"In most cases it's perfectly reasonable to blame people for a bad outcome when they put a lack of effort in. It's NOT reasonable to blame people for being "ignorant". If you happen to be born intelligent, then that's your good luck. You did nothing to earn it. There's no need to blame people who were not so fortunate.
If people were sold mortgages that they shouldn't have been, then it makes more sense to blame the sellers that could reasonably be expected to know the math, and to blame a lack of regulation that should have stopped the practice."
I'm sorry, but I don't believe that it is the governments responsibility to "protect people from themselves". Again, a grown adult is responsible for their actions and the consequences thereof...at least, in this country until a couple of decades ago, that was the case. Sure, a sucker is born every minute, but that's human nature...it has been and will continue to be. If someone makes a mistake, well, they fail, they lose shit, but hopefully they learn something from the experience and won't be so gullible the next time. You may be ignorant of how things work the first time, but after that you should learn from your experience. If you continue to do the same stupid shit every time and expect a different outcome...well, there's a word from that too.
You can legislate against stupidity.
On the other hand, we do have laws against FRAUD. If there was any fraud or misrepresentation in the contracts, then there is already an avenue for recourse for that situation.
"As much as we all despise meetings, they are often needed. I've seen email exchanges go on for days arguing about something that could have been resolved in about 15 minutes with a simple conference call. There's also the issue that workers can tend to feel lost or abandoned if they don't have at least semi-regular communication with their bosses, even if it's just a weekly status meeting. For whatever reason, email communication just doesn't serve the same purpose as effectively. "
Actually, I could honestly say that 99% of the meetings I have ever been forced to attend...were worthless wastes of my time. Really.
Most of the meetings I have done either in meatspace, or on teleconference, could have taken maybe 3 minutes of my productive time if they'd just emailed me. In these meetings, often 1 - 2 hrs most often, I sit, and twiddle my thumbs waiting till they might actually (not always) come up with something needing my input, or for me to listen to. Other than that, usually it is about some other people with problems I have nothing to do with. From my observations, it seems that mostly only the PHB types are the ones that 'need' meetings, and that is only because if they didn't have those, well...they'd likely not look like they were doing much around the office.
I think one of my favorite signatures I saw long ago was something like:
"Rome didn't conquer most of the known world by having meetings...
"1969 might have been the best year in my memory - from the Jets upsetting the Colts in the SuperBowl to the Beatles last public appearance and Abbey Road release to the first 747 flight to People's Park to Woodstock to the creation of ARPAnet and UNIX to the first and second moon landings. Since then, it has been pretty downhill, frankly."
Every year has its good and bad. Hey, at least in the 70's you could still pretty much fuck anything that moved, and the worst that might happen was you catch something you had to go to a Dr. to get a shot for. At least then you didn't have to wrap yourself in saran wrap before thinking of touching another nekkid human being. On the flip side, have you ever seen 70's porn?!!?
My God, some of those women would require a machete and a fully stocked jungle expedition to find the treasure down below....
"No, but it is english and mathematics skills beyond the understanding of a significant proportion of the population. Remember the average IQ is around 100. Which puts an awful lot of the population on double digit IQs. And that doesn't mean they deserve to get shafted."
No one should get intentionally shafted, but c'mon, these are GROWN adults, that are responsible (or should be) for their own actions, and hence the consequence of their actions. No one held a gun to anyone's head to sign for a loan for property they could not afford.
Yes, it truly sucks that they didn't read things, didn't demand that things they didn't understand be explained to them, but, in the end, it is their fault and only they are to blame for signing their name to a contract (good or bad).
In the US, equal opportunity does not mean equal outcome. If you make a bad deal, it sucks, but you move on and try to pick up the pieces. The rest of us should not be responsible for your ignorance and lack of effort to understand what you are getting into.
"Car analogy: why do you need an adjustable seat? It's not like you're going to let somebody else drive your car is it?"
Holy shit NO!!
My last three cars...I can count on one hand the number of people that ever even sat in the driver seat, much less actually drove the damned thing!!!
For one thing, most people these days can't drive a standard, and second, well I don't generally turn anyone loose in a 2x seat performance sports car...it is just too tempting for them to do something stupid. You don't let people ride your motorcycle either...
"iPad only has a single user and not even a guest account, do you really want to let your kids, friends or random people to use it access all your browser history, photos, emails and such?"
Ok, I've seen this issue raised more than a couple of times on here in recent past....do THAT many people actually let kids, friends or random people even touch their computers, much less log onto them and use them?
Most people I know have their own computers/smartphones. Why they hell would someone ever really need to get on one of my computers? I mean, Ok, I can see maybe a freak occurrence of this need once every couple years...but, not enough for it to become a problem.
