Excuse me, but even listeners to the BBC (British Broadcast Corporation) are assumed to know what "Super Tuesday" means... are Americans more ignorant about the American politcal system than Europeans?
Speaking as an American, I have to say... yes, we are more ignorant than Europeans.
At any rate, most of the Americans that I've ever met are more ignorant than most of the Europeans I've ever met.
For those of us who haven't read it, could you at least tell us what makes it insightful?
You're quite right -- I was hasty about hitting the Submit button.
Future Shock is about accelerating rate of change -- technological change, social change -- and how people experience the effects of rapid change.
The insightful part is a fair number of Toffler's prognostications circa 1970 have since come true... and, more broadly, that what he was talking about then is still true today.
In Toffler's own words, from an interview (Nov. 99):
"An acceleration of change has consequences that are not necessarily a result of whether the change is good or bad, but just acceleration itself creates consequences and some difficulties for us. While I recognize that, nevertheless, I believe that we need to let go. There are many things that we need to let go. Rather than focus on hanging on, we need to focus on inventing."
The earth is at the center of the observable universe, pretty much by definition. Unless of course the observer in question isn't on the earth.
Good point.
Of course, the problem of the "what constitutes the observable universe?" is easily resolved by smartly knocking the observer upside the head with a telescope.
They'll eat anything that moves and is the right size.BR>
Example:
I went fishing once. I had my rod and reel all ready to go, with a lure attached. Before casting, I adjusted the reel a bit. I happened to be holding the rod at about 45 degrees, with the lure dangling on a short length of line. Physics being what it is, the lure spun around in a tight circle. Imagine my surprise when a dragonfly appeared... hovered just beneath the lure... then circled around several times, in perfect sync with the lure, before flying away.
True story. Plus, I was tripping on a hallucinogen at the time, which really added to my amazement.
Kind of makes you wonder, what would be considered an excessive velocity? Is there an acceptable velocity for a metal rod being flung from space at the earth?
"Then why do you believe in *any* of it [the Bible]?" (that isn't verified by other sources, whether they be other accounts of history or scientific discoveries)
I would almost argue that it doesn't, technically, make sense. I would say that about any belief based solely on anecdote.
The anecdotal value of the Bible -- to me, a non-believer -- is that it tells us something about how people lived in Biblical times. To the extent that modern human nature is similar to ancient human nature, we might learn something from the Bible about the individual and society.
I don't believe it's the one and only Word of God, and I certainly don't believe it's the one and only code by which we *must* lead our lives, lest we go to hell.
I notice that none of your examples of historical nanny-states occurred in the USA.
I did cite the institution of slavery... a pillar of the young Republic, at least in the Southern states.
But I didn't mean to exlude the United States -- I picked other examples in order to demonstrate the long history and broad cultural sweep of nanny-statism.
It's true that the colonies, and the young America, were less nanny-state oriented than, say, the European mother countries of the time. Such is the nature of frontier survival -- on the frontier, the nanny-state provides military power, but pioneers must necessarily rely on their own resources.
With the industrial revolution, the Nation-State -- and its heir apparent, the Corporation -- assumed greater and greater powers, at the expense of individual initiative. Certainly the Civil War proved that the Federal government is greater than the individual state governments; while the mandatory and unpopular draft proved that Uncle Sam is greater than any one of his sons.
You are a moron if you think any state run public infrstructure is "Excellent". The power companies and the state Both suck, and were both at fault for the blackout, so there goes your theroy, try another...
Consider the Army.
Thank God it's a state-run monopoly -- otherwise we'd have civil war.
Finally, it's just another symptom of the nanny-state mentality that is pervading modern society.
The nanny-state mentality (nice phrase) isn't peculiar to modern society -- it's common throughout history.
Check out, for example, the history of sumptuary laws... or how Calvinist Geneva was practically a police state... or how Sparta was literally a police state... or how most of Roman history is characterized by subordination of the individual to the state... for that matter, consider that most of human history is characterized by the institution of slavery.
On the balance, the nanny state has been the historical norm; widespread respect for individual initiative is a relatively recent phenomenon.
