That real issue here is not that Ravi recorded an intimate moment and broadcast it, it is that the fact this young man was gay and got "caught" engaging in homosexual activity and the loss of privacy caused enough stress upon him that he concluded that the only way out was suicide.
Actually, there is no evidence of this. Moreover, from the New Yorker article on the case, a few weeks back, I learned that Clementi had taken a "tour" of the bridges around the NYC area weeks before leaving for Rutgers. It's reasonable to believe he may have been harboring conflicting thoughts concerning suicide before he ever met Ravi.
But, he had changed his mind. First off, there was never any "broadcast" to begin with. He and a friend (and maybe a third, I don't remember) saw exactly two seconds of the video feed from the webcam before turning it off. Why did they turn it off? Because they felt creepy watching it. He later posted a bunch of tweets and "invited" people to see the next broadcast, but there never was any next broadcast -- he changed his mind about doing one. There was no terrible crime here.
It's banned for bad reasons. The reason for the shortage in organs that everyone is always crying about is Economics 101. If people were allowed some kind of death benefit for donating their organs, even if it were something along the lines of a burial policy, you would see many more people considering it.
The combination of these complex climate changes threatens coastal communities and cities, our food and water supplies, marine and freshwater ecosystems, forests, high mountain environments, and far more.
That's called being vague. You'll note that the scientists who signed the opinion piece in the WSJ didn't deny AGW. The issue isn't AWG; the issue is "so what?" The bottom line is that the actual scientific narrative in no way justifies illiberal and draconian political policies that hysterics are clamoring for. The earth is warming a bit — and we'll figure out how to cope. Let's move on.
I hate to be that guy, but the Wikipedia page on Crystal Singer suggests that it was McCaffrey's own experience as an amateur singer that inspired the series. Now, Wikipedia isn't necessarily the last word in anything; so, do you at the very least remember where you heard this thing about Pat Benatar, or -- ideally -- can you provide a cite?
I didn't look this all up to be a dick -- I grew up in the early '80s and love Pat Benatar. I also studied to be an opera singer at one point, so you had me intrigued.
Since you read the article I want to ask you to forgive me for pointing this out, but there was nothing in the article to suggest that any nefarious types were buying the product directly from the old guy. Rather, there were reports of suspicious characters:
Special Agent Richard Camps, a San Jose-based state narcotics task force commander, said he received reports of suspicious buyers.
"Weird-looking people, 'Beavis and Butt-Head'-types, were coming into camping stores and buying everything they had on the shelves," Camps said. [...]
What is the rationale for the $1,200 licensing fee, other than a barrier to entry? How would $1,200 work to prevent what is happening? As to reporting suspicious purchases, the suspicious activity is happening in the stores, not the old man's garage. A $10 fee would be no more or less effective.
This is a story about how government "solutions" hurt innocent people -- although, I can see I'm supposed to believe it's the "selfishness" of the "bad guys" that's the problem here. Oh, brother!
I recall hearing this, once upon a time: "Why would anyone want to be friends with a teenager? They don't know very much, and their taste in music stinks."
I'll explain it. No adult in his right mind would set foot in a Chuck E. Cheese unless he was taking a kid there, and Secret Service agents are prohibited from having children with them while on duty. Trust me, Chuck E. Cheese is safe to do what it wants.
I know that Bruce Schneier has said that human beings tend to overestimate risks when we feel that we are not in control and underestimate risks when we feel that we are in control. That's why people tend to feel more anxious in the passenger seat.
I think it is this innate sensibility that will be the biggest obstacle to self-driven cars, and will remain after the technological problems are solved.
I took a look at the Royal Consumer Information Products site, and it seems like they're either no longer selling manual typewriters or are currently out of them, with no word as to when they'll have them back in stock.
Biology certainly isn't my specialty, but if I understood The Selfish Gene correctly, there are any number of genes that have escaped natural selection, so to speak. In the human genome, just to take an example, I'm pretty sure a good portion of our genes, if not the majority, contribute nothing and are basically free riders that happened to be in the right company: meaning, other genes that do contribute to our survival. I would think that these ancient genes, the ones hypothesized as governing cancer-like behavior in cells, can be counted among these free riders.
My point is that there's no reason to think they're especially tough. They've been doing nothing for their own survival, other than having the right "friends." If the hypothesis is correct, we just need to figure out what's been keeping them in line and replicate that.
The sci-fi aspect of Fringe is at times ludicrous, but it's always very entertaining. The cast and storyline, however, make for compelling television. The three main characters, Olivia, Peter, and Walter, played by John Noble, make up a terrific cast. They have great rapport with one another.