"What a parent could do is treat a child with respect and not rely on obedience/slave training to prepare their child for life. Getting one's child to obey is not parenting but domination.
It is possible to have respectful peaceful relationships in the family, based not on violence (fear, guilt, isolation) and manipulation (rewards and punishment) but on emotional intelligence and collaboration.
Check out the work of Alfie Kohn and Naomi Aldort for a start."
I dunno..if my parents hadn't given me some good (and well deserved) ass whippin's, I'd not have turned out very well.
I'm sure different kids react differently, but I was and still am pretty hard headed and inventive when it comes to behavior.
If I'd not had the fear of God put into me about bad behavior when younger, I'd likely not have turned out so well..
But I was thinking the other day with reference to this in general.
Do parents "really" have any power over their kids today? I mean, if they whack them...the kid can call child services on them. Heck, if kid really wants to fsck their parents, just claim something sexual....and the parent is then pretty much branded for life, even if they did nothing wrong but try to discipline their child.
A child that realizes this power and is willing to wield it....what could a parent really do?
"last year i spent 6 months at home, and while the first few weeks were fun, after that i just basically got out of bed, hid behind my pc, and waste my entire day on the tubes...
sounds an awefull lot like how i spend my time at work though.."
LOL...it sounds a lot like when I'm at work too!!
:)
Hmm..seems I'm more productive (at least on a personal basis) when I'm between jobs!!
"i have to disagree. Sure my primary motivation for working is getting paid, but i also need some sort of rythm in my daily life, which work provides. It also provides me with some challenge to aply myself."
I can easily provide a 'rhythm' for my life without a job.
About a year or so ago, I was between contracts for about 7 months. My schedule? I'd get up about 8am or so, walk the dog, then jump on my motorcycle and go to the gym...work out for about 2hours or so, home for lunch, spend some time online looking for jobs, etc. Then, I'd get on my motorcycle, and go ride all around New Orleans...stopping off here and there. About 3-ish, I'd start to make plans to meet friends with jobs for beers after they got off work.
I'd maybe eat dinner out, or head home to cook (I love to cook)...and do whatever that evening.Next day, rinse, repeat.
Honestly, I'd have no problem doing basically that the rest of my years, with the occasional vacation to somewhere like the Keys in FL, or maybe island hop in the caribbean a bit.
If I didn't have to work to live comfortably, I'd not work....
"Its not just money. In my last job (as an engineering grunt in a large corp.), I was paid pretty well. OK, I'll be honest....very well. But they had that attitude; 'be happy we're handing you piles of cash and shut up'. So I left. For less money (initially). They just couldn't figure it out when they tried to get me to come back. Its not just about the money, its about the culture at the company. And theirs stank."
Interesting..for me is only about the money. I mean, let's face it...if I didn't have to work for a living, say if I won the powerball jackpot, I'd never work again. To me a job is only a means to an end...the end being having enough money to live my life in the lifestyle I prefer. I like to travel, have nice cars and other toy...go out, party..etc.
I'm certainly not defined in any manner by my job. Don't get me wrong, I like to futz around with computers, so what I do is always somewhat fun, but, if I didn't have to work, I would not do so.
I've got an old iBook G3...and am running into this with limits on the OS I can upgrade to...hell, I can't even find a version for sale legally of OSX that I can run this box on.
But this computer has served me well, I think I bought it used back in about 2002 or 2003 maybe. I'm saving to get a shiny macbook pro, and I'll do with this old computer what I do with much old hardware. I'll breathe new life into it by installing Linux.
"It's been argued [gladwell.com] that the ability of small, maneuverable small vehicles to avoid accidents outweighs the increased risk of dying upon a major collision."
I agree...if I'd not had the power, handling and braking of my corvette or the 930 porsche I had...I'd have been smashed to bit more than a couple of times by idiot drivers out there not paying attention, running red lights, etc.
Because I had cars that could speed up, stop and turn on a dime, I was able to (often just barely) get out of their way and save a crash.
"The other safety differences tend to be about things like the screen issue I mentioned - a US requirement being to assume the passengers are not wearing a seatbelt, affecting the angle of the windscreen."
You've used this term twice in a couple of posts you've made. What the hell is a 'screen' in a car? Are you talking about the grill on the front of the car near the bumper or something? A screen to me, is the wire mesh thing on a window on a house...I'm not sure what a screen on a car over there is?
"Mod This up! I have a hard time looking at the stats on new cars and see nothing but HP improvements, not MPG improvements. For example, I had a '89 Mustang GT with 225 HP, and it was fast enough to be dangerous. I could shift out of 2nd gear at 75 mpg, and spin the tires in 3 gears. It got (for the time) decent mileage, namely 18 in the city, close to 25 on the highway. Fast forward 20 years, and the new mustangs get THE SAME MILEAGE, but have 300+ horsepower. The government can mandate all they want, but until people's attitudes change, horsepower sells more cars than MPG."
Ok, I give..why would anyone want a car with less performance. I mean, if you're looking at a performance car (ok, so a mustang is on the tail end of the spectrum, but still) why on earth would you want a car with less? If you want a car that doesn't have horsepower, braking and handling...get a yugo or something.
I have enough money to pay for my gas, and I prefer a care that is FUN to drive. Every time I get in my car to go anywhere, it is not a task or a drudge, but an adventure. Even if only going to the grocery store for food.
This isn't a one car fits all society...why try to make it one?
"I live in hope of someone designing a mid-sized car with ultralightweight materials and putting a slow-running non-turbo diesel in it with high gear ratios and the maximum possible low-rev torque setup - economy and long life without complications. And while I'm dreaming, I'd like a pony"
I'm dreaming of the Tesla being sold in the price range of $45-$50K...like a vette.
That's about the ONLY green car I'd be interested in...great looks and performance. Although I'll miss the great sound of a well tuned, growling gasoline engine. Oh well, I guess that's what my motorcyle is for....
"It would be more fun if they were interspersed with actual articles so you never really know which are which. Thats usually part of the challenge for an April fools jokes. But then all the joke was way to realistic posts would disappear."
"A 12-year sysadmin sounds a lot like a long-term member of the Janitor's union to me."
Call it what you wish, but it IS an easy way to crank out 6 figure salaries. If doing that for most of the 12 years, that's not too bad...especially in today's economy!!
Slashdot Mirror
If people were sold mortgages that they shouldn't have been, then it makes more sense to blame the sellers that could reasonably be expected to know the math, and to blame a lack of regulation that should have stopped the practice."
I'm sorry, but I don't believe that it is the governments responsibility to "protect people from themselves". Again, a grown adult is responsible for their actions and the consequences thereof...at least, in this country until a couple of decades ago, that was the case. Sure, a sucker is born every minute, but that's human nature...it has been and will continue to be. If someone makes a mistake, well, they fail, they lose shit, but hopefully they learn something from the experience and won't be so gullible the next time. You may be ignorant of how things work the first time, but after that you should learn from your experience. If you continue to do the same stupid shit every time and expect a different outcome...well, there's a word from that too.
You can legislate against stupidity.
On the other hand, we do have laws against FRAUD. If there was any fraud or misrepresentation in the contracts, then there is already an avenue for recourse for that situation.
Actually, I could honestly say that 99% of the meetings I have ever been forced to attend...were worthless wastes of my time. Really.
Most of the meetings I have done either in meatspace, or on teleconference, could have taken maybe 3 minutes of my productive time if they'd just emailed me. In these meetings, often 1 - 2 hrs most often, I sit, and twiddle my thumbs waiting till they might actually (not always) come up with something needing my input, or for me to listen to. Other than that, usually it is about some other people with problems I have nothing to do with. From my observations, it seems that mostly only the PHB types are the ones that 'need' meetings, and that is only because if they didn't have those, well...they'd likely not look like they were doing much around the office.
I think one of my favorite signatures I saw long ago was something like:
"Rome didn't conquer most of the known world by having meetings...
Don't forget Altamont....
Every year has its good and bad. Hey, at least in the 70's you could still pretty much fuck anything that moved, and the worst that might happen was you catch something you had to go to a Dr. to get a shot for. At least then you didn't have to wrap yourself in saran wrap before thinking of touching another nekkid human being. On the flip side, have you ever seen 70's porn?!!?
My God, some of those women would require a machete and a fully stocked jungle expedition to find the treasure down below....
No one should get intentionally shafted, but c'mon, these are GROWN adults, that are responsible (or should be) for their own actions, and hence the consequence of their actions. No one held a gun to anyone's head to sign for a loan for property they could not afford.
Yes, it truly sucks that they didn't read things, didn't demand that things they didn't understand be explained to them, but, in the end, it is their fault and only they are to blame for signing their name to a contract (good or bad).
In the US, equal opportunity does not mean equal outcome. If you make a bad deal, it sucks, but you move on and try to pick up the pieces. The rest of us should not be responsible for your ignorance and lack of effort to understand what you are getting into.
Holy shit NO!!
My last three cars...I can count on one hand the number of people that ever even sat in the driver seat, much less actually drove the damned thing!!!
For one thing, most people these days can't drive a standard, and second, well I don't generally turn anyone loose in a 2x seat performance sports car...it is just too tempting for them to do something stupid. You don't let people ride your motorcycle either...
Ok, I've seen this issue raised more than a couple of times on here in recent past....do THAT many people actually let kids, friends or random people even touch their computers, much less log onto them and use them?
Most people I know have their own computers/smartphones. Why they hell would someone ever really need to get on one of my computers? I mean, Ok, I can see maybe a freak occurrence of this need once every couple years...but, not enough for it to become a problem.
It is possible to have respectful peaceful relationships in the family, based not on violence (fear, guilt, isolation) and manipulation (rewards and punishment) but on emotional intelligence and collaboration.
Check out the work of Alfie Kohn and Naomi Aldort for a start."
I dunno..if my parents hadn't given me some good (and well deserved) ass whippin's, I'd not have turned out very well.
I'm sure different kids react differently, but I was and still am pretty hard headed and inventive when it comes to behavior.
If I'd not had the fear of God put into me about bad behavior when younger, I'd likely not have turned out so well..
Do parents "really" have any power over their kids today? I mean, if they whack them...the kid can call child services on them. Heck, if kid really wants to fsck their parents, just claim something sexual....and the parent is then pretty much branded for life, even if they did nothing wrong but try to discipline their child.
A child that realizes this power and is willing to wield it....what could a parent really do?
Never heard of a law against carrying a police scanner in a car...is this a state or federal law?
sounds an awefull lot like how i spend my time at work though.."
LOL...it sounds a lot like when I'm at work too!!
Hmm..seems I'm more productive (at least on a personal basis) when I'm between jobs!!
Looking at the screen shots, it looks a lot like some of the original versions of Sim City...
I can easily provide a 'rhythm' for my life without a job.
About a year or so ago, I was between contracts for about 7 months. My schedule? I'd get up about 8am or so, walk the dog, then jump on my motorcycle and go to the gym...work out for about 2hours or so, home for lunch, spend some time online looking for jobs, etc. Then, I'd get on my motorcycle, and go ride all around New Orleans...stopping off here and there. About 3-ish, I'd start to make plans to meet friends with jobs for beers after they got off work.
I'd maybe eat dinner out, or head home to cook (I love to cook)...and do whatever that evening.Next day, rinse, repeat.
Honestly, I'd have no problem doing basically that the rest of my years, with the occasional vacation to somewhere like the Keys in FL, or maybe island hop in the caribbean a bit.
If I didn't have to work to live comfortably, I'd not work....
Interesting..for me is only about the money. I mean, let's face it...if I didn't have to work for a living, say if I won the powerball jackpot, I'd never work again. To me a job is only a means to an end...the end being having enough money to live my life in the lifestyle I prefer. I like to travel, have nice cars and other toy...go out, party..etc.
I'm certainly not defined in any manner by my job. Don't get me wrong, I like to futz around with computers, so what I do is always somewhat fun, but, if I didn't have to work, I would not do so.
But this computer has served me well, I think I bought it used back in about 2002 or 2003 maybe. I'm saving to get a shiny macbook pro, and I'll do with this old computer what I do with much old hardware. I'll breathe new life into it by installing Linux.
Hmm...I guess this low IQ and smoking thing doesn't speak terribly well for our current president.
What is a "ms13 leader"?
I agree...if I'd not had the power, handling and braking of my corvette or the 930 porsche I had...I'd have been smashed to bit more than a couple of times by idiot drivers out there not paying attention, running red lights, etc.
Because I had cars that could speed up, stop and turn on a dime, I was able to (often just barely) get out of their way and save a crash.
You've used this term twice in a couple of posts you've made. What the hell is a 'screen' in a car? Are you talking about the grill on the front of the car near the bumper or something? A screen to me, is the wire mesh thing on a window on a house...I'm not sure what a screen on a car over there is?
Ok, I give..why would anyone want a car with less performance. I mean, if you're looking at a performance car (ok, so a mustang is on the tail end of the spectrum, but still) why on earth would you want a car with less? If you want a car that doesn't have horsepower, braking and handling...get a yugo or something.
I have enough money to pay for my gas, and I prefer a care that is FUN to drive. Every time I get in my car to go anywhere, it is not a task or a drudge, but an adventure. Even if only going to the grocery store for food.
This isn't a one car fits all society...why try to make it one?
I'm dreaming of the Tesla being sold in the price range of $45-$50K...like a vette.
That's about the ONLY green car I'd be interested in...great looks and performance. Although I'll miss the great sound of a well tuned, growling gasoline engine. Oh well, I guess that's what my motorcyle is for....
You must be new here....
OMG...Ponies!!!!11!1
You must be new here...
OMG...Ponies?!!???$@
They are ok as long as they are the older version....
Call it what you wish, but it IS an easy way to crank out 6 figure salaries. If doing that for most of the 12 years, that's not too bad...especially in today's economy!!
I guess what popped into my mind were battery operated things....have batteries been around for that long??