Ummm, no. From TFA: as the panelists themselves acknowledged, there is no consensus among mental health professionals about the dangers of porn or the use of the term "pornography addiction." Furthermore, where are the details of the experimental methods used to "measure" anything?
Really??? I was introduced to computing on a CBM 8032 in high school. I then saved up money to purchase a Commodore 64 and used that exclusively for several years. Now I'm familiar with many scripting languages, programming languages, Linux, Unix, Windows, Excel, Word, Open Office, LaTeX. I have also built my own computers and networks, and configured a firewall using iptables. How is all this possible from such humble origins??? Can you say "zealot"?
I have a cell phone because I've decided that I want to be in contact most of the time.
Maybe other people decide they don't want to be annoyed by narcissistic, self-important morons yammering on their cellphones when they attend a film, attempt to do research in a library, or listen to a lecturer in a classroom. Guess those people are out of luck, eh? You seem to think that your "rights" trump everyone else's rights.
It must be the same logic used by automobile engineers who design cars so that you have to remove the engine, radiator hoses, power steering pump, air-conditioning compressor, and exaust manifold in order to change the spark plugs.
Let's have a show of hands from all the kind folks who have attempted to open a plastic bag of spaghetti at the seams, only to have it rip down the sides sending noodles flying all over the kitchen floor. I've never understood the logic of using a glue that is stronger than the material it is intended to seal.
All I'm saying is that I'm sick of the complaints from Europeans on how the US manages the Internet, how US businesses (notably, Microsoft, Boeing, VISA, MasterCard) are "too successful" in Europe, etc... when the reality of the matter is that the reason those companies are so successful is because Europe basically had no decent competition of its own.
Alternatively, maybe Europeans are sick of U.S. based corporations pouring money into the pockets of slimeball politicians to twist the laws and give themselves an advantage over everyone else. Do you think that megacorporations got to be so powerful merely by having a superior product while operating within the bounds of the law and competing fairly in the open market? Ha!!
In American culture, when you see something bad about to happen, you're supposed to do something to stop it - call the fire department when you see a house on fire, etc. To a Christian, a non-Christian is "unsaved": in imminent danger of death, forever.
That's fine and all, except for one thing. It should be clear to one and all that if a house is on fire, it will be consumed if the fire isn't put out. However, this whole "saving a person from eternal damnation" (which, by the way, puzzles me about a being who professes to love all people) is not something that can be proven. They step over the line and harass people. Let's put the shoe on the other foot. Would Christians tolerate men going door to door with a black robe, devil horns, and a pentagram emblazoned on their exposed chest enjoining them to worship at the church of Satan? At a minimum, they'd probably call the cops. All right. That was cheap. Here's another.
Would Christians tolerate men with dark skin, long beards, Asian accents, and turbans going door to door trying to convert people to Islam? Or would they call the department of Homeland Security? Or would they just shoot first?
There is a double standard in the U.S. regarding this type of behavior.
I'm not going to get over it. These people are breaking the law and clandestinely subverting the authority of parents, while being paid by the parents (through taxes) to do it.
Some people like to rape and murder as well. Do you tell them and their families to "Get over it"? Asshole.
Gotta agree with you here. My 7-year-old son came home from school one day (right around Easter) and started talking about Easter... and the Crucifixion. We asked him where he heard about all that. Oh, his teacher told the class all about it. I phoned the principal, and he said he would look into it. A day later he called back and said the teacher denied it. What can you do?
One of the reasons I cannot stand Christianity is that it compels people to spread the word. Hence the knocks on the door, and the proselytizing in the classroom. It's one thing to harass an adult with their bullshit, as they can be told to fuck off. But to take advantage of their position to preach the gospel to a child when their parents are absent is fucking outrageous. Sons-of-bitches should be drawn and quartered.
Education is not necessarily the best path to self-actualization, a high income, or happiness.
Yes, it is. Period.
Prove it. Don't put your fingers in your ears and go "I'm right, I'm right, I'm right." PROVE IT. One chart showing median incomes doesn't even begin to shed light on this subject.
No other objective factor determines the liklihood of someone's financial success as much as education does.
What about being born into the right family? I'm telling you that a kid with Downs whose last name is Rockefeller will have more financial success than most college graduates. That is a fact.
Saying that education is the one and only true path to success is like saying Christianity is the one and only true path to a rewarding afterlife. It's bullshit. You've been brainwashed.
From $21,332 to $27,351 represents more than a 28% increase. I don't know about you, but if I thought I could get a 28% raise, I'd jump through a lot of hoops.
And if you earn an annual salary of $1, and get a raise so that now you earn a salary of $2, you have increased your earnings by 100%. Golly, that's probably worth killing for. Missed my point there didn't you?
If the parents were parenting we wouldn't be having the problems we are today.
Ahh yes, things weren't like this in the good ