Seriously...a 12 year old without internet is hardly the end of the world. Your statement is the equivalent of someone in the 1930s saying "If that mother doesn't have a television set, one more kid from the next generation will be lost."
Interesting. I commented several days ago about how the mom in public housing that is paying for broadband internet (the one with the daughter that's being sued by the RIAA) should re-prioritize.
I was quickly flamed, parent gets "Funny." Can anyone say double standard?
Slashdot Mirror
Sorry, had to say it.
Damn, and not even anonymously!
Did you happen to see the debate between the Democratic candidates last night? John Edwards (D-SC) laid into Howard Dean for his blatantly ignorant stereotype of Southerners - and he was right on.
Why is the country so hypocritical when it comes to the whole accent thing? Have you ever heard a native Bostonian speak? How about someone that spent their entire life in NYC? Hell, I've heard some midwestern accents that could qualify as a foreign language.
Get over the Southern accent! Holding such a blatant bias against someone because they were raised in the South is quite ignorant.
How (according to your rant above) has GWB been in the way of God? Has he authorized the national guard to harass gays? Has he passed laws against gays? Has he encouraged violence or bigotry agianst gays?
Isn't it actually certain Dems and the homosexual lobby that want anything to actively be done? GWB is leaving the issue alone, IIRC (which leans more toward a Libertarian stance, for those of you that seem to care).
One of the main reasons you think all scientists and techie types are Dems is because you read it here. At my place of employment, an overwhelming majority of the engineers are Republicans (if not pretty conservative).
Also, as professionals whose standard of living is directly related to how hard they work, they probably feel a little closer to the "working-class" folks than someone who either inherited a lot of money or who got a lot of money through luck in business or some similar situation.
I can tell you that the engineers I work with (self included) are not "rich and powerful." And by the way...we bust our asses every day to get the job done. Working is not exclusive to the Democrats. If anything, Republicans want to allow the "working-class" folks to keep more of their money via lower taxes. Just because the super-rich heads of the AFL-CIO and the Teamsters back Dems doesn't mean they're looking out for Joe Six-pack.
Also, don't throw the "we're more logical" arguement out here. It's the rhetorical equivalent of a five year-old yelling "Mine!" about everything they see. "Opinions are like assholes...everyone has got one."
The link is appended with "&partner=GOOGLE", thereby bypassing the registration process. How can you miss that when you submitted the link yourself?!
We kick the Iraqi army's ass, and now we're supposed to turn tail and leave? Do you have any idea what would happen to Iraq?
It would implode. Arab extremists would overtake the country in a heartbeat, making Iran look like Sweden by comparison. The right thing to do is to stay there and ensure the country is stabilized before handing over complete control to a national government.
"But they can still vote for their own government" you say. Yeah. UN and Red Cross offices, police stations and hotels - all being bombed regularly. You think a polling place wouldn't become a target?
Radio can suck at times, but sometimes a little exploration of the dial reveals a show, or song, or some news - that you're glad you found in the end.
The best part is it's free. Yeah, yeah...you've got to listen to commercials, which may be annoying as hell, but it sure beats paying a monthly bill (cold, hard cash).
I jumped on the iTunes bandwagon last night and downloaded an album. The music I purchased is filled with rich guitar and a wealth of higher frequency sounds. It sounded ok playing from my PC, so I burned it to CD and listened to it on the way to work.
It sucked. To me, it sounded just slightly better than a 128 kbps mp3. Cymbals would sound washed out at times and the rich guitar that was supposed to be there just didn't cut it. Also, the volume level was extremely low.
I'm guessing there are some settings I can tweak, but I have some doubt as to the quality aspect. Anyone else have a similar experience?
Shows presenting real science have aired before, and even succeeded. Other posters have mentioned many.
Ideally, this would be how a science channel would operate as well - no commercials, no fluff, just science. Ahhhhhhh.
But...I think Conan's funny, and apparently many others do as well. Do I find other types of comedy entertaining? Sure. It's all about my mood at the time.
They have the occasional show that they'll tout as being scientific and educational, but all it does is present glossed-over explanations of the topic at hand. Discovery and TLC have seemingly been lost forever to the entertainment wars.
