Anyone who could build a theory based on the assumption that human beings are 'rational agents' SUCKS at basic observation. I mean, how could you possibly observe the behavior of human beings and come up with the idea that they are 'rational agents' and model economics based on that? Its the dumbest, most unscientific thing I ever heard of. Seriously.
That's not how advertising works. there have been numerous studies into the effectiveness of advertising - generally all stating that it works
On the other hand, most of these studies were likely done by advertising companies/marketing divisions who stand to profit in people believing they are effective.
Overall i'd say the evidence points towards advertising having an effect.
Human beings are amazingly suggestible. Hypnosis works, I know this from direct personal experience from both perspectives (being hypnotised and hypnotising).
Since my experiences with hypnosis I've come to strongly believe that advertising uses methods which would be useful in putting someone into a suggestible state.
For a while we experimented with methods to block hypnosis; to plant post-hypnotic suggestions which would make it hard for the subject to be hypnotised without proper 'authorisation'. These subjects started to react very badly to many forms of advertising; the advertising was triggering the anti-hypnosis blocks.
Hypnosis definitely works and I'd say *therefore* advertising definitely works.
Although I wouldn't make such a firm generalization regarding the quality of pussy.
Yep. There's good pussy all over the world. I speak from experience with ladies from China and India as well as African-Americans, a wide variety of Europeans, and one Polynesian. Never got to sample any Inuit or Native Americans (north or south) or Mongolians or Arab ladies.
Posting as AC, because my wife does not - and should not - know everything I did in my dissolute youth (before I met her and became staidly conventional).
If you were ever in Mongolia and DIDN'T sample Mongol pussy then you really didn't try. Or you were scared off by the Mongol guys.
Mongol guys don't like foreigners messing with Mongol girls because THEY KNOW HOW EASY THEY ARE!
Since War Games we know that the only winning move is not to play
There was a little problem with that. it's quite possible to win tic-tac-toe....but it requires to things, you must strike first, and you must force the opponents first move to be where you want it. it's always bothered me.
And how do you force the opponents first move to be where you want it? You cover the tictactoe board with your hand leaving only one place open?
One-half of one penny of every tax dollar. That's what the NASA budget is. We spend an assload more money on trying to kill people than we do planning for the future of the human race. On top of the measly NASA budget, we still have to outsource most of our space program.
Has anyone, anywhere, managed to build a serious one yet? One you can actually deploy without also triggering a nuclear holocaust in the process? Because in that case we have bigger problems than a few fried bits of kit.
Actually my analysis would be that the UK have discovered that the Yanks have developed a working EMP bomb and this is the Brits way of acknowledging that they are genuinely worried about being attacked by the USA.
it's less obvious for 15, 16, 17 and 18; hence the various conflicting laws by jurisdiction.
18 years old is of legal age.
Where *you* are, its 'of legal age'.
The fact that 'legal age' varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, from nation to nation and even from one place to another within one nation, tells me that theres something arbitrary and fishy with the concept itself.
Are 12 year olds in Alabama really that different from 12 year olds in South Carolina?
The country is doing okay. The government... not so much. Many of the policies put in place over the last 50 years have been directly detrimental to the interests of the peoples of the United States.
Not if you count corporations as 'people'. If you do then the policies have been a fantastic success!
In Australia, we have a situation similar to that of the US. We have 2 major parties one of which is a coalition, but that is irrelevant. Both parties are right of centre and have a secular façade. Both parties have the same contributors, the same policies (albeit a difference in approach), just different 'friends'.
So, in effect, its a one-party state with that one party having two factions. Much like the USA.
I have an Arts degree majored in computer science. What happened was that I started off with philosophy, got hooked on logic and ended up studying things like the mathematical foundations of computer science, algorithmic information theory etc. I was kind of shocked when I realised I had enough credits from the computer science papers to qualify for my degree... I'd been worried that I hadn't enough philosophy papers.
Turns out you can get an Arts degree majored in a Science subject. Who'd have thunk it?
So am I an artistic scientist or a scientific artist?
Because if they do, we will have backdoors into their spy satellites. Plugging a found USB drive you find in your company parking lot into your computer is an iffy proposition, plugging something into your satellite is just foolhardy. Best case, it's a bomb, worst case it's a monitoring device.
Ahhhh so THATS why the USA 'let' the Iranians capture that spy drone!!! It all makes sense now.
but laws that do get created, tend to last way longer than they ever should. and laws that should have been created take way longer to create than they ever should.
so the pace at which government gets things done is slow. making 150 years a drop in the bucket.
whereas science is now growing crazy fast, and in 150 years, the number of new materials, techniques, processes, careers, and opportunities will change at least a dozen times, making 150 years a very long time in terms of change.
But passing laws, arguably, doesn't achieve anything and in fact probably retards progress...
Each of those four items are the potential subject of nightmares and downfalls, but each and every one of them is a guarantee -- all eight.
Imagine the year 2150. Distant to any human life, not at all distant to government, mediocre to construction (some city construction projects take 70 years), and eons to technology.
