Yet, despite all of that rhetoric, you can not reasonably assume that just because they aren't the US and Russia that they will arbitrarily use those weapons.
Yes I can! And you are absolutely incorrect. You're still thinking of thermonuclear arms as elements of international politics, mere tools of "diplomacy" (e.g. North Korea.) They're not... they're machines meant to commit mass-murder on a truly Biblical scale! Remember, we are not talking about guns, tanks, RPGs or other items of conventional warfare. These are nukes. Granted, the best that Iran could probably muster would be a few twenty or thirty kiloton warheads. Nevertheless, even that much destructive potential is terrifying.
Consequently, the only rational assumption that can reasonably be made when dealing with a nuclear power of any magnitude is that it will arbitrarily use its weapons! To presume anything else would be suicidal. Get it out of your head that Iran (or any other nation) is necessarily entitled to be at technological parity with the major nuclear powers: dispense with your misguided sense of fairness. The fewer nations that have them, the better off we all are. That may offend your sensibilities... but that's the way it is.
I don't care if you think that Iran's government is a paragon of rationality (it isn't) or that they have some inherent "right" to have atomic weapons (they don't.) Keep firmly in mind that if Iran begins to assemble a significant nuclear arsenal (meaning: one warhead with a missile to shoot it with) the only way surrounding nations will tolerate that is if they, too, acquire such weapons. That's the danger of so much concentrated power: simply having the things makes you a threat... and a target! This can only end badly, and I'm sure you recognize the risks.
Worse, even if Iran had the resources and the long-term political stability to be trusted with nuclear arms... can they hold on to them? Given the number of weapons systems of all kinds that have gone missing from the ex-Soviet Union, I have my doubts about Iran (or anyone else) being able to keep track of their weapons indefinitely. Even the United States (maybe especially the United States) would be a huge risk to the world at large if we ever suffered a major economic collapse. If a country can't protect its nuclear arsenal it becomes a danger to everyone.
I used to run a multinode BBS here in the Midwest... at one point I had sixteen or so machines humming in my basement. I had impressive utility bills at the time.
Russia was and is owned and operated by selfish greedy fucks that don't care much about anyone but themselves. So is the United States. However, Russia and the U.S. fought a Cold War for decades because, while both sides had mass quantities of atomic weapons neither side really wanted to use the things.
Can the same be said for any number of other Middle Eastern countries? No need to answer: it's a rhetorical question. You simply cannot reasonably compare the situation between two superpowers (who both had a lot to lose and knew it) and two (or more) two-bit dictatorships run by quasi-religious fanatics who are in such close proximity that they have no need for expensive delivery systems.
Well, to be fair it wasn't as if the permissive-action links were set to zero because that was the manufacturer's default that nobody bothered to change... they were all deliberately set to the same code to (so the story goes) to improve response time during a conflict. Also, unlike Joe Neighbor's WAP, they had other safeguards.
Plus which I get a sense that the military didn't really trust the things anyway.
The problem with consumer-level equipment is that vendors are terrified that good ol' Joe User won't be able to configure it properly if... he actually has to configure it! That doesn't apply to high-end stuff like corporate routers, of course. There you're absolutely right: the device should require a solid password, and there should be a hardcoded policy that won't allow the likes of "qwerty" or "123".
Don't be tricked: mentally incompetent or not he's still dangerous as long as he is consulted for interviews in which he can spew ignorance and has the ear of lawmakers to which he can spew FUD.
True, but remember than in this regard he differs not one iota from those lawmakers... and most of Hollywood too, for that matter. He's just a little more over the top. Although, now that I think about it, if you actually listen what our lawmakers and a lot of uninformed actors say in public, not very much more.
Well, it's just a matter of time before groups such as this manage to have themselves granted de facto police powers, or have our respective governments set up an "International Bureau of Copyright Enforcement", and directly divert police resources (and our tax dollars) to their ends.
We'll see what Demonoid's operators are made of, if this is true. Who knows, maybe they'll relocate to Sweden.
Torrents generally aren't the place to go for music... torrents are good for larger stuff. Try a good Gnutella client instead (personally I use Phex but there are many.) I think you'll have better luck.
I remember when @Home purchased Blue Mountain Greeting Cards for something like 900 mil. Maybe if they'd kept that money in their own coffers they'd still be around (and maybe I would still have a 4 mbit/sec symmetric connection.)
Yes, my family went through that particular aspect of the medical system as well: doctors don't really have pain management as one of their primary responsibilities, it seems. Although, in truth when it comes to severe chronic pain there's only so much they can do.
My father suffered severe (I mean, severe) diabetic neuropathy for the last ten years or so of his life. It was unremitting, unrelenting pain, and it improved only because the nerve endings themselves finally died. Narcotics aren't really a long-term solution, but for the last six months of his life he was put on Dilaudid (powerful stuff) and at least was comfortable for that time.
I apologize for the tone of my original post, but, dammit, I do get irritated when people deny a very fundamental part of the human condition: some of us suffer, and suffer horribly. And when those same people go on to say that "hey, it's all in their heads and they should just get over themselves"... well. That does torque me into a pretzel, for a fact.
And you're right, it's not just depression, no matter what your condition there's always someone ready to say, "you're not sick, and if you are, it's your fault and you're probably lying about it anyway."
Yes, but that was all about minor crimes such as rape, shooting police officers and selling heroin, mere misdemeanors in comparison to what's happening on P2P nowadays. I mean, they most certainly weren't intending to encourage the theft of something as vital to our society and our economy as pop music... my God, that would be worse than murder!
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Yet, despite all of that rhetoric, you can not reasonably assume that just because they aren't the US and Russia that they will arbitrarily use those weapons.
... they're machines meant to commit mass-murder on a truly Biblical scale! Remember, we are not talking about guns, tanks, RPGs or other items of conventional warfare. These are nukes. Granted, the best that Iran could probably muster would be a few twenty or thirty kiloton warheads. Nevertheless, even that much destructive potential is terrifying.
... but that's the way it is.
... and a target! This can only end badly, and I'm sure you recognize the risks.
... can they hold on to them? Given the number of weapons systems of all kinds that have gone missing from the ex-Soviet Union, I have my doubts about Iran (or anyone else) being able to keep track of their weapons indefinitely. Even the United States (maybe especially the United States) would be a huge risk to the world at large if we ever suffered a major economic collapse. If a country can't protect its nuclear arsenal it becomes a danger to everyone.
Yes I can! And you are absolutely incorrect. You're still thinking of thermonuclear arms as elements of international politics, mere tools of "diplomacy" (e.g. North Korea.) They're not
Consequently, the only rational assumption that can reasonably be made when dealing with a nuclear power of any magnitude is that it will arbitrarily use its weapons! To presume anything else would be suicidal. Get it out of your head that Iran (or any other nation) is necessarily entitled to be at technological parity with the major nuclear powers: dispense with your misguided sense of fairness. The fewer nations that have them, the better off we all are. That may offend your sensibilities
I don't care if you think that Iran's government is a paragon of rationality (it isn't) or that they have some inherent "right" to have atomic weapons (they don't.) Keep firmly in mind that if Iran begins to assemble a significant nuclear arsenal (meaning: one warhead with a missile to shoot it with) the only way surrounding nations will tolerate that is if they, too, acquire such weapons. That's the danger of so much concentrated power: simply having the things makes you a threat
Worse, even if Iran had the resources and the long-term political stability to be trusted with nuclear arms
To paraphrase Indiana Jones: "Sprint. Why did it have to be Sprint."
I used to run a multinode BBS here in the Midwest ... at one point I had sixteen or so machines humming in my basement. I had impressive utility bills at the time.
Russia was and is owned and operated by selfish greedy fucks that don't care much about anyone but themselves. So is the United States. However, Russia and the U.S. fought a Cold War for decades because, while both sides had mass quantities of atomic weapons neither side really wanted to use the things.
Can the same be said for any number of other Middle Eastern countries? No need to answer: it's a rhetorical question. You simply cannot reasonably compare the situation between two superpowers (who both had a lot to lose and knew it) and two (or more) two-bit dictatorships run by quasi-religious fanatics who are in such close proximity that they have no need for expensive delivery systems.
The solution to nuclear proliferation isn't more nuclear proliferation!
Yes, because then you graduate from M.A.D (Mutually Assured Destruction) to M.G.D. (Mutually Guaranteed Destruction.)
