If I had your requirements, I would probably use a Mac as well. My graphics and audio requirements are considerably simpler and different (can a Mac play multiple streams to multiple sound cards btw?).
Your requirements are quire unusual. Most Mac users need a web browser, office software, a mail client and other fairly standard stuff.
1) Buy a laptop with Linux preinstalled: list of vendors around the world 2) Do your research.: http://www.linux-laptop.net/, http://tuxmobil.org/mylaptops.html, and Google. 3) Ask the retailer if you can boot the laptop off a live CD or USB stick and check everything works.
Selective breeding lead to a far lower rate of introduction of new substances than synthesising chemicals (or, potentially, genetic engineering ).
There is also a much wider range of substances that can be produced in large amounts: you can synthesise pure compounds in any quantity very quickly and cheaply.
Of course, there is still a lot of irrationality about food, as well, but not anything like as much as about health,
Not really. For example, if someone has direct experience of God (the foundation of religious belief), the only scientific explanation is that they are seriously delusional.
Of course, it may be that millions of otherwise sane people from a wide range of cultures and all periods of history share a common delusion, but it does not seem to be the simplest explanation.
Yes, to Occam's razor, but not in this case (Occam was a theologian!).
Pascal's wagre is, from a Christian POV ludicrous. Faith requires belief, but it is more than that. The point of the theistic religions is to develop a relationship with God. Mere belief is insufficient, mere disbelief is not damning.
Wrong. Many, and all intelligent/intellectual, religious believers claim to have some empirical, logical, or other proof of God's existence.
The proofs may not be suitable for public demonstration ("pray sincerely and you will experience God"), or may be debatable (I do not find the various variations on the ontological argument convincing, others do), or may be otherwise arguable.
You should that religious people have realised that the line of reasoning you describe is fallacious a long time ago.
For a good look at the issue in a reasonably contemporary book read (physicist) Russell Stannard's "Science and the Renewal of Belief" - look for the discussion of "God of the gaps".
Consumer grade surge protectors here, I have are pretty good.
They, and a UPS with built in surge protection, have successfully protected multiple PCs, fridges and various other things against:
1) generally unreliable third world power supplies, 2) possible lightening induced surges 3) too high a voltage in the supply, apparently caused by cables for different phases touching, that lasted several hours (starting while we were out of the house). The over-voltage was high enough to cause fans to rotate significantly faster, and to immediately blow any light we turned on. We did lose some of the surge protectors themselves.
I agree. Here in Sri Lanka most people have never heard of Linux, are terrified of trying anything new, and only ever use Linux because it is free of cost.
It is gaining some traction, but it still has a tiny desktop share (it is fairly widely used ons servers though).
It has also had a significant impact on MS's revenues. Corporates has successfully used the "we will switch to Linux" threat when MS has tried to make them actually pay for software (AFAIK the only software ANYONE here actually pays for is either very specialist stuff, Lotus Notes and some Adobe stuff - the first because they need the support, the others because it is more expensive to switch platforms than pay up).
The verb "to sex " means to "determine the sex of", as in what a chicken sexer does for a living (yes, that is a real job). This Burning Man thing sounds pretty boring.
"Sex up" does have other informal meanings, but I am not sure either is exactly what you mean.
For people who just want a browser, I fail to see why a tablet with Linux pre-installed and big "web" icon on the start-up screen would not be just as good as the iPad.
The problem OSS has is marketing. If you install Linux for an average users they will usually be very happy with it. Its the "Windows power users" who hate it because their carefully memorised sequences of clicks no longer apply.
So if tight vendor control equals security, my Linux laptop must be incredibly insecure?
I have a tough enough time telling people that they need to secure their PCs - you don't believe how many are out there that simply shrug and say "Why bother? The fact that their system could in turn be abused into participating in cyber-crime?
The only solution would be to allow victims to sue people who are negligent with security.
Also, if people do not care about security, why would they buy Macs because they are secure?
The reason for the hatred is that people find it very annoying to be told what they can and cannot do with their own property.
As for Mac vs Linux, you are quite right that YMMV: I never really saw what the convenience advantage of MacOS is.
The underlying cause of both problems is paying too little, so you end up with people with the worst skills.
When the outsourced workers are better paid, you probably do not even know whether it is domestic or onshore.
Incidentally, outsourced does not necessarily mean offshore: you can move stuff to your own offshore employees (so it is not out-sourcing) or you can outsource to another company in the same country. Both are very common.
You are going to teach them all that with no hands on work? They will get bored to death and be unable to related it to reality.
I would go with teaching Python, and suggest incorporating something like Snake Wrangling for Kids: it is CC licensed (code is GPL) so you could adapt stuff from it.
love LaTeX, it produces beautifully typeset math, but for your average biologist, English professor, etc., I can see that something a bit less high-powered and easier to use ("what you see is approximately what you get") would be more optimal.
Slashdot Mirror
The difference is that the oil spills and the risks caused by unsafe rigs are a consequence of the oil company's business.
The costs imposed on the ISPs are purely a result of government regulation.
If I had your requirements, I would probably use a Mac as well. My graphics and audio requirements are considerably simpler and different (can a Mac play multiple streams to multiple sound cards btw?).
Your requirements are quire unusual. Most Mac users need a web browser, office software, a mail client and other fairly standard stuff.
Alternative:
1) Buy a laptop with Linux preinstalled: list of vendors around the world
2) Do your research.: http://www.linux-laptop.net/, http://tuxmobil.org/mylaptops.html, and Google.
3) Ask the retailer if you can boot the laptop off a live CD or USB stick and check everything works.
Selective breeding lead to a far lower rate of introduction of new substances than synthesising chemicals (or, potentially, genetic engineering ).
There is also a much wider range of substances that can be produced in large amounts: you can synthesise pure compounds in any quantity very quickly and cheaply.
Of course, there is still a lot of irrationality about food, as well, but not anything like as much as about health,
whoosh!
The reason God is exempt is that God is eternal, OUTSIDE time. Something outside time does not require a cause, because it has no beginning.
8) First group of Martian colonists all end up having diabetes.
Not really. For example, if someone has direct experience of God (the foundation of religious belief), the only scientific explanation is that they are seriously delusional.
Of course, it may be that millions of otherwise sane people from a wide range of cultures and all periods of history share a common delusion, but it does not seem to be the simplest explanation.
Yes, to Occam's razor, but not in this case (Occam was a theologian!).
Pascal's wagre is, from a Christian POV ludicrous. Faith requires belief, but it is more than that. The point of the theistic religions is to develop a relationship with God. Mere belief is insufficient, mere disbelief is not damning.
None of the mainstream churches teaches that non-believers will be damned (very few even of the fundies do), what matters is this: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+25%3A31-46&version=NIV
Wrong. Many, and all intelligent/intellectual, religious believers claim to have some empirical, logical, or other proof of God's existence.
The proofs may not be suitable for public demonstration ("pray sincerely and you will experience God"), or may be debatable (I do not find the various variations on the ontological argument convincing, others do), or may be otherwise arguable.
You should that religious people have realised that the line of reasoning you describe is fallacious a long time ago.
For a good look at the issue in a reasonably contemporary book read (physicist) Russell Stannard's "Science and the Renewal of Belief" - look for the discussion of "God of the gaps".
+5 mod for a comment that shows you do not know what you are talking about.
Can you provide a single contemporary example of mainstream Christianity (i.e. not creationist nut cases) warping science?
Consumer grade surge protectors here, I have are pretty good.
They, and a UPS with built in surge protection, have successfully protected multiple PCs, fridges and various other things against:
1) generally unreliable third world power supplies,
2) possible lightening induced surges
3) too high a voltage in the supply, apparently caused by cables for different phases touching, that lasted several hours (starting while we were out of the house). The over-voltage was high enough to cause fans to rotate significantly faster, and to immediately blow any light we turned on. We did lose some of the surge protectors themselves.
Terrorism is already sufficiently vaguely defined to allow them to go after a lot of people other than those the public thinks of as terrorists:
Anyway, to (roughly) quote Yes Minister, terrorism is an irregular noun:
I am a freedom fighter, you are a guerilla, he is a terrorist.
Mrs Thatcher call Nelson Mandela a terrorist. Given current legal definitions many much admired historical figures could be classified as terrorists.
Exactly: Chine is now as oppressive as:
Australia, France, Germany, Japan, Norway and Switzerland
I agree. Here in Sri Lanka most people have never heard of Linux, are terrified of trying anything new, and only ever use Linux because it is free of cost.
It is gaining some traction, but it still has a tiny desktop share (it is fairly widely used ons servers though).
It has also had a significant impact on MS's revenues. Corporates has successfully used the "we will switch to Linux" threat when MS has tried to make them actually pay for software (AFAIK the only software ANYONE here actually pays for is either very specialist stuff, Lotus Notes and some Adobe stuff - the first because they need the support, the others because it is more expensive to switch platforms than pay up).
The verb "to sex " means to "determine the sex of", as in what a chicken sexer does for a living (yes, that is a real job). This Burning Man thing sounds pretty boring.
"Sex up" does have other informal meanings, but I am not sure either is exactly what you mean.
See the OED
For people who just want a browser, I fail to see why a tablet with Linux pre-installed and big "web" icon on the start-up screen would not be just as good as the iPad.
The problem OSS has is marketing. If you install Linux for an average users they will usually be very happy with it. Its the "Windows power users" who hate it because their carefully memorised sequences of clicks no longer apply.
So if tight vendor control equals security, my Linux laptop must be incredibly insecure?
I have a tough enough time telling people that they need to secure their PCs - you don't believe how many are out there that simply shrug and say "Why bother? The fact that their system could in turn be abused into participating in cyber-crime?
The only solution would be to allow victims to sue people who are negligent with security.
Also, if people do not care about security, why would they buy Macs because they are secure?
The reason for the hatred is that people find it very annoying to be told what they can and cannot do with their own property.
As for Mac vs Linux, you are quite right that YMMV: I never really saw what the convenience advantage of MacOS is.
I disagree - any non IT job involving using computer is still done more efficiently by people who have a clue about how computers actually work.
It would be even better if management understood computers.
The underlying cause of both problems is paying too little, so you end up with people with the worst skills.
When the outsourced workers are better paid, you probably do not even know whether it is domestic or onshore.
Incidentally, outsourced does not necessarily mean offshore: you can move stuff to your own offshore employees (so it is not out-sourcing) or you can outsource to another company in the same country. Both are very common.
You are going to teach them all that with no hands on work? They will get bored to death and be unable to related it to reality.
I would go with teaching Python, and suggest incorporating something like Snake Wrangling for Kids: it is CC licensed (code is GPL) so you could adapt stuff from it.
love LaTeX, it produces beautifully typeset math, but for your average biologist, English professor, etc., I can see that something a bit less high-powered and easier to use ("what you see is approximately what you get") would be more optimal.
Lyx.
I do not subscribe to any of the Abrahamic religions; however I do know and understand their beliefs.
If that is true (beyond the very superficial having a rough idea of stories from the Bible, which you obviously do), then you are VERY unusual.
IE 6 got stuck a long way short of good enough.