As to the show's over-arching plot or mythology, it is far stronger than the X-Files'; moreover, the plot is advanced far more regularly than the X-File's ever was. About every other show is a "monster of the week." The alternating shows move the overall storyline forward.
The show got its footing halfway through the first season, and has been consistent ever since. (Any show has a mediocre episode now and then.)
How a show like Star Trek: Voyager or Sliders (for cryin' out loud!) could go on for years while a show like Fringe hangs by its fingernails is beyond me.
Mr. Assange is no boon to American journalists. His activities have already doomed proposed federal shield-law legislation protecting journalists' use of confidential sources in the just-adjourned Congress. An indictment of him could be followed by the judicial articulation of far more speech-limiting legal principles than currently exist [...]
His argument is: "don't poke the bear!" I'm sorry, but liberties are not maintained by so craven an attitude.
In the Barnes & Noble I used to work at, it was the nursing students that were the most egregious offenders. They would grab all of the review books off the shelves, buy one cup of coffee (some individuals seemed not to bother even with this), plop themselves down in the cafe, and spend the entire Sunday afternoon studying for their exams. When they were done, they just left all of the review books they had spent the afternoon paging through on the table. Heaven forbid they purchase one.
Once, when we had a performer invited to play the cafe (acoustic guitar and drum machine, or something), one of these clowns actually had the audacity to ask the manager how in the world he was supposed to be able to study with the music blaring.
When I go into a person's home, there is nothing I like seeing more than a large bookcase full of books. Even just a few shelves is cool. Perhaps it's nosy, but I can't help but peruse their shelves (and form an opinion on them based on what I find). I'm always excited to see one or more of my favorite books, or books on a favorite subject of mine.
Do you think I'll ever be able to ask people if I can look through their Kindle?
I take issue with nothing you've said, but for the characterization that this is the "NY Post" version. I've read about the so-called rubber rooms in the NY Times, and it is just as bad as the Post.
Depending on where you live an antenna may be useless, now that we (in the U.S.) have transitioned to digital television. I live a little east of Poughkeepsie, NY, about an hour north of New York City. We get the New York City stations -- or did, prior to the switch. Digital signals don't make it over the mountain ranges the way analog signals did, so the NYC stations don't make it this far up the Hudson River Valley. It doesn't matter what kind of antenna I use. (Believe me, I looked into this.) To the north we have Albany, NY. We used to get a few stations from that direction, too. Alas, no more!
It's a terrible joke to make, but when Al Qaeda toppled the Twin Towers we only lost one station; it took the FCC to destroy all of them.
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Actually, there is no evidence of this. Moreover, from the New Yorker article on the case, a few weeks back, I learned that Clementi had taken a "tour" of the bridges around the NYC area weeks before leaving for Rutgers. It's reasonable to believe he may have been harboring conflicting thoughts concerning suicide before he ever met Ravi.
But, he had changed his mind. First off, there was never any "broadcast" to begin with. He and a friend (and maybe a third, I don't remember) saw exactly two seconds of the video feed from the webcam before turning it off. Why did they turn it off? Because they felt creepy watching it. He later posted a bunch of tweets and "invited" people to see the next broadcast, but there never was any next broadcast -- he changed his mind about doing one. There was no terrible crime here.
It's banned for bad reasons. The reason for the shortage in organs that everyone is always crying about is Economics 101. If people were allowed some kind of death benefit for donating their organs, even if it were something along the lines of a burial policy, you would see many more people considering it.
...compared to the Fed's quantitative easing. Why upset ourselves over this!
That's called being vague. You'll note that the scientists who signed the opinion piece in the WSJ didn't deny AGW. The issue isn't AWG; the issue is "so what?" The bottom line is that the actual scientific narrative in no way justifies illiberal and draconian political policies that hysterics are clamoring for. The earth is warming a bit — and we'll figure out how to cope. Let's move on.
"Give me six lines written by the most honorable of men, and I will find an excuse in them to hang him." — Cardinal Richelieu
I hate to be that guy, but the Wikipedia page on Crystal Singer suggests that it was McCaffrey's own experience as an amateur singer that inspired the series. Now, Wikipedia isn't necessarily the last word in anything; so, do you at the very least remember where you heard this thing about Pat Benatar, or -- ideally -- can you provide a cite?
I didn't look this all up to be a dick -- I grew up in the early '80s and love Pat Benatar. I also studied to be an opera singer at one point, so you had me intrigued.
Since you read the article I want to ask you to forgive me for pointing this out, but there was nothing in the article to suggest that any nefarious types were buying the product directly from the old guy. Rather, there were reports of suspicious characters:
What is the rationale for the $1,200 licensing fee, other than a barrier to entry? How would $1,200 work to prevent what is happening? As to reporting suspicious purchases, the suspicious activity is happening in the stores, not the old man's garage. A $10 fee would be no more or less effective.