On the other hand, maybe you just get a lot of beer.
Well, to be fair it wasn't as if the permissive-action links were set to zero because that was the manufacturer's default that nobody bothered to change ... they were all deliberately set to the same code to (so the story goes) to improve response time during a conflict. Also, unlike Joe Neighbor's WAP, they had other safeguards.
... he actually has to configure it! That doesn't apply to high-end stuff like corporate routers, of course. There you're absolutely right: the device should require a solid password, and there should be a hardcoded policy that won't allow the likes of "qwerty" or "123".
Plus which I get a sense that the military didn't really trust the things anyway.
The problem with consumer-level equipment is that vendors are terrified that good ol' Joe User won't be able to configure it properly if
and I wouldn't mind sharing my DNA with the girl in the photo.
Don't be tricked: mentally incompetent or not he's still dangerous as long as he is consulted for interviews in which he can spew ignorance and has the ear of lawmakers to which he can spew FUD.
... and most of Hollywood too, for that matter. He's just a little more over the top. Although, now that I think about it, if you actually listen what our lawmakers and a lot of uninformed actors say in public, not very much more.
True, but remember than in this regard he differs not one iota from those lawmakers
Well, it's just a matter of time before groups such as this manage to have themselves granted de facto police powers, or have our respective governments set up an "International Bureau of Copyright Enforcement", and directly divert police resources (and our tax dollars) to their ends.
We'll see what Demonoid's operators are made of, if this is true. Who knows, maybe they'll relocate to Sweden.
Torrents generally aren't the place to go for music ... torrents are good for larger stuff. Try a good Gnutella client instead (personally I use Phex but there are many.) I think you'll have better luck.
Look, we can't even be bothered to spend enough money to maintain the infrastructure previous generations built for us.
He can go fork himself.
I'm going to personally stick a fork in the next user who says that.
Yeah, no kidding. How many Windows servers is Hotmail running, nowadays?
I remember when @Home purchased Blue Mountain Greeting Cards for something like 900 mil. Maybe if they'd kept that money in their own coffers they'd still be around (and maybe I would still have a 4 mbit/sec symmetric connection.)
Regardless, if the GP hits me I'm damn well going to hit him back.
Funny ... as I was writing my original comment that's the scene I was thinking of. That was a very prophetic show, for its time.
this raises the (ahem!) barrier to entry for other lobbyists who might want to follow in his, ah, footsteps.
Perhaps the figures $10-20 per CD might be reasonable?
You forgot to factor in Gnutella, and forgot to factor in the artists themselves.
Certainly, and while we're at it let's not forget the basics, such as knowing how to do long division by hand.
Our contracts give too good a share to Apple.
Who the fuck cares. They're contracts. You signed them.
If I had enemies of that caliber, I'd simply shoot them out of hand.
It would be more humane.
Yes, my family went through that particular aspect of the medical system as well: doctors don't really have pain management as one of their primary responsibilities, it seems. Although, in truth when it comes to severe chronic pain there's only so much they can do.
... well. That does torque me into a pretzel, for a fact.
My father suffered severe (I mean, severe) diabetic neuropathy for the last ten years or so of his life. It was unremitting, unrelenting pain, and it improved only because the nerve endings themselves finally died. Narcotics aren't really a long-term solution, but for the last six months of his life he was put on Dilaudid (powerful stuff) and at least was comfortable for that time.
I apologize for the tone of my original post, but, dammit, I do get irritated when people deny a very fundamental part of the human condition: some of us suffer, and suffer horribly. And when those same people go on to say that "hey, it's all in their heads and they should just get over themselves"
And you're right, it's not just depression, no matter what your condition there's always someone ready to say, "you're not sick, and if you are, it's your fault and you're probably lying about it anyway."
Phooey on them.
That was a joke you dumbass moderators.
Geez. Lighten up.
since the RIAA lawyers seem to read everything I write on the internet
Two words: disinformation campaign.
Yes, but that was all about minor crimes such as rape, shooting police officers and selling heroin, mere misdemeanors in comparison to what's happening on P2P nowadays. I mean, they most certainly weren't intending to encourage the theft of something as vital to our society and our economy as pop music ... my God, that would be worse than murder!