I would argue that 2150 is VERY distant for government -- democratic government that is. A democratic government can only plan as far ahead as the next election. Very often, if one elected government initiates a plan which will take more than one term to complete the following government finds some way to win political capital by cancelling this project. Its wasteful and is definitely not what an advanced civilisation needs.
Theres a very real sense in which democracies are artificially limited in their ability to engage in long-term projects and that this is not good for their civilisation when seen from a larger perspective than 'must win next election'.
But seriously, so long as someone is over 18 I don't see the harm in them risking their own lives by not wearing a belt, bike helmet, etc. New Hampshire is the one state that doesn't require seatbelts. They also don't require motorcycle or bicycle helmets. Part of freedom is the freedom to make a stupid choice so long as it only affects you.
So long as it only affects you and the poor guy who has to scrape your brains off the road?
"Beyond Good and Evil"- the very title, the very idea, suggests that one can live a life entirely devoid of previous morality. A dangerous idea indeed.
ok I am going to trim it down to that one piece there.
'Beyond Good and Evil' refers not to being devoid of previous morality but the concept that some areas of life exist at a kind of 'meta level'. Its this 'meta' nature of things like survival and reproduction that put them 'beyond' good and evil. Its not about leaving morality behind. Maslows hierarchy of needs is very similar. Survival and reproduction exist at a different level in that hierarchy than, say, 'being nice to people'.
However, I maintain that if one comes away from Nietzsche thinking "Wow he was so right!" or "My goodness this is so wrong, some things should just not be said!!" then one has come away from Nietzsche having completely missed the whole point of reading him...
You've been on my 'friends' list for a long long time and you've made some really good comments in the past, but I have to strongly disagree with you on your interpretation of Nietzsche:)
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Anyone who could build a theory based on the assumption that human beings are 'rational agents' SUCKS at basic observation. I mean, how could you possibly observe the behavior of human beings and come up with the idea that they are 'rational agents' and model economics based on that? Its the dumbest, most unscientific thing I ever heard of. Seriously.
Don't know if I'm miss reading your implication; but Iran is far far from flat.
I think the reply to your remark would be "EXACTLY".
That's not how advertising works. there have been numerous studies into the effectiveness of advertising - generally all stating that it works
On the other hand, most of these studies were likely done by advertising companies/marketing divisions who stand to profit in people believing they are effective.
Overall i'd say the evidence points towards advertising having an effect.
Human beings are amazingly suggestible. Hypnosis works, I know this from direct personal experience from both perspectives (being hypnotised and hypnotising).
Since my experiences with hypnosis I've come to strongly believe that advertising uses methods which would be useful in putting someone into a suggestible state.
For a while we experimented with methods to block hypnosis; to plant post-hypnotic suggestions which would make it hard for the subject to be hypnotised without proper 'authorisation'. These subjects started to react very badly to many forms of advertising; the advertising was triggering the anti-hypnosis blocks.
Hypnosis definitely works and I'd say *therefore* advertising definitely works.
If China wants Google to ensure that Android stays open the best thing they could do would be to BUY ORACLE.
I'm sure that China could afford it, maybe have to call in some of the debt that the USA owes them...
Although I wouldn't make such a firm generalization regarding the quality of pussy.
Yep. There's good pussy all over the world. I speak from experience with ladies from China and India as well as African-Americans, a wide variety of Europeans, and one Polynesian. Never got to sample any Inuit or Native Americans (north or south) or Mongolians or Arab ladies.
Posting as AC, because my wife does not - and should not - know everything I did in my dissolute youth (before I met her and became staidly conventional).
If you were ever in Mongolia and DIDN'T sample Mongol pussy then you really didn't try. Or you were scared off by the Mongol guys.
Mongol guys don't like foreigners messing with Mongol girls because THEY KNOW HOW EASY THEY ARE!
If I want the sci fi channel ontop of that, add another $16 a month.
you havw scifi channel in Aussie? You lucky bastards!
The rest of the world has to make do with the miserable syfy channel :(
Since War Games we know that the only winning move is not to play
There was a little problem with that. it's quite possible to win tic-tac-toe....but it requires to things, you must strike first, and you must force the opponents first move to be where you want it. it's always bothered me.
And how do you force the opponents first move to be where you want it? You cover the tictactoe board with your hand leaving only one place open?
One-half of one penny of every tax dollar. That's what the NASA budget is. We spend an assload more money on trying to kill people than we do planning for the future of the human race. On top of the measly NASA budget, we still have to outsource most of our space program.
Did you know the US spends more on the military's Air Conditioners than the entire NASA budget? http://gizmodo.com/5813257/air-conditioning-our-military-costs-more-than-nasas-entire-budget.
How much out of every tax dollar goes on keeping people in prison? From what I hear, the USA has about half the worlds prison population...
Thanks, I do my best!
Has anyone, anywhere, managed to build a serious one yet? One you can actually deploy without also triggering a nuclear holocaust in the process? Because in that case we have bigger problems than a few fried bits of kit.
