In short, you can't start a new party at the presidency... you have to start building it with smaller offices before you can approach the Oval Office.
Agreed. And, I think the political system functions much more smoothly with only two parties. However, this results in a lot of voices not being heard. So, is a relatively smoothly operating but less democratic government a better thing?
It is an interesting conundrum in democracy that a moderate amount works well but too much does not seem to work well. Just look at the useless (seeming inactive) coalition governments around the world and their regular crises.
That said, I think the representative portion of a democracy should be more open, I just don't know how open it can be and still function semi-efficiently.
even if it has been a decade or two since he wrote a novel I could really get into. I became a real SF fan reading Niven in the 70s, so I have to at least try to be loyal.
I still re-read Beowulf Shaefer stories every now and again. I almost have them memorized, but still think they are some of the best SF ever - in an `old friend` kind of way.
Ringworld was really great at the time. But the sequels fell into the Asimov trap of trying to tie everything in Known Space together after they were written with obvious discrepencies.
And, alas, I just can't stand to read fantasy. Whenever there is a plot problem, BOOM! magic happens. Niven's hereditary luck fell into this fantasy trap and it hurt his work.
Since RealNetworks has been documented as a purveyor of spyware both in the news and in the courts, why should we trust anything that your company does?
Will your company ever stop the spyware attacks on users of your products?
is that free speach is non-existant in many of
these offended countries/cultures. In India it is against
the LAW to say Kashmir might be in Pakistan rather
than India??!! How pitiful those in political and religious power are when they have to limit speach and thought in a vain attempt to control their subjects.
Yes, India was the one example I used for emphasis, but there are plenty more examples in all countries including me own Benighted States.
Now it appears that we are all supposed to be bound by the immoral limits on thought and speech than anyone in power happens to promulgate. I don't think so. Cultural sensitivity is not wrong, blatantly offending any culture is at the very least rude, at the worst racist. But this article seems to imply that everything anyone puts out should be sensored by every special interest, religion, and government until it is what they consider politically and religiously and culturally correct.
No thanks.
-Then the fit hit the Shan. - R. Zelazney, Lord of Light
While I realize that search and rescue work is most important, I don't want you anticipating my problems. After 25 years in the backcountry, I've managed to stay out of trouble without anyone keeping track of when/where I am. I go into the backcountry for that very reason, to get away from everything - not to be monitored.
Now, if I could call when I need some help, I might be interested, but probably not.
This could potentially work for removal of groundwater contaminants. Fifteen years ago when I was working for a gold exploration company in Nevada USA, we routinely collected living plant material (greasewood and big sagebrush) and had it assayed for gold and indicator elements. These two plants are phreatophytes - plants with deep roots in contact with the water table. The gold and other elements were likely in solution in extremely low concentrations (<1 part-per-trillion) in the groundwater. The concentrations in the plants were also extremely low, but the idea was that upstream of surface drainages where plants had elevated concentrations of gold, lead, arsenic, etc. would be good exploration targets. I know of at least one commercial production mine that was discovered using this technique - not by me:{(}.
The efficiencey of this process as a remedy for contaminated sites is probably limited, but could augment other remediation systems installed to prevent contaminant migration and limit exposure to offsite receptors.
Setting aside my current frustration with Sony products (which seems to have dominated my previous post), basing the purchase of component type on personal experience still seems valid to me.
Buying an integrated system means that when one piece dies, the whole thing is made useless during implementation of possible expensive repairs (my current experience). If I had been smart enough to purchase components in the first place, I would junk the broken DVD palyer and get a new one for the cost of repair.
So, for this purchasing decision, I think my personal experience will be the driver.
Now, not setting aside my current frustration, I'm still pissed at Sony!!!
Two years ago I bought a Sony DAV-C700 DVD home stereo combo. Exactly 12 months after the warranty expired, the DVD is dead with the dreaded C-81 error code which is apparently a failure of the mechanical drive that loads and unloads the disks. Now, to get it fixed costs ~$175 plus shipping and an unkown amount of time without the machine.
Integrated components may have their up side, but I wont make that mistake ever again. And I wont get a Sony either. Nor will I get a multi-disk player.
It's an attitude you would do well to work on, because if the history of science is any indication, a whole bunch of the stuff you believe in is wrong.
Belief is not in the mind of the scientific inquirer. Belief is faith, the realm of religion. Scientific concepts based on current understanding of existing data do change over time with the addition of new data and new methods of data analysis, but these are not beliefs.
While this may seem to be purely semantics, it is the major problem facing scientists and their relationship to the rest of the world. Everyone seems to want a fact that they can believe and they want science to give it to them. That is not the realm of science. Science is about examination, testing, verification, reexamination, retesting, reverification ad infinitum.
Yea, I liked those days when my professor gave me his username and password so I could surf gopher space on my 1200 baud modem...when the web consisted of a couple of hundred pages of esoteric text put up by quantum mechanics reaserchers.
The net has changed and mostly for the better. Sure there's plenty of crapola on the net these days but there's also lots of interesting, educational, and enlightening pages out there for everyone.
Its better now than it was and the good stuff will still increase with the caca. Its more democratic, its widely available. The simple minded user is not stuck on prodigy, he's mixing it up with the uber webbies (via AOL) and that cant be all bad.
Happy b-day to the net....it's survived through infancy and is becoming an adult (hence all the p*o*r*n spam?).
Slashdot Mirror
I think they did that to remove the implied homo-erotic relationship between Starbuck and Apollo and make it a heterosexual realtionship.
How's that for censorship.
Hmmm. Maybe I'm thinking too hard about it...
Agreed. And, I think the political system functions much more smoothly with only two parties. However, this results in a lot of voices not being heard. So, is a relatively smoothly operating but less democratic government a better thing?
It is an interesting conundrum in democracy that a moderate amount works well but too much does not seem to work well. Just look at the useless (seeming inactive) coalition governments around the world and their regular crises.
That said, I think the representative portion of a democracy should be more open, I just don't know how open it can be and still function semi-efficiently.
Are you afraid your mom will see what you wrote?
Pussy.
I still re-read Beowulf Shaefer stories every now and again. I almost have them memorized, but still think they are some of the best SF ever - in an `old friend` kind of way.
Ringworld was really great at the time. But the sequels fell into the Asimov trap of trying to tie everything in Known Space together after they were written with obvious discrepencies.
And, alas, I just can't stand to read fantasy. Whenever there is a plot problem, BOOM! magic happens. Niven's hereditary luck fell into this fantasy trap and it hurt his work.
Here's hoping Niven's back to the good stuff!
Somebody had to say it.....
Will your company ever stop the spyware attacks on users of your products?
Why should we believe anything you say?
Yes, India was the one example I used for emphasis, but there are plenty more examples in all countries including me own Benighted States.
Now it appears that we are all supposed to be bound by the immoral limits on thought and speech than anyone in power happens to promulgate. I don't think so. Cultural sensitivity is not wrong, blatantly offending any culture is at the very least rude, at the worst racist. But this article seems to imply that everything anyone puts out should be sensored by every special interest, religion, and government until it is what they consider politically and religiously and culturally correct.
No thanks.
-Then the fit hit the Shan. - R. Zelazney, Lord of Light
Now, if I could call when I need some help, I might be interested, but probably not.
Happy trails to you!
The efficiencey of this process as a remedy for contaminated sites is probably limited, but could augment other remediation systems installed to prevent contaminant migration and limit exposure to offsite receptors.
Point taken....up to a point.
Setting aside my current frustration with Sony products (which seems to have dominated my previous post), basing the purchase of component type on personal experience still seems valid to me.
Buying an integrated system means that when one piece dies, the whole thing is made useless during implementation of possible expensive repairs (my current experience). If I had been smart enough to purchase components in the first place, I would junk the broken DVD palyer and get a new one for the cost of repair.
So, for this purchasing decision, I think my personal experience will be the driver.
Now, not setting aside my current frustration, I'm still pissed at Sony!!!
Two years ago I bought a Sony DAV-C700 DVD home stereo combo. Exactly 12 months after the warranty expired, the DVD is dead with the dreaded C-81 error code which is apparently a failure of the mechanical drive that loads and unloads the disks. Now, to get it fixed costs ~$175 plus shipping and an unkown amount of time without the machine.
Integrated components may have their up side, but I wont make that mistake ever again. And I wont get a Sony either. Nor will I get a multi-disk player.
Belief is not in the mind of the scientific inquirer. Belief is faith, the realm of religion. Scientific concepts based on current understanding of existing data do change over time with the addition of new data and new methods of data analysis, but these are not beliefs.
While this may seem to be purely semantics, it is the major problem facing scientists and their relationship to the rest of the world. Everyone seems to want a fact that they can believe and they want science to give it to them. That is not the realm of science. Science is about examination, testing, verification, reexamination, retesting, reverification ad infinitum.
The net has changed and mostly for the better. Sure there's plenty of crapola on the net these days but there's also lots of interesting, educational, and enlightening pages out there for everyone.
Its better now than it was and the good stuff will still increase with the caca. Its more democratic, its widely available. The simple minded user is not stuck on prodigy, he's mixing it up with the uber webbies (via AOL) and that cant be all bad.
Happy b-day to the net....it's survived through infancy and is becoming an adult (hence all the p*o*r*n spam?).