Well you have to realize that a large number of Christians pick and choose ideas from the bible simply to bolster confidence in their own personal beliefs, kinda like why people watch shows like O'Reily.
Picking and choosing makes sense. Taking the entire Bible straight-up at face value is tough: numerous contradictions, a shortage of connections to bind the pieces into a cohesive whole.
It is a characteristic of zealots that they want to believe that a) everyone is either with them or against them, and b) both sides hold easily categorized sets of beliefs. The idea that there are ideologies orthogonal to their own just doesn't fit into their worldview. Me, I'm a patriotic liberal anti-war pro-gun atheist evolution-believing veteran. The grandparent poster probably has never even imagined that people like me exist.;)
Well put -- that's what I'm talking about.
Similarly, I've met professors of biology who believe in both Christianity and evolution. And why not? If God can create Everything... surely He can create evolution....
Slashdot Mirror
Excuse me, but even listeners to the BBC (British Broadcast Corporation) are assumed to know what "Super Tuesday" means... are Americans more ignorant about the American politcal system than Europeans?
... yes, we are more ignorant than Europeans.
Speaking as an American, I have to say
At any rate, most of the Americans that I've ever met are more ignorant than most of the Europeans I've ever met.
-kgj
Diebold should be banned: everywhere, period.
-kgj
Prosecutors charge that the act meets the definition of cyberterrorism since it endangered public safety.
The act also meets my definition of "this guy is a total dick".
-kgj
Basic software services should be cheap, just like water, electricity and gas.
Water is not cheap -- neither is gas, nor electricity. Just ask the tens of millions of people who can't afford them.
Furthermore, ditto food -- not cheap, for the starving.
-kgj
They call it a "traffic monitor". But traffic is a higher-level function: traffic is an aggregate of vehicle data.
... invasive implications ....
Really, these things should be called "vehicle monitors". But that phrase conjures up such
-kgj
You're quite right -- I was hasty about hitting the Submit button.
Future Shock is about accelerating rate of change -- technological change, social change -- and how people experience the effects of rapid change.
The insightful part is a fair number of Toffler's prognostications circa 1970 have since come true
In Toffler's own words, from an interview (Nov. 99):
-kgj
If you come home late TiVO's new iSpouse product will save your dinner in small plastic containers. This can then be re-heated and eaten at any time!
New improved iSpouse 1.1 will save your sex life in small plastic containers. This can then be re-heated and, um, consumed at any time!
-kgj
Published in 1970, yet still insightful today:
Future Shock by Alvin Toffler.
-kgj
If we can speak with one voice, we can play an important role in protecting the nation's critical infrastructure.
Speaking with one voice is a good thing: Strength in Unity.
Speaking with one voice is a bad thing: Way of the Fascist.
-kgj
You know, I had a dream that I was using such a thing once; what was it called? -- yes, FvwmPager! Weird, eh?
Can a dream constitute prior art?
-kgj
So if there is a buffer overflow in explorer.exe, and I exploit this buffer, it kills explorer.exe.
....
and if I do this to IIS, repeatedly, from an outlook virus I just created to scan IP ranges and shut down any IIS server it can locate.
Damned good question. Somebody confirm or deny this idea
-kgj
The re-pricing of oil in Euros might also work.
A bold approach -- but after Saddam switched from dollars to euros, America invaded Iraq.
See also The Dollar vs. the Euro for World Hegemony.
-kgj
Delivering four Quarter-Pounders to the target should knock them out of the air.
....
Make mine four Quarter-Pounders with Cheese, please
-kgj
Physical slashdotting? There's a new idea.
Also known as Flash Mob Overload.
-kgj
The earth is at the center of the observable universe, pretty much by definition. Unless of course the observer in question isn't on the earth.
Good point.
Of course, the problem of the "what constitutes the observable universe?" is easily resolved by smartly knocking the observer upside the head with a telescope.
-kgj
Dragon flies are general predators.
... hovered just beneath the lure ... then circled around several times, in perfect sync with the lure, before flying away.
They'll eat anything that moves and is the right size.BR>
Example:
I went fishing once. I had my rod and reel all ready to go, with a lure attached. Before casting, I adjusted the reel a bit. I happened to be holding the rod at about 45 degrees, with the lure dangling on a short length of line. Physics being what it is, the lure spun around in a tight circle. Imagine my surprise when a dragonfly appeared
True story. Plus, I was tripping on a hallucinogen at the time, which really added to my amazement.
-kgj
Kind of makes you wonder, what would be considered an excessive velocity? Is there an acceptable velocity for a metal rod being flung from space at the earth?
Exceeding the speed of light might be excessive.
-kgj
"Then why do you believe in *any* of it [the Bible]?" (that isn't verified by other sources, whether they be other accounts of history or scientific discoveries)
I would almost argue that it doesn't, technically, make sense. I would say that about any belief based solely on anecdote.
The anecdotal value of the Bible -- to me, a non-believer -- is that it tells us something about how people lived in Biblical times. To the extent that modern human nature is similar to ancient human nature, we might learn something from the Bible about the individual and society.
I don't believe it's the one and only Word of God, and I certainly don't believe it's the one and only code by which we *must* lead our lives, lest we go to hell.
-kgj
I notice that none of your examples of historical nanny-states occurred in the USA.
... a pillar of the young Republic, at least in the Southern states.
I did cite the institution of slavery
But I didn't mean to exlude the United States -- I picked other examples in order to demonstrate the long history and broad cultural sweep of nanny-statism.
It's true that the colonies, and the young America, were less nanny-state oriented than, say, the European mother countries of the time. Such is the nature of frontier survival -- on the frontier, the nanny-state provides military power, but pioneers must necessarily rely on their own resources.
With the industrial revolution, the Nation-State -- and its heir apparent, the Corporation -- assumed greater and greater powers, at the expense of individual initiative. Certainly the Civil War proved that the Federal government is greater than the individual state governments; while the mandatory and unpopular draft proved that Uncle Sam is greater than any one of his sons.
-kgj
You are a moron if you think any state run public infrstructure is "Excellent". The power companies and the state Both suck, and were both at fault for the blackout, so there goes your theroy, try another...
Consider the Army.
Thank God it's a state-run monopoly -- otherwise we'd have civil war.
-kgj
So, the question is - don't you all think it will come down to point where the Government issues cash cards?
I think it's more likely that government as we know it will fail altogether, and credit card companies will step in to fill the void.
-kgj
Finally, it's just another symptom of the nanny-state mentality that is pervading modern society.
... or how Calvinist Geneva was practically a police state ... or how Sparta was literally a police state ... or how most of Roman history is characterized by subordination of the individual to the state ... for that matter, consider that most of human history is characterized by the institution of slavery.
The nanny-state mentality (nice phrase) isn't peculiar to modern society -- it's common throughout history.
Check out, for example, the history of sumptuary laws
On the balance, the nanny state has been the historical norm; widespread respect for individual initiative is a relatively recent phenomenon.
-kgj
Well you have to realize that a large number of Christians pick and choose ideas from the bible simply to bolster confidence in their own personal beliefs, kinda like why people watch shows like O'Reily.
Picking and choosing makes sense. Taking the entire Bible straight-up at face value is tough: numerous contradictions, a shortage of connections to bind the pieces into a cohesive whole.
-kgj
It is a characteristic of zealots that they want to believe that a) everyone is either with them or against them, and b) both sides hold easily categorized sets of beliefs. The idea that there are ideologies orthogonal to their own just doesn't fit into their worldview. Me, I'm a patriotic liberal anti-war pro-gun atheist evolution-believing veteran. The grandparent poster probably has never even imagined that people like me exist. ;)
... surely He can create evolution ....
Well put -- that's what I'm talking about.
Similarly, I've met professors of biology who believe in both Christianity and evolution. And why not? If God can create Everything
-kgj
My first thought was that it would be perfect for a future handheld game device
Really? Huh. My first thought was that it would be perfect for pornography.
-kgj