"That's the way it also works in a lot of European countries (but not of course all of them)."
I don't know if it applies to all EU countries but when on vaction in the UK last year I needed to see a doctor. No appointment, waited half an hour, but the surprising part was the consultation and meds were "free". Apparently the two governerments have an arrangement to look after each others tourists.
I think it's great you can buy extra cover eg: over here dentistry is not a "universal right" (yet). You don't need perfect teeth but you do need anti-biotics for something as mundane as an abses on a tooth. You don't need an army of administrators to keep track of "who gets how much of what and why", if everything is "free". A much smaller group of forensic accounts can be employed to keep the health providers honest. Speaking of MRI's we had a shitload of them over here when they were still reasonably novel bits of equipment, there was some sort of tax rebate for private clinics to invest in them. Hey presto - MRI's (and accountants) all over the place (prevention is cheaper than cure).
Disclaimer: I'm an old fart who (as a child) did not have a good experience with the "pay or die" system this country had up until the mid 70's. I suffered from childhood asthma that was consistently diagnosed as bronchitis untill I was about 13-14 (oddly enough this correct diagnosis coincided with the introduction of universal health care). I think the asthma thing is genetic since my son had it as well and both of us had an allergic reaction to pickled onions (a bit of trivia that for some reason facinated specialist). His asthma unfortunately was more severe than mine, he once stopped breathing a few minutes after arriving at casualty (scary shit). Under the old system his health care costs would easily have bankrupt me as a young dad in a "dead end" job.
"But simply because they are applying the scientific method does not make what they produce a fact."
Nothing produced by the "scientific method" is a "fact" and not a lot of what cosmologists produce is via the scientific method. The Universe really is mainly hydrogen and ignorance.
We also have humane and effective universal health cover in Australia and you can take out private insurance if you want a private room for mum and baby, silicone implants, ect. The idea that "world class" health care could bankrupt any family is a bipartisan "evil" in this country.
"...they set it up as a negotiating tool amongst themselves."
I agree, and the above quote succinctly sums up my point. The other point I was struggling to make was: if you not a member you are expendable. I support the UN even with the UNSC(*) but I don't have any idea how they or anyone else could stop the cruelty we inflict on each other, it's simply way too easy for humans to rationalise the deeds of war into "us/good vs them/evil". Clear away the layers of civilization and we are simply territorial animals fighting for resources, we cannot help but react to fear with a dog like "we are pack" mentality because to panic and get seperated from "us" means death "or worse" (whatever that may mean to a particular individual).
(*) - Historically speaking we have been exceptionally polite to each other on a global scale since we learned how to destroy cities at the "push of a button" half a centry ago. Even the millions of dead and "scorched earth" of Stalin and Mao did not tempt anyone to push it simply because everyone fears panic in a "mexican stand-off". (Strangely I've come full circle, my original post was about the hyperbole of comapring "Ima DinnerJacket" to Hitler and the anti-war movement to Chamberlin.)
"let's let them nuke Israel...[ killing ] two birds with one stone"
The more likely senario is Isreal would nuke Iran and possibly serveral other Arab nations simultaneously (re: the six day war). The problems in the middle east (and other oil bearing locations, like Sudan) are caused by the veto wielding members of the UNSC bickering via proxy wars just as they did before Reagan "defeated the commies". Ironically the UNSC is politically similar to Iran's "revolutionary council", both are justified by power gained from winning a conflict, both "ride shotgun" over a (more or less) democratic institution, and both are composed of factional warlords, both use "fanatics" to do the dirty work.
Since Hamas won the (rare but fair) election in a landslide victory, "the people" have been financially ostracised by all veto-holding members of the UNSC. IMHO it's because Hamas do not fit into private agreements the UNSC members have amoungst themselves. I belive they have already decided that Isreal will get the west-bank and Egypt will get Gazza, Hamas winning a popular election just wasn't "in the agreement".
