My old roommate was a huge peter jackson fan. (meet the feebles, etc) and when FotR came out he said he couldn't wait to get the DVD. I said the same thing you did... that I wanted to wait till the super-duper mega-awesome DVD came out with ALL the extras for all the movies. He told me that PJ (he said all TRUE fans call him that) doesn't do it like that. That he always releases all the goodies at the beginning. That said, I still think I will wait. (especially since they happened to release two versions of FotR.
if there are more ents, that's enough for me. I still remember the first time I read TTT... family was driving to a nearby lake. The roads to get there wound through rather dense forest area so as I was reading about the ent's charge to isengard, I could look out the window and almost imagine them.
Since then that's what I think about when I walk in the woods... strange, but oh well. I am the same person who thinks of the opening song from fraggle rock every time I use a screwdriver.
try this link and see if you still get pop-ups. When I checked the surf.to/ link I *did* get a popup or two from the V3 redirect. I am certain that has to be it. And if it isn't, there isn't much I can do atm since I don't have the password to update the site (since I graduated)
that's a good question. Quick answer, I have no clue. There is nothing on the page that should even remotely be related to Gator. The only thing I can figure is that it might be due to the V3 redirect. I think I will change the url posted for now. Thanks for pointing it out. (although, when I went to the site, nothing tried to install)
prudence and suicidal lemmings (or according to the article, misguided squirrels)
What's worse, giving away the security tool would actually endanger National Security, McClure insisted. "The public would be armed by the potential for misuses of these technologies by hackers and cyberterrorists."
without reiterating the many articles here on/., I agree that a certain amount of prudence is needed to keep our world "safe and secure from those pesky hackers and virtual terrorists, etc" but come on, there are so many more critical things to worry about.
and besides, the claim by foundstone that "it was 'simply impossible' to create such a toolkit in that timeframe", doesn't necessarily mean that it couldn't be done.
I hate even wasting keystrokes on this, but when I read the article, I couldn't help but imagine some corporate bigwig nearly in tears, throwing a tantrum about not getting his way... and when he (McClure) pulled the ole 'terrorist' card, it sealed my opinion. ( woo hoo, like my opinion is worth anything;) )
I don't know who is in the clear here, but the whole situation stinks. and I fear it's just going to get worse. oh, and the kicker (IMO),
No actual evidence was presented, but McClure's arguments were enough for the judge in the case to issue a retraining order blocking Glaser and NTO from releasing Fire and Water.
perhaps this was prudent, but these days I wouldn't put any money on it. Anymore, I am inclined to believe that there are tons of lemmings/squirrels out there who are determined to try to screw up any little bit of the world which can possibly be screwed up. Although I sound rather pessimistic, I think we will get through this in relatively decent shape, but the road to get there is sure to be bumpy ride.
Just talk your boss into letting you 'telework' from your home office and buy "AI-buddy 1.0".
AI-Buddy is proficient in all matters requiring use of a computer. He even emails your boss updating him of "your" progress. *wink*. Imagine all the free time you would have then.
A key point here - if EA shuts down those servers tomorrow, they don't owe you anything, except perhaps a partial credit for any pre-paid game time. They won't and should not compensate you for the virtual house and the virtual pizza oven, because you never owned them. They won't (and also shouldn't) compensate you for the money you spent playing the game to try and build that house, either, because you were only paying to play the game.
This is an excellent point! In the end, you don't even own the game... just a license to play it. There is something to be said of laboring over some project, be it a real house, or a book, or roses, or computer code, or a pretty picture made in MSpaint, or even a game character or virtual house. It's a great feeling to spend time with something and make it better or to create something PERIOD! but in the end, you need to ultimately realize what truly constitutes that which you have just made.
The house, you can live in. The book, you can share your ideas with. The roses, you can smell. The game character, you can have fun with at your liesure. The simulated house, you can show your friends and use it to enhance your gaming experience. But as the person above said, ultimately, that virutual house is data on a remote server that could shut off at anytime.
-John
There is a HUGE problem of 'perspective'
on
Law and Virtual Worlds
·
· Score: 3, Insightful
The biggest issue here isn't simply "do avatars have rights online?". Some people live their lives almost exclusively online. Their dearest friends are found and interacted with in a digital sense. These people, in all honesty, are in fact their avatars. That is WHO THEY ARE.
On the other hand, some others use the internet as a supplement to their life. They utilize it to keep in contact with their real-life friends and have few, if any, online aquaintances. Some others are in the middle. ( I am excluding those who do not use the internet at all or only use it for communication for their jobs. i.e. email.)
There are several layers of "immersion" that people undergo. I am reminded of a story my "democracy and technology" class discussed a few years ago. Here is a reference to the story. Essentially, some college kids 'hacked' a chat program; the kind where each person has a visible avatar. They used some commands to make unsuspecting chatters "rape" each other or do other "naughty" acts to each other. If I remember correctly, it was only via text that this occured. (The visual avatars did not animate).
The question posed, was this illegal? Was it virtual rape and assult? On one hand, if the abused person was very immersed in his or her 'virtual reality', the incident would indeed be traumatic (to some degree at least). If the immersion was low, the abused would likely become annoyed and go on with his/her life.
The same thing goes for MMORPG's. Some people spend incredible amounts of time ammassing items and power in these games. It's an ivestment of time, money, and energy to them, so if someone hacks their account, they stand to lose quite a bit. How could you not say that a crime hasn't been committed if someone loses something that they worked so hard for. However, let's be realistic. It's digital information. It's 1's and 0's on a computer server far far away... or is it?
Right now, the arguements are using two sets of facts. One side is deeply immersed in the 'bodyless' virtual reality and to them, there is little difference between an avatar and the person controlling it. Thus, the person's rights should carry into the avatar's world.
The other side says that a virtual crime is not a crime at all. That people need to seriously reconsider their priorities and realize what exactly constitutes their reality. Yadda Yadda Yadda...
At this present time, with so many people of varying degrees of immersion into this new world without rules, there can be NO law that will satisfy everyone. In fact, I don't believe any law can even come close to addressing the widely chasmatic viewpoints that people hold regarding this topic. But who knows.
Well, I suppose if there is life on Mars, the likelyhood of more advanced life elsewhere in the universe is greater. That would certainly make me feel more comfortable as this universe is an awfully big place and to think we were all alone would be......scary.
This is one of the key issues here. If we find life on Mars or Europa or Titan or elsewhere inside our own universe, then the should bolster the theory that "since we find life here, it has to be the same in the rest of the universe.
While I agree with the above statement, there will ALWAYS be those who will refuse to believe or even claim that the discoveries were false. "Oh, some scientist must have forged the data" or "They just want to destroy religion" or "There was contamination".
What I am trying to say is this. It will take more than finding microbes on a foreign planet or moon to convince the stubborn, and even then, the most stubborn will still refuse to believe, no matter what.
And to be fair, it's the same on the other side. The last line in the article in question shows this.
"If we find no evidence of life on Mars it may just mean we have looked in the wrong place."
Paraphrased: "Life DOES exist elsewhere in the universe! We just haven't found it yet!" That is, there is no way you could convince these people that there is a possibility that they might be chasing something that isn't there. The absence of proof doesn't faze them at all.
I guess we just have to wait and see what happens.
It's the same problem with movies. Where are all the truly original movies now? Sure we get one every once and a while, but most are remakes, sequels, or based on a comic book from several decades ago.
We get a few gems occasionally, but even those seem to be heavily influenced by conformity.
It's a general trend that is fueled by money. An unfortunate sideaffect of capitalism.
no, this isn't an anti-capitalism post. On the contrary, I agree with Churchill that capitalism is the worst form of goverment... except for all the other choices. or was that democracy?
Anyway. The way I see it is that this is just something that happens and once we reach a critical point, enough people might be sufficiently annoyed with it, that the new fashionalbe movies/games/etc will be those that are completely original. Life is a cycle folks. Stick around for a while and watch the fun.
I agree 120%. This is a huge problem in the US. (as in all countries, probably). Trust is paramount. If you trust your government to make the 'right' choices (however the hell you judge that), then you don't have to worry about them overstepping their boundaries.
conversely, if you do not trust your government, there is no way they can ever do any good. You will be suspicious of them, no matter what they do. Based on these preconceptions, an individual will determine their absolute 'fact base', that is, what their definition of the truth is. Then everything they see, they will compare to these 'truths', forcing their interpretations to fit their version of reality.
I think nearly all politically created problems are rooted in this matter of 'trust'. Ok, sure, I am oversimplifying this, but just imagine a world where everyone can know what everyone else is thinking. There is no more lying or cheating since everyone knows what the others truly believe. Thus, any arguements will be over the same set of facts... At least in that world, all sides are on the same playing field with the same rules... it's simply the interpretations that differ. (and I am not insinuating that we want a world like this... I am just trying to put the thoughts above in some perspective) Ok, I am done rambling.