Actually my analysis would be that the UK have discovered that the Yanks have developed a working EMP bomb and this is the Brits way of acknowledging that they are genuinely worried about being attacked by the USA.
Like RMS, I'm getting old, and travel a lot to do talks. If I fall ill or get hit by a car, I hope you turkeys never find out.
I'd miss you, Bruce.
it's less obvious for 15, 16, 17 and 18; hence the various conflicting laws by jurisdiction.
18 years old is of legal age.
Where *you* are, its 'of legal age'.
The fact that 'legal age' varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, from nation to nation and even from one place to another within one nation, tells me that theres something arbitrary and fishy with the concept itself.
Are 12 year olds in Alabama really that different from 12 year olds in South Carolina?
The country is doing okay. The government... not so much. Many of the policies put in place over the last 50 years have been directly detrimental to the interests of the peoples of the United States.
Not if you count corporations as 'people'. If you do then the policies have been a fantastic success!
In Australia, we have a situation similar to that of the US. We have 2 major parties one of which is a coalition, but that is irrelevant. Both parties are right of centre and have a secular façade. Both parties have the same contributors, the same policies (albeit a difference in approach), just different 'friends'.
So, in effect, its a one-party state with that one party having two factions. Much like the USA.
great track record
LOL
I have an Arts degree majored in computer science. What happened was that I started off with philosophy, got hooked on logic and ended up studying things like the mathematical foundations of computer science, algorithmic information theory etc. I was kind of shocked when I realised I had enough credits from the computer science papers to qualify for my degree... I'd been worried that I hadn't enough philosophy papers.
Turns out you can get an Arts degree majored in a Science subject. Who'd have thunk it?
So am I an artistic scientist or a scientific artist?
"UK government uses civilian residents as human shields to protect their missile sites".
It'll make the terrorists think twice before blowing up those flats to eliminate the SAM batteries.
Because if they do, we will have backdoors into their spy satellites. Plugging a found USB drive you find in your company parking lot into your computer is an iffy proposition, plugging something into your satellite is just foolhardy. Best case, it's a bomb, worst case it's a monitoring device.
Ahhhh so THATS why the USA 'let' the Iranians capture that spy drone!!! It all makes sense now.
but laws that do get created, tend to last way longer than they ever should. and laws that should have been created take way longer to create than they ever should.
so the pace at which government gets things done is slow. making 150 years a drop in the bucket.
whereas science is now growing crazy fast, and in 150 years, the number of new materials, techniques, processes, careers, and opportunities will change at least a dozen times, making 150 years a very long time in terms of change.
But passing laws, arguably, doesn't achieve anything and in fact probably retards progress...
Each of those four items are the potential subject of nightmares and downfalls, but each and every one of them is a guarantee -- all eight.
Imagine the year 2150. Distant to any human life, not at all distant to government, mediocre to construction (some city construction projects take 70 years), and eons to technology.
I would argue that 2150 is VERY distant for government -- democratic government that is. A democratic government can only plan as far ahead as the next election. Very often, if one elected government initiates a plan which will take more than one term to complete the following government finds some way to win political capital by cancelling this project. Its wasteful and is definitely not what an advanced civilisation needs.
Theres a very real sense in which democracies are artificially limited in their ability to engage in long-term projects and that this is not good for their civilisation when seen from a larger perspective than 'must win next election'.
To paraphrase the great Yoda, "That, is why you fail."
"That is why fail you do" ?
I think the whole Bush/Obama thing is a total distraction
Democrat/Republican is a total distraction.
The USA is a one-party state.
Lowtax thanks you for the :10bux:
Well, to be fair, a lot of us are stupid.
But seriously, so long as someone is over 18 I don't see the harm in them risking their own lives by not wearing a belt, bike helmet, etc. New Hampshire is the one state that doesn't require seatbelts. They also don't require motorcycle or bicycle helmets. Part of freedom is the freedom to make a stupid choice so long as it only affects you.
So long as it only affects you and the poor guy who has to scrape your brains off the road?
"Beyond Good and Evil"- the very title, the very idea, suggests that one can live a life entirely devoid of previous morality. A dangerous idea indeed.
ok I am going to trim it down to that one piece there.
'Beyond Good and Evil' refers not to being devoid of previous morality but the concept that some areas of life exist at a kind of 'meta level'. Its this 'meta' nature of things like survival and reproduction that put them 'beyond' good and evil. Its not about leaving morality behind. Maslows hierarchy of needs is very similar. Survival and reproduction exist at a different level in that hierarchy than, say, 'being nice to people'.
However, I maintain that if one comes away from Nietzsche thinking "Wow he was so right!" or "My goodness this is so wrong, some things should just not be said!!" then one has come away from Nietzsche having completely missed the whole point of reading him...
You've been on my 'friends' list for a long long time and you've made some really good comments in the past, but I have to strongly disagree with you on your interpretation of Nietzsche :)