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User: slothman32

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  1. Re:WE ARE FUCKED on Kerry Concedes Election To Bush · · Score: 1

    Journal entry. I only have one but I might eventually add more. Remember unlike karma the number of entries really is related to worth as a person.

  2. Re:if you choose to not vote on Election Day Discussion · · Score: 1

    I was going to do that but I asked people and they said it isn't worth it. The readers would just ignore it since it has no person on it and then throw it out. If there was a real "none of the above" I would have done that.

  3. Re:WE ARE FUCKED on Kerry Concedes Election To Bush · · Score: 1

    I shuddered whenever I heard him called that. I don't think of himself as presidnet now, or in 2000. Just like I don't think Hayes was president after fiddling with the votes when he was "elected." The plus side is that since most people think he is he can't get elected again. We only have his daughters, brothers, and his father for 1 more term.
    I call his shrub but that's an insult to shrubs. Of course Bush is an insult to bushes.
    I wish you had a JE so I could talk more.

  4. Re:Lawsuit proof file sharing on BitTorrent Accounts for 35% of Traffic · · Score: 1

    If each section is small enough then you can use fair use, until they remove that, to say you are just sampling. As long as you don't give a large enough part to any person nothing can happen. Of course thet probably requires too many people for it too work usefully.

  5. Re:In related news, every time I flip a penny on.. on Does Redskins Loss Presage A Kerry Win? · · Score: 1

    It is a funny story but I would say that the coin would more likely land on it's side than any third party win.

  6. Re:Useless summary. on Dept. of Homeland Security Enforces Expired Patent · · Score: 1

    Everyone knows that trademarks don't expire if you defend them. But since the Constitution specifies that IP can only be monopolized for a limited time does that mean trademarks aren't part of the clause? If not what part does enable them?

  7. Re:sum of cubes on Greatest Equations Ever · · Score: 1

    When I was that young, possibly 1st grade though, my teacher said you couldn't do that. "It doesn't make any sense and will be ignored," as a paraphrase she said. Of course I knew otherwise but that would just confuse here even if not the other students. But then what do I know. In kindergarden I learned 'w' is a vowel. I never knew it was 'til I learned the 2 words a couple years ago.

  8. Re:(Generalized) Stokes equation on Greatest Equations Ever · · Score: 1

    I haven't studied manifolds and boundaries but I know "regular" Calculus. I know a line integral and area integral. I can almost imagine manifolds. Of the two the forms from the parent I can't figure out which is the line and which the area.

    It looks like the "differential form on the boundary" is the area one and the "exterior derivative" is the line one. Similarly the " S_{dM)w," which I am guessing means the integral of wdM as I only see a capital S followed by a underscore in my browser, is the area one and the "S_(M)dw" is the line one.
    Am I correct or do I know nothing of this?

  9. Re:Worst equation ever on Greatest Equations Ever · · Score: 1

    I've "proved" the cubic. But what I'm trying to do it put the answer, unfortunately very long, back in for x and solve it that way. I started but ended up with a a1*root(b1) + a2*root(b2)... with 6 terms, cube roots, and all equaling a complex function on the right. It's really hard to cube the roots away to cancel the terms. I am starting with squareroot(a1) + squareroot(a2) = c and going from there.
    I doub't I'll ever even get to the quartic one as that requires a cubic in the process.

  10. Re:Why does the iTunes Store charge $9.99 per albu on Wal-Mart Squeezing Record Labels to Cut CD Prices · · Score: 1

    1.6% to musicians.
    That means if I make music through the RIAA and sell $50 million worth of sales I still won't be a millionaire.
    What's one million albums, a gold record? It must bot be monetarily valuable then.

  11. selfish on 'Tit for Tat' Defeated In Prisoner's Dilemma Challenge · · Score: 1

    Isn't defecting sort of like a selfish strategy? Someone might want to be nice and cooperate even though it hurts them. If this really happened and the police were asking me this. I wouldn't just squeal on the other person. I would effectively want a contract that says If I squeal but he does also mine doesn't count. That way I can't lose. If me and my partners agreed that even if we defected we would still use that method it's like a cooperation.

  12. Re:Naive on FEC May Regulate Online Political Activity · · Score: 1

    Actually, I think at least, in the case of private corps that also have shares it's the same as public ones. The shares are just not sold. Page and company who own shares of Google are just as valid shareholders as the public people. They just won't sell to the public so they can keep control. In the case of non-corps like small business they are owned entirely by a person or people. Those people are accountable. I do agree with removing personhood but if that won't get done then we might need another option.

  13. Re:Naive on FEC May Regulate Online Political Activity · · Score: 1

    Let's say I command a dog to sic someone. Is the dog responsible or am I? If a corp. does something a sentient being, of which both corps and dogs are not, has to be accountable. If no one can be then it is something like an "act of God" or an animal with rabies who has to be killed. Other right might be allowable to corps but not because the Constitution says. Similarly corps don't really own land or property. The shareholders do. Unfortunately, perhaps, they can't get punished for what the directors do.

  14. Re:Why am I not suprised? on FEC May Regulate Online Political Activity · · Score: 1

    I don't think or regulation of "contribution" free speech and unregulatable. For example you can't shout fire in a crowd since that might hurt someone. You also can't advertise to commit a crime, that's soliciting. Nor should you be able to advertise for corruption. Giving money to parties could be thought of as a form of corruption.

  15. Re:Bigger question: on EFF Goes To Court To Fight The Broadcast Flag · · Score: 1

    The problem with allowing non-gov't entities to censor means that those with money can say whatevery they want. If I need money to get a airway so I can broadcast then that means only rich who control them can decide what can be said. Even PBS can't do everything. I shouldn't need money to conteract the fact that only rich people own networks. Similarly billboards shouldn't be able to not accept an ad just because they don't like the content if the advertiser can afford it which should also be the same for all potential people. And before yo say that I can always hand out leaflets, the big boys don't need to do that adn they can reach a wider audience. Money still comes into play.

  16. Re:Oh, this I trust on Can Coal Be Green? · · Score: 1

    I like the name "Americans for balanced choices and delivering energy" better. What's better than a ABCDE name?

  17. 4 levels of voting on An Analysis of Various Election Methods · · Score: 1

    I was thinking that in fact there are 4 ways votes get to determine who gets elected.
    First, there is the machine. Here it is an actual box with levers. In FL punch cards. Some places are trying to get touch screens.
    Second, there is the counting method, e.g. IRV, approval, or Borda. That then consolidates everyone into one or more candidates.
    Third, there is the transference way. Is an Electoral collage used? Is it popular? Is it with distrecs?
    Finally, there is how can get elected. Are there multiple chairs with the top 3 winners used. Is it alternating every 2 years or so.
    Any one of these can be changed without changing the others. The Senate is elected for example with machines in NY, a highest method to see who wins, no EC or indirect way just popular vote from the whole state. And about every couple of years a new senator comes for 6.
    I am personally a fan of machines because I am used to them. Approval because it is easy both to compute and have people deal with. Popular for small things and an EC of some sort for large like the president. And generally one winner except for important races or ones where a group is better.

  18. Re:It isn't just national debates on 10 Things To Know About The Upcoming Debates · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Most people wouldn't think totalitarianism would apply to the US. But in reality it does. It's not just PBS or where not but actually laws like equal funds that require 5%. Whether it is 1 party or 2 that the laws create it still isn't very democratic. Whether it actually illegalities third parties or just makes them unable to get elected doesn't really matter either. Laws prevent them from winning and force only the 2 parties to get power. Remember a duopoly is a monopoly too. P.S. When I spell-checked it I spelled totalitarianism correctly but actually wrong. I am weird.

  19. Re:I think some Quaking Aspen are bigger. on There's a Fungus Among Us · · Score: 1

    In your opinion does a Siamese "person" count as one or two? They are as joined as these organisms. I would say that physical connection is not enough. What is I don't know though.

  20. how and what on First JPEG Virus Posted To Usenet · · Score: 1

    Can somebody explain how this affects me? How can a picture be a virus? It's looks like Notepad opening readme.txt and formatting your hard drive. And what viewers and browsers can do it? If I save it an doubleclick from the desktop explorer? Is it a picture or a viewer problem? If I use an old version of a broswer or 95 OS will it still create problems? If I use a firewall like ZA will that stop it? Anytime I see these virus problems I never know. Of course whenever I do check my comp for problems with both an AV and spyware blocker it finds nothing. Of course I don't download willy-nilly.

  21. duopoly troubles on Ralph Nader Back On The Florida Ballot · · Score: 1

    Here is a question I am wondering about. Right now in the US there is a duopoly. The Repub. and Demo. have like 95% of the votes total. Even the most "lopsided" states might only give them 80%.
    Because of past elections and the way people work enough people will still vote Republicrat to render the chance of an independent win zero. Through positive reinforcement that makes people vote for Republicrats.
    As has been determined this year third party candidates and even primary opponents won't affect the views of Bush and Kerry. Kerry, and Bush for that matter, went even more to the right since the primary and are now quite similar. That makes a third party chance even smaller. People always say that it isn't really throwing your vote away but it won't change anything. Third parties still won't get matching funds or enough to get a chance of winning even years down the line. They won't win nor change the opinions of the ones who do. It sounds good as a protest vote but since voting is hidden it does very little. It would be better to write a letter to a candidate who might win rather than vote for a pointless person.
    Especially with swing states they really do take votes away from the 2 main people. Can someone tell me what the difference is between voting "none of the above", i.e. not voting, and voting for a third party who won't do anything? In an extremely biased state like NY it's even less important that a swing state. Nothing I do here will change the outcome or the future except for the added value of 1 to the vote tally.
    If there was a different system like approval or even less people per rep then it might matter but with 10 million people to compete against, 9 million who will vote for Bush/Kerry in NY a third party seems pointless.
    Now before I get flamed for saying I won't vote, for the reason above, I want a reason that refutes my points above. I think of my non voting as a protest vote but easier since there is no real way to do that. I am registered and voted before but in a president election it doesn't seem to do anything.
    You can think of it with this analogy. Let's say there is a park with 100 pieces of litter. But if 49 or less pieces are picked up it will act like none were. If 51 or more then all would seem to be. Unlike real litter picking voting acts more like this warped version. In real enviromentalism "even a little bit helps." But in this warped version if it is gauranteed that 70% still won't get picked up then it doesn't help at all, different than the way it really and should work.
    A site here: http://www.strange-loops.com/politicsvoting.html helps explain it.
    P.S. Remember in president election 49% of the people might not be represented at all.

  22. allowed nukes on Mushroom Cloud Reported Over North Korea · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I've always wondered why NK isn't "allowed" nukes but China is. What if suddenly Mexico of even Canada got them? Would we fight them? What if the current Iraq gov't gets them do we do another regime change on the one we put in?

  23. Re:All stories? on Slashdot Goes Political: Announcing politics.slashdot.org · · Score: 1

    Do you mean section or topic boxes? I only have author and topic, no section and as the other poster said I see a story every once in a while in the old area that I haven't seen before. P.S. In NS the topic list is a nice 3 column whole in FX (Firefox) it is only 1.

  24. local candidates on Getting Accurate Political Information? · · Score: 2, Insightful

    There is much talk and sites about national people like Bush and Kerry but little info is known about local ones. Where should I look to find out the issues of my local mayor or state rep? Yes it depends on the locale but or there any sites that can at least help?

  25. Re:hopefully a simple question.... on Open-Destination Quantum Teleportation · · Score: 2, Informative

    Since you don't know the state of the first one then knowing the second state won't help you. But you do know if, I think, if the first or second has been measured. So to communicate a "1" you just measure the first, collapsing the second. The guy far away where the second then "sees" the second collapse and knows it to be at the same time as the first. If you want to do binary then have 2 sets. The left for 1 and the right for 0. Whichever collapses first means the bit is that value. Of course I know nothing of this but it sounds correct. Can you explain the problem?