Initially this is true, of course. And in a perfect world, this will ALWAYS be true. In a perfect world, open source lives would be ideal, since no one would exploit others. No one would be a lazy burden to the rest by not doing his/her fair share.
We don't anywhere near perfect (to quote one of those stupid car commercials), so just because you have nothing to hide, it does not mean that you cannot be exploited. Sure, the chances are slim, but there is that chance. And, if something has any chance to happen, it will happen eventually.
Now, I am not saying this is or isn't evil... I am just saying that claiming that the reason people are against somethning is because they have something to hide really isn't a very solid arguement.
I don't understand what the big deal is, the Iraqis seem to be treating the POWs just fine,
If it's ever proven that they executed those British POW's by shooting them square in the forehead, that wouldn't be defined as "just fine".
you are right that it depends on the source... but this source was Al-Jazeera. But perhaps they were only trying to "inspire" the iraqi troops and they made the whole thing up. However, I, like you and 99% of the people on this planet, don't know... but you hit it right on the head, "... When both sides believe they're right, we got conflict... too bad none of us know the "actual" truth... at least then we would all be playing on the same "field", purely arguing our viewpoints based on the same facts, not arguing our opinions based on our selected, and often questionable, "facts".
Of course, if rising temperatures were caused by both CO2 and hotter sun then your reasoning is very valid.
the real question here is: how much is either actually contributing? if 95% of it is the sun and 5% the co2, then cutting back on co2 won't do a whole heck of a lot will it? if its maybe 75/25 then perhaps cutting back that 25% co2 would be prudent. the funny thing is after reading the replies here BOTH SIDES
what good do insults like these do? do you want to discuss this or simply irritate the other side to death?
no, they haven't been confirmed as scuds, but most of the reports agree that they exceeded the range that the UN said was illegal, thus their existence was denied by Saddam. Stick to the facts (or at least the possible versions of the facts) and drum up your own opinions.
you all whose single purpose seems to be to humiliate or annoy the hell out people who simply disagree with you have absolutely no shred of common sense it seems. a lot of you bring up some decent point but then you ruin the conversation with an insulting contest. if i want to read little kids calling each other names and refusing to even listen to each other i can either go to a school playground or some teen chat somewhere.
sit back and listen to yourselves
in other news, a tiny planet in a small arm of an averaged sized galaxy located in the only known universe discovered so far is slowly revolving around a rather medium-sized star. updates to follow.
-John
Re:Michael Moore's Letter to Governor Bush
on
Strike on Iraq
·
· Score: 1
Good points. Very good points. hurrah hurrah for common sense for a change.:)
-John
good point. and trust me, i do have a realistic side of me that keeps me kinda on track, i just hate compromising so much just because everyone else thinks you should. and i am continuing to redefine my outlook on life which keeps me from 'stagnanting' my views. heh, and i am not in the real world yet, so dont welcome me so soon.:)
but i find that reading 'inspriational' stories can't fully solve life's problems.
i dread entering the real world. i do not want a 9-5 job everyday. i will go mad, i am sure of it. when i mention my feelings to friends and family they laugh and say some cliche like "welcome to the real world" or say "Let me know when you find that magical job where you don't have to work all day"
now, 'It's not that I'm lazy, it's that I just don't care.'
my whole life i have bounced from idea to idea. project to project, usually not finishing them. granted, most of these endeavors have been games (board games and recently computer games), novels, inventions, and learning musical instruments. nothing too ground breaking, but i have learned that i dont feel like sticking with the same ole for too long.
some could call it lazy or irresponsibly or naive or ignorant of the real world and a mature mindset, but i would call it unbridled unmotivation with random spurts of awesome productivity.
when i find something i am interested in, i tend to really go after it rather intensely for a period of time, usually dictated by whether i am in school or working or taking the summer off like i did last summer for the first time in 6 years (and quite possibly my last)
my point is, i am not one to push individuality like its the hottest new drug. i think its great to be who you are, but many who boast individuality and non conformity are conforming to the general perception of non conformism, which isnt really being unique now huh?
its a delicate line to walk. the best way i have found to figure it all out is to really get to know yourself honestly. most people i know think they got it all figured out (which is a dead giveaway they dont).
hmm, i just thought of something. perhaps the meaning of life is to figure out who you really are. and not just who you are, but how you react in all situations in life. its like a lifelong investigation of the one person you are stuck with for as long as you are conscious... you. without sounding like a multiple personality, i see myself from this perspective quite often. it makes understanding the things i do easier if i can see myself from a different perspective.
and to make this long post short, when you have a better idea who you are and how conditioned other people can be, it makes it easier to consciously be yourself and do the things you want and to just laugh with the people joking at your plans for the future. sure, i might not ever open up my own workshop with my brothers to make novels, games, music, and engineering marvels. but its a dream that could happen, and more than likely, my future job will be directed by that dream (which will likely change or morph as i finish grad school and enter the workforce.)
gasp. this was more of a blog than i a post (i think.. i have never blogged before) i am just trying to stay in the spirit of the book in question and give my own outlooks on life, the universe and all that jazz.
but if your favorite hobby (or passion) is your job, you have just lost your favorite hobby, haven't you?
and what about the chance that turning your hobby into your job will make you not like your hobby so much?
to me, a hobby is a way for me to escape the rigors and rigidity or the workplace, though i am sure it can be argued if your job is your passion, then why would you want to escape it? i guess in the end its all a matter of personal perception.
now your PDA can tell you if you are crazy or not... seems like eventually they will be able to manage our ENTIRE lives, mentally, physically, emotionally, digitally, socially, etc-ially.
just imagine. going to the local 'game theater'. paying your 10 bucks or so. then getting in a flight simulator type game along with 30 other gamers and fighting against each other, deathmatch style or cap the flag style or completing missions.
esp when VR becomes a bit more of a reality. i am kinda surprised this hasn't happened sooner.
Slashdot Mirror
My old roommate was a huge peter jackson fan. (meet the feebles, etc) and when FotR came out he said he couldn't wait to get the DVD. I said the same thing you did... that I wanted to wait till the super-duper mega-awesome DVD came out with ALL the extras for all the movies. He told me that PJ (he said all TRUE fans call him that) doesn't do it like that. That he always releases all the goodies at the beginning. That said, I still think I will wait. (especially since they happened to release two versions of FotR.
I suppose I just dont trust anyone.
-John
if there are more ents, that's enough for me. I still remember the first time I read TTT... family was driving to a nearby lake. The roads to get there wound through rather dense forest area so as I was reading about the ent's charge to isengard, I could look out the window and almost imagine them.
Since then that's what I think about when I walk in the woods... strange, but oh well. I am the same person who thinks of the opening song from fraggle rock every time I use a screwdriver.
da-da-da dadum da-da-da dadum da-da-da dadum da-da-da dudum
what was that old guy's name? his dog was sprocket... how did I go from massive walking trees to fraggles?
-John
try this link and see if you still get pop-ups. When I checked the surf.to/ link I *did* get a popup or two from the V3 redirect. I am certain that has to be it. And if it isn't, there isn't much I can do atm since I don't have the password to update the site (since I graduated)
-John
that's a good question. Quick answer, I have no clue. There is nothing on the page that should even remotely be related to Gator. The only thing I can figure is that it might be due to the V3 redirect. I think I will change the url posted for now. Thanks for pointing it out. (although, when I went to the site, nothing tried to install)
-John
prudence and suicidal lemmings (or according to the article, misguided squirrels)
/., I agree that a certain amount of prudence is needed to keep our world "safe and secure from those pesky hackers and virtual terrorists, etc" but come on, there are so many more critical things to worry about.
;) )
What's worse, giving away the security tool would actually endanger National Security, McClure insisted. "The public would be armed by the potential for misuses of these technologies by hackers and cyberterrorists."
without reiterating the many articles here on
and besides, the claim by foundstone that "it was 'simply impossible' to create such a toolkit in that timeframe", doesn't necessarily mean that it couldn't be done.
I hate even wasting keystrokes on this, but when I read the article, I couldn't help but imagine some corporate bigwig nearly in tears, throwing a tantrum about not getting his way... and when he (McClure) pulled the ole 'terrorist' card, it sealed my opinion. ( woo hoo, like my opinion is worth anything
I don't know who is in the clear here, but the whole situation stinks. and I fear it's just going to get worse. oh, and the kicker (IMO),
No actual evidence was presented, but McClure's arguments were enough for the judge in the case to issue a retraining order blocking Glaser and NTO from releasing Fire and Water.
perhaps this was prudent, but these days I wouldn't put any money on it. Anymore, I am inclined to believe that there are tons of lemmings/squirrels out there who are determined to try to screw up any little bit of the world which can possibly be screwed up. Although I sound rather pessimistic, I think we will get through this in relatively decent shape, but the road to get there is sure to be bumpy ride.
-John
Just talk your boss into letting you 'telework' from your home office and buy "AI-buddy 1.0".
AI-Buddy is proficient in all matters requiring use of a computer. He even emails your boss updating him of "your" progress. *wink*. Imagine all the free time you would have then.
A key point here - if EA shuts down those servers tomorrow, they don't owe you anything, except perhaps a partial credit for any pre-paid game time. They won't and should not compensate you for the virtual house and the virtual pizza oven, because you never owned them. They won't (and also shouldn't) compensate you for the money you spent playing the game to try and build that house, either, because you were only paying to play the game.
This is an excellent point! In the end, you don't even own the game... just a license to play it. There is something to be said of laboring over some project, be it a real house, or a book, or roses, or computer code, or a pretty picture made in MSpaint, or even a game character or virtual house. It's a great feeling to spend time with something and make it better or to create something PERIOD! but in the end, you need to ultimately realize what truly constitutes that which you have just made.
The house, you can live in. The book, you can share your ideas with. The roses, you can smell. The game character, you can have fun with at your liesure. The simulated house, you can show your friends and use it to enhance your gaming experience. But as the person above said, ultimately, that virutual house is data on a remote server that could shut off at anytime.
-John
The biggest issue here isn't simply "do avatars have rights online?". Some people live their lives almost exclusively online. Their dearest friends are found and interacted with in a digital sense. These people, in all honesty, are in fact their avatars. That is WHO THEY ARE.
On the other hand, some others use the internet as a supplement to their life. They utilize it to keep in contact with their real-life friends and have few, if any, online aquaintances. Some others are in the middle. ( I am excluding those who do not use the internet at all or only use it for communication for their jobs. i.e. email.)
There are several layers of "immersion" that people undergo. I am reminded of a story my "democracy and technology" class discussed a few years ago. Here is a reference to the story. Essentially, some college kids 'hacked' a chat program; the kind where each person has a visible avatar. They used some commands to make unsuspecting chatters "rape" each other or do other "naughty" acts to each other. If I remember correctly, it was only via text that this occured. (The visual avatars did not animate).
The question posed, was this illegal? Was it virtual rape and assult? On one hand, if the abused person was very immersed in his or her 'virtual reality', the incident would indeed be traumatic (to some degree at least). If the immersion was low, the abused would likely become annoyed and go on with his/her life.
The same thing goes for MMORPG's. Some people spend incredible amounts of time ammassing items and power in these games. It's an ivestment of time, money, and energy to them, so if someone hacks their account, they stand to lose quite a bit. How could you not say that a crime hasn't been committed if someone loses something that they worked so hard for. However, let's be realistic. It's digital information. It's 1's and 0's on a computer server far far away... or is it?
Right now, the arguements are using two sets of facts. One side is deeply immersed in the 'bodyless' virtual reality and to them, there is little difference between an avatar and the person controlling it. Thus, the person's rights should carry into the avatar's world.
The other side says that a virtual crime is not a crime at all. That people need to seriously reconsider their priorities and realize what exactly constitutes their reality. Yadda Yadda Yadda...
At this present time, with so many people of varying degrees of immersion into this new world without rules, there can be NO law that will satisfy everyone. In fact, I don't believe any law can even come close to addressing the widely chasmatic viewpoints that people hold regarding this topic. But who knows.
-John
Well, I suppose if there is life on Mars, the likelyhood of more advanced life elsewhere in the universe is greater. That would certainly make me feel more comfortable as this universe is an awfully big place and to think we were all alone would be......scary.
This is one of the key issues here. If we find life on Mars or Europa or Titan or elsewhere inside our own universe, then the should bolster the theory that "since we find life here, it has to be the same in the rest of the universe.
While I agree with the above statement, there will ALWAYS be those who will refuse to believe or even claim that the discoveries were false. "Oh, some scientist must have forged the data" or "They just want to destroy religion" or "There was contamination".
What I am trying to say is this. It will take more than finding microbes on a foreign planet or moon to convince the stubborn, and even then, the most stubborn will still refuse to believe, no matter what.
And to be fair, it's the same on the other side. The last line in the article in question shows this.
"If we find no evidence of life on Mars it may just mean we have looked in the wrong place."
Paraphrased: "Life DOES exist elsewhere in the universe! We just haven't found it yet!" That is, there is no way you could convince these people that there is a possibility that they might be chasing something that isn't there. The absence of proof doesn't faze them at all.
I guess we just have to wait and see what happens.
-John
It's the same problem with movies. Where are all the truly original movies now? Sure we get one every once and a while, but most are remakes, sequels, or based on a comic book from several decades ago.
We get a few gems occasionally, but even those seem to be heavily influenced by conformity.
It's a general trend that is fueled by money. An unfortunate sideaffect of capitalism.
no, this isn't an anti-capitalism post. On the contrary, I agree with Churchill that capitalism is the worst form of goverment... except for all the other choices. or was that democracy?
Anyway. The way I see it is that this is just something that happens and once we reach a critical point, enough people might be sufficiently annoyed with it, that the new fashionalbe movies/games/etc will be those that are completely original. Life is a cycle folks. Stick around for a while and watch the fun.
-John
I agree 120%. This is a huge problem in the US. (as in all countries, probably). Trust is paramount. If you trust your government to make the 'right' choices (however the hell you judge that), then you don't have to worry about them overstepping their boundaries.
conversely, if you do not trust your government, there is no way they can ever do any good. You will be suspicious of them, no matter what they do. Based on these preconceptions, an individual will determine their absolute 'fact base', that is, what their definition of the truth is. Then everything they see, they will compare to these 'truths', forcing their interpretations to fit their version of reality.
I think nearly all politically created problems are rooted in this matter of 'trust'. Ok, sure, I am oversimplifying this, but just imagine a world where everyone can know what everyone else is thinking. There is no more lying or cheating since everyone knows what the others truly believe. Thus, any arguements will be over the same set of facts... At least in that world, all sides are on the same playing field with the same rules... it's simply the interpretations that differ. (and I am not insinuating that we want a world like this... I am just trying to put the thoughts above in some perspective) Ok, I am done rambling.
-John
yea, that's pretty much what I meant... though I really don't know what open-source lives are either.
-John
I didn't mean for it to feel so 'pie-in-the-eye'. :) I read your first reply and couldn't figure out exactly where we were disagreeing.
My whole point was that the world today isn't perfect, nor ever will be, but if it were, then no one would worry about having things to hide.
something like that anyway. I probably just didn't word the post right since I definitely do not have that utopian outlook on life.
ah well.
-John
Initially this is true, of course. And in a perfect world, this will ALWAYS be true. In a perfect world, open source lives would be ideal, since no one would exploit others. No one would be a lazy burden to the rest by not doing his/her fair share.
We don't anywhere near perfect (to quote one of those stupid car commercials), so just because you have nothing to hide, it does not mean that you cannot be exploited. Sure, the chances are slim, but there is that chance. And, if something has any chance to happen, it will happen eventually.
Now, I am not saying this is or isn't evil... I am just saying that claiming that the reason people are against somethning is because they have something to hide really isn't a very solid arguement.
-John
I don't understand what the big deal is, the Iraqis seem to be treating the POWs just fine,
If it's ever proven that they executed those British POW's by shooting them square in the forehead, that wouldn't be defined as "just fine".
you are right that it depends on the source... but this source was Al-Jazeera. But perhaps they were only trying to "inspire" the iraqi troops and they made the whole thing up. However, I, like you and 99% of the people on this planet, don't know... but you hit it right on the head, "... When both sides believe they're right, we got conflict... too bad none of us know the "actual" truth... at least then we would all be playing on the same "field", purely arguing our viewpoints based on the same facts, not arguing our opinions based on our selected, and often questionable, "facts".
-John
HAHA! if I would ever get any mod points, I would mod this up. -John
AHEM... (stupid tab key next to the caps lock... grumble...)
The funny thing is, after reading the replies here, BOTH SIDES of the global warming debate claim it proves their theories.
geesh.
-John
Of course, if rising temperatures were caused by both CO2 and hotter sun then your reasoning is very valid.
the real question here is: how much is either actually contributing? if 95% of it is the sun and 5% the co2, then cutting back on co2 won't do a whole heck of a lot will it? if its maybe 75/25 then perhaps cutting back that 25% co2 would be prudent. the funny thing is after reading the replies here BOTH SIDES
Eurotrash? God-fearing christian?
what good do insults like these do? do you want to discuss this or simply irritate the other side to death?
no, they haven't been confirmed as scuds, but most of the reports agree that they exceeded the range that the UN said was illegal, thus their existence was denied by Saddam. Stick to the facts (or at least the possible versions of the facts) and drum up your own opinions.
you all whose single purpose seems to be to humiliate or annoy the hell out people who simply disagree with you have absolutely no shred of common sense it seems. a lot of you bring up some decent point but then you ruin the conversation with an insulting contest. if i want to read little kids calling each other names and refusing to even listen to each other i can either go to a school playground or some teen chat somewhere.
sit back and listen to yourselves
in other news, a tiny planet in a small arm of an averaged sized galaxy located in the only known universe discovered so far is slowly revolving around a rather medium-sized star. updates to follow.
-John
Good points. Very good points. hurrah hurrah for common sense for a change. :)
-John
but you HAVE to make your way in this world
:)
good point. and trust me, i do have a realistic side of me that keeps me kinda on track, i just hate compromising so much just because everyone else thinks you should. and i am continuing to redefine my outlook on life which keeps me from 'stagnanting' my views. heh, and i am not in the real world yet, so dont welcome me so soon.
thanks
-John
but i find that reading 'inspriational' stories can't fully solve life's problems.
i dread entering the real world. i do not want a 9-5 job everyday. i will go mad, i am sure of it. when i mention my feelings to friends and family they laugh and say some cliche like "welcome to the real world" or say "Let me know when you find that magical job where you don't have to work all day"
now, 'It's not that I'm lazy, it's that I just don't care.'
my whole life i have bounced from idea to idea. project to project, usually not finishing them. granted, most of these endeavors have been games (board games and recently computer games), novels, inventions, and learning musical instruments. nothing too ground breaking, but i have learned that i dont feel like sticking with the same ole for too long.
some could call it lazy or irresponsibly or naive or ignorant of the real world and a mature mindset, but i would call it unbridled unmotivation with random spurts of awesome productivity.
when i find something i am interested in, i tend to really go after it rather intensely for a period of time, usually dictated by whether i am in school or working or taking the summer off like i did last summer for the first time in 6 years (and quite possibly my last)
my point is, i am not one to push individuality like its the hottest new drug. i think its great to be who you are, but many who boast individuality and non conformity are conforming to the general perception of non conformism, which isnt really being unique now huh?
its a delicate line to walk. the best way i have found to figure it all out is to really get to know yourself honestly. most people i know think they got it all figured out (which is a dead giveaway they dont).
hmm, i just thought of something. perhaps the meaning of life is to figure out who you really are. and not just who you are, but how you react in all situations in life. its like a lifelong investigation of the one person you are stuck with for as long as you are conscious... you. without sounding like a multiple personality, i see myself from this perspective quite often. it makes understanding the things i do easier if i can see myself from a different perspective.
and to make this long post short, when you have a better idea who you are and how conditioned other people can be, it makes it easier to consciously be yourself and do the things you want and to just laugh with the people joking at your plans for the future. sure, i might not ever open up my own workshop with my brothers to make novels, games, music, and engineering marvels. but its a dream that could happen, and more than likely, my future job will be directed by that dream (which will likely change or morph as i finish grad school and enter the workforce.)
gasp. this was more of a blog than i a post (i think.. i have never blogged before) i am just trying to stay in the spirit of the book in question and give my own outlooks on life, the universe and all that jazz.
-John
but if your favorite hobby (or passion) is your job, you have just lost your favorite hobby, haven't you?
and what about the chance that turning your hobby into your job will make you not like your hobby so much?
to me, a hobby is a way for me to escape the rigors and rigidity or the workplace, though i am sure it can be argued if your job is your passion, then why would you want to escape it? i guess in the end its all a matter of personal perception.
now your PDA can tell you if you are crazy or not... seems like eventually they will be able to manage our ENTIRE lives, mentally, physically, emotionally, digitally, socially, etc-ially.
must... resist... impulse... to... buy... one...
just imagine. going to the local 'game theater'. paying your 10 bucks or so. then getting in a flight simulator type game along with 30 other gamers and fighting against each other, deathmatch style or cap the flag style or completing missions.
esp when VR becomes a bit more of a reality. i am kinda surprised this hasn't happened sooner.