If this is learning to you, please don't ever become a teacher.
I agree that school systems have failed us. They no longer realize that different people have different potentials to do different tasks in life, whether it requires a college education or a five minute introduction to the deep-fryer. All students are pushed into a "college-prep" education; the ones that fail are left by the wayside, rather than determining the best way to make them contributors to society (that came out sounding a little too communistic).
But other than the education system, I think things aren't as dire as you seem to indicate. Take a little Prozac and relax...people are imperfect the world over.
Far too much of the population has migrated to the suburbs, making us too spread out for an efficient mass transit system. And this doesn't only go for residents...many businesses have also migrated away from the city in order to avoid higher taxes and to take advantage of cheaper labor.
So let's not jump to conclusions and spew the tired ol' "Americans are lazy" line. Besides, Americans are some of the hardest working people in the world. It's just that in return for our hard work, we want to be able to reap some benefits, such as more isolated living arrangements and a little "alone time" to/from work as we ride in our own cars.
Yes, these are the "joys of capitalism." I'm a consumer, and I want product X at the cheapest price. End of story.
Now, having said that, would I choose a mom-and-pop over Wally-World for slightly more? Sure. But I'm in a situation to be able to do so.
And what the hell are you talking about with regards to quality/service/warranty at Wal-Mart? If anything, Wal-Mart is the absolute easiest place to exchange/return goods, and I've never had a problem with service.
Does Wal-Mart look like a swanky uptown retail store? Nope. But who gives a rat's ass? Are you that damn much of a snob that you have to be isolated from "the commoners"?
What you're really promoting here is socialism/communism. You fail to recognize that in a capitalistic society, some people will prosper and some will not. This is just a fact of life.
Comparing one rich person to one poor person, there are common needs such as food, medicine, housing, etc. Does the poor person pay more as a percentage of income than the rich person? Yes. So what.
The real solution to the problem you present is to enact a fair tax system, such as a national sales tax. You can make all the money you want, and it's all yours until you go to spend it.
That would make you happy, right? Or does it not fit into your Robin Hood story?
Your comment (and Pave Low's moderation) also demonstrate how utterly fucking hypocritical most Slashdotters are when moderating. If the tables were turned, and he were saying the same thing WRT Bush he would have been instantly modded up.
I'll assume you're a Clinton fan. If you want to get technical about things, the major difference between Bush and Clinton is that Clinton was good at bullshitting, and you obviously took the bait. He was uber-politician and maybe uber-salesman, but not uber-intelligent. After all, who risks a major political scandal by getting a BJ from an intern in the White House - the intelligent guy, or the moron? I'm not talking morals here, but utter stupidity.
I know that I was working a long time before I turned 40.
IIRC, Bush worked in some oil business and was owner of the Texas Rangers baseball team. I don't know his entire work history (which I'm sure you'll share), but he obviously did work.
You're right, that is quite an overstatement. Granted, high school students should learn the basics before going on to graphing, but that already takes place by way of the order of math courses. By the time a student reaches calculus and physics, a graphing calculator is an invaluable tool to demonstrate graphing techniques "live."
And the TIs I have owned have been great, doing exactly what I needed them to do. In engineering school, those I knew that had HPs were doing no more than I was. The difference was they had to battle through an HP manual to figure out how to do it.
I'm not knocking your HP, but just because the TI has a much simpler, intuitive interface doesn't mean it's less capable.
Creative Loafing is a mag circulated in the greater Atlanta/Athens, Georgia area. Bob Barr easily won elections in his conservatively mapped district until the Democrats in the Georgia legislature mapped his district so he had little chance of winning. For this reason, it makes the article applicable to residents of the Atlanta area. Also, Barr does carry significant weight among conservative individuals, and his position on this issue could be quite influental.
So who are you really - Gates, Dell? Come one, you can tell us. And where did you get your marketing degree?
Seriously...a 12 year old without internet is hardly the end of the world. Your statement is the equivalent of someone in the 1930s saying "If that mother doesn't have a television set, one more kid from the next generation will be lost."
Puh-lease.
I was quickly flamed, parent gets "Funny." Can anyone say double standard?