Comparing Ima-DinnerJacket to Hitler is hyperbole and completely ignores the last 60yrs of geo-political history.
Disclaimer: Everyone has an opinion but what matters are deeds, I find it instructive to step back and take a look at the "deeds" from a higher perspective.
Errata are mistakes that reach production, manafacturers were perfecting BBT before it became a TLA and it's highly likely BBT found these particular mistakes.
I never said it was easy, rigid quality control costs money on a grand scale and it will still fail some of the time (statistically speaking). But BBT is the foundation of any component based model be it hardware or software.
Newtonian physics says: kinetic energy increases with the square of the speed.
A quick google says a locomotive weighs ~100 metric tons. Travelling at 30 meters/sec (~60mph) it has 45Kj of kineteic energy (re: Newton). Now if we take a 1kg object travelling at 7800m/s (~17,500mph) it has 30,588,148Kj. Roughly 680,000 of said locomotives packed into a projectile the size of a grapefruit. For comparison a 1kg projectile fired from a tank has ~30 locomotives of KE.
I agree a lot of energy can be disapated with thoughtfull design but a lost hammer in space is akin to a "bunker busting missile".
"Here in the U.K. it is the law with fines applied to miscreants who put a plastic bottle in the paper bin."
Heh, in my local council (Australia) they slap a big bright sticker on the lid of your wheelie bin explaining why it is still full. I don't know what they use for glue but the stickers are a bugger to remove.
"The reason why debris is such a hazard to spacecraft today is because they are made as light as possible to reduce launch costs."
In the early 80's a 0.3mm speck of paint travelling at 17,500mph punched a hole 3/4 of the way through the space shuttle's windshield - what sort of shielding material were you thinking of using to prevent more substantial chunks of debris from vaporizing the entire spacecraft?
A apt description of any ex-leader turned "statesman" you care to mention.
"Why do you think she's the one still holding an office?"
Perhaps because it's rare for any ex-leader to hold office within their party, most fancy themselves as an "internationally respected elderly statesmen" (re: T.Blair for a recent example).
"You doubt me?"
I don't doubt that Hillary displays a greater "thirst for power", the words "petty conmtrol freak" come to mind. OTOH I don't doubt Bill's ability as a "salesman", who knows what he "lusts for" other than the obvious perks that come with the job.
During the US prohibition on alcohol it was not uncommon for FBI agents to arrive at work in a car with a driver, cars OTOH were uncommon. I'm also sure that some of today's prohibitionists also make a comfortable living using similar techniques. But I think details such as this can cloud the bigger picture and my guess is corrupt "public servants" are tolerated until it's convienient (and safe) to purge "a few bad apples".
The UNSC has been the smiling public face for the ongoing proxy wars around the globe since WW2, these veto weilding winners of WW2 cast a dark shadow over the whole planet in exactly the same way that Iran's "Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution" casts a shadow in it's sphere of influence. For a current example: The message that "potential terrorists" will get from the treatment of the Hamas government is "democracy is just a word", this sort of "competition" can only speed civilization's demise at the hands of the Barbarian hoardes...again...
A modified "wobble mirror" could be used to cancel out distortion from mechanical vibrations but since it's a rotating liquid it might also be distorted by vorticies (like the earths atmosphere/oceans) - that would be very difficult to iron out.
Slashdot Mirror
"That's the way it also works in a lot of European countries (but not of course all of them)."
I don't know if it applies to all EU countries but when on vaction in the UK last year I needed to see a doctor. No appointment, waited half an hour, but the surprising part was the consultation and meds were "free". Apparently the two governerments have an arrangement to look after each others tourists.
I think it's great you can buy extra cover eg: over here dentistry is not a "universal right" (yet). You don't need perfect teeth but you do need anti-biotics for something as mundane as an abses on a tooth. You don't need an army of administrators to keep track of "who gets how much of what and why", if everything is "free". A much smaller group of forensic accounts can be employed to keep the health providers honest. Speaking of MRI's we had a shitload of them over here when they were still reasonably novel bits of equipment, there was some sort of tax rebate for private clinics to invest in them. Hey presto - MRI's (and accountants) all over the place (prevention is cheaper than cure).
Disclaimer: I'm an old fart who (as a child) did not have a good experience with the "pay or die" system this country had up until the mid 70's. I suffered from childhood asthma that was consistently diagnosed as bronchitis untill I was about 13-14 (oddly enough this correct diagnosis coincided with the introduction of universal health care). I think the asthma thing is genetic since my son had it as well and both of us had an allergic reaction to pickled onions (a bit of trivia that for some reason facinated specialist). His asthma unfortunately was more severe than mine, he once stopped breathing a few minutes after arriving at casualty (scary shit). Under the old system his health care costs would easily have bankrupt me as a young dad in a "dead end" job.
"But simply because they are applying the scientific method does not make what they produce a fact."
Nothing produced by the "scientific method" is a "fact" and not a lot of what cosmologists produce is via the scientific method. The Universe really is mainly hydrogen and ignorance.
"When they got near the touchy military types at Roswell, their lander copped an unexpected sidewinder up the clacker."
Definitely "unexpected" since sidewinder's had not been invented.
We also have humane and effective universal health cover in Australia and you can take out private insurance if you want a private room for mum and baby, silicone implants, ect. The idea that "world class" health care could bankrupt any family is a bipartisan "evil" in this country.
"...they set it up as a negotiating tool amongst themselves."
I agree, and the above quote succinctly sums up my point. The other point I was struggling to make was: if you not a member you are expendable. I support the UN even with the UNSC(*) but I don't have any idea how they or anyone else could stop the cruelty we inflict on each other, it's simply way too easy for humans to rationalise the deeds of war into "us/good vs them/evil". Clear away the layers of civilization and we are simply territorial animals fighting for resources, we cannot help but react to fear with a dog like "we are pack" mentality because to panic and get seperated from "us" means death "or worse" (whatever that may mean to a particular individual).
(*) - Historically speaking we have been exceptionally polite to each other on a global scale since we learned how to destroy cities at the "push of a button" half a centry ago. Even the millions of dead and "scorched earth" of Stalin and Mao did not tempt anyone to push it simply because everyone fears panic in a "mexican stand-off". (Strangely I've come full circle, my original post was about the hyperbole of comapring "Ima DinnerJacket" to Hitler and the anti-war movement to Chamberlin.)
" I do not wish to live in a time or place where you are not free to decided these kinds of things on your own."
So a "whites only" sign on the door is ok?
"let's let them nuke Israel...[ killing ] two birds with one stone"
The more likely senario is Isreal would nuke Iran and possibly serveral other Arab nations simultaneously (re: the six day war). The problems in the middle east (and other oil bearing locations, like Sudan) are caused by the veto wielding members of the UNSC bickering via proxy wars just as they did before Reagan "defeated the commies". Ironically the UNSC is politically similar to Iran's "revolutionary council", both are justified by power gained from winning a conflict, both "ride shotgun" over a (more or less) democratic institution, and both are composed of factional warlords, both use "fanatics" to do the dirty work.
Since Hamas won the (rare but fair) election in a landslide victory, "the people" have been financially ostracised by all veto-holding members of the UNSC. IMHO it's because Hamas do not fit into private agreements the UNSC members have amoungst themselves. I belive they have already decided that Isreal will get the west-bank and Egypt will get Gazza, Hamas winning a popular election just wasn't "in the agreement".
Comparing Ima-DinnerJacket to Hitler is hyperbole and completely ignores the last 60yrs of geo-political history.
Disclaimer: Everyone has an opinion but what matters are deeds, I find it instructive to step back and take a look at the "deeds" from a higher perspective.
"Btw, the price most consumers feel is "cheap" is about 50 cents a song from what I've read. We're getting ever closer to that level of pricing."
;)
God I'm an old fart, I remeber when 45's were $0.50 each and you got 2-4 songs, OTOH: they have never been cheap
"But what would you do with a brain if you had one?" - Dorothy, The Wizard of Oz.
Frankly I was looking for a much bigger response to my confession such dark secrets....
Speaking of mistakes that reach production....I should have hit "preview".
Errata are mistakes that reach production, manafacturers were perfecting BBT before it became a TLA and it's highly likely BBT found these particular mistakes.
dumbass
Wanker.
I always thought that was an odd name since what they advocate is more akin to white box testing.
I never said it was easy, rigid quality control costs money on a grand scale and it will still fail some of the time (statistically speaking). But BBT is the foundation of any component based model be it hardware or software.
Bugger, the train has 45,000Kj not 45 but the ratio of 680,000:30 for hammer:tank still holds.
Newtonian physics says: kinetic energy increases with the square of the speed.
A quick google says a locomotive weighs ~100 metric tons. Travelling at 30 meters/sec (~60mph) it has 45Kj of kineteic energy (re: Newton). Now if we take a 1kg object travelling at 7800m/s (~17,500mph) it has 30,588,148Kj. Roughly 680,000 of said locomotives packed into a projectile the size of a grapefruit. For comparison a 1kg projectile fired from a tank has ~30 locomotives of KE.
I agree a lot of energy can be disapated with thoughtfull design but a lost hammer in space is akin to a "bunker busting missile".
Three words....Black box testing.
My partner happens to hold a Phd in marketing, the way she tells it marketing includes the sales dept.
"Here in the U.K. it is the law with fines applied to miscreants who put a plastic bottle in the paper bin."
Heh, in my local council (Australia) they slap a big bright sticker on the lid of your wheelie bin explaining why it is still full. I don't know what they use for glue but the stickers are a bugger to remove.
Flamebait?
"The reason why debris is such a hazard to spacecraft today is because they are made as light as possible to reduce launch costs."
In the early 80's a 0.3mm speck of paint travelling at 17,500mph punched a hole 3/4 of the way through the space shuttle's windshield - what sort of shielding material were you thinking of using to prevent more substantial chunks of debris from vaporizing the entire spacecraft?
"He's a freaking used car salesman"
A apt description of any ex-leader turned "statesman" you care to mention.
"Why do you think she's the one still holding an office?"
Perhaps because it's rare for any ex-leader to hold office within their party, most fancy themselves as an "internationally respected elderly statesmen" (re: T.Blair for a recent example).
"You doubt me?"
I don't doubt that Hillary displays a greater "thirst for power", the words "petty conmtrol freak" come to mind. OTOH I don't doubt Bill's ability as a "salesman", who knows what he "lusts for" other than the obvious perks that come with the job.
"Perhaps it is the same here."
During the US prohibition on alcohol it was not uncommon for FBI agents to arrive at work in a car with a driver, cars OTOH were uncommon. I'm also sure that some of today's prohibitionists also make a comfortable living using similar techniques. But I think details such as this can cloud the bigger picture and my guess is corrupt "public servants" are tolerated until it's convienient (and safe) to purge "a few bad apples".
The UNSC has been the smiling public face for the ongoing proxy wars around the globe since WW2, these veto weilding winners of WW2 cast a dark shadow over the whole planet in exactly the same way that Iran's "Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution" casts a shadow in it's sphere of influence. For a current example: The message that "potential terrorists" will get from the treatment of the Hamas government is "democracy is just a word", this sort of "competition" can only speed civilization's demise at the hands of the Barbarian hoardes...again...
Nobody has managed to work Batman into the picture yet...
A modified "wobble mirror" could be used to cancel out distortion from mechanical vibrations but since it's a rotating liquid it might also be distorted by vorticies (like the earths atmosphere/oceans) - that would be very difficult to iron out.