This is a story about how government "solutions" hurt innocent people -- although, I can see I'm supposed to believe it's the "selfishness" of the "bad guys" that's the problem here. Oh, brother!
I recall hearing this, once upon a time: "Why would anyone want to be friends with a teenager? They don't know very much, and their taste in music stinks."
I'll explain it. No adult in his right mind would set foot in a Chuck E. Cheese unless he was taking a kid there, and Secret Service agents are prohibited from having children with them while on duty. Trust me, Chuck E. Cheese is safe to do what it wants.
I know that Bruce Schneier has said that human beings tend to overestimate risks when we feel that we are not in control and underestimate risks when we feel that we are in control. That's why people tend to feel more anxious in the passenger seat.
I think it is this innate sensibility that will be the biggest obstacle to self-driven cars, and will remain after the technological problems are solved.
Why does the line "Settle down, Francis" come to mind?
I took a look at the Royal Consumer Information Products site, and it seems like they're either no longer selling manual typewriters or are currently out of them, with no word as to when they'll have them back in stock.
Oh, come on! I'm a regular viewer of Burn Notice. What's the CIA going to tell me that I don't already know?
This is how alcoholics handle booze. Non-alcoholics don't generally drink this way.
Next time, do us all a favor and record the conversation using the built-in video camera, because I call bullshit.
Biology certainly isn't my specialty, but if I understood The Selfish Gene correctly, there are any number of genes that have escaped natural selection, so to speak. In the human genome, just to take an example, I'm pretty sure a good portion of our genes, if not the majority, contribute nothing and are basically free riders that happened to be in the right company: meaning, other genes that do contribute to our survival. I would think that these ancient genes, the ones hypothesized as governing cancer-like behavior in cells, can be counted among these free riders.
My point is that there's no reason to think they're especially tough. They've been doing nothing for their own survival, other than having the right "friends." If the hypothesis is correct, we just need to figure out what's been keeping them in line and replicate that.
For those whose Latin is rusty, try William Whitaker's Words. Cicero's proverb will give you a good laugh.
The sci-fi aspect of Fringe is at times ludicrous, but it's always very entertaining. The cast and storyline, however, make for compelling television. The three main characters, Olivia, Peter, and Walter, played by John Noble, make up a terrific cast. They have great rapport with one another.
As to the show's over-arching plot or mythology, it is far stronger than the X-Files'; moreover, the plot is advanced far more regularly than the X-File's ever was. About every other show is a "monster of the week." The alternating shows move the overall storyline forward.
The show got its footing halfway through the first season, and has been consistent ever since. (Any show has a mediocre episode now and then.)
How a show like Star Trek: Voyager or Sliders (for cryin' out loud!) could go on for years while a show like Fringe hangs by its fingernails is beyond me.
...for the distress idiots like this cause me to suffer?
His argument is: "don't poke the bear!" I'm sorry, but liberties are not maintained by so craven an attitude.
In the Barnes & Noble I used to work at, it was the nursing students that were the most egregious offenders. They would grab all of the review books off the shelves, buy one cup of coffee (some individuals seemed not to bother even with this), plop themselves down in the cafe, and spend the entire Sunday afternoon studying for their exams. When they were done, they just left all of the review books they had spent the afternoon paging through on the table. Heaven forbid they purchase one.
Once, when we had a performer invited to play the cafe (acoustic guitar and drum machine, or something), one of these clowns actually had the audacity to ask the manager how in the world he was supposed to be able to study with the music blaring.
People can be absolutely shameless.
When I go into a person's home, there is nothing I like seeing more than a large bookcase full of books. Even just a few shelves is cool. Perhaps it's nosy, but I can't help but peruse their shelves (and form an opinion on them based on what I find). I'm always excited to see one or more of my favorite books, or books on a favorite subject of mine.
Do you think I'll ever be able to ask people if I can look through their Kindle?
I take issue with nothing you've said, but for the characterization that this is the "NY Post" version. I've read about the so-called rubber rooms in the NY Times, and it is just as bad as the Post.
Depending on where you live an antenna may be useless, now that we (in the U.S.) have transitioned to digital television. I live a little east of Poughkeepsie, NY, about an hour north of New York City. We get the New York City stations -- or did, prior to the switch. Digital signals don't make it over the mountain ranges the way analog signals did, so the NYC stations don't make it this far up the Hudson River Valley. It doesn't matter what kind of antenna I use. (Believe me, I looked into this.) To the north we have Albany, NY. We used to get a few stations from that direction, too. Alas, no more!
It's a terrible joke to make, but when Al Qaeda toppled the Twin Towers we only lost one station; it took the FCC to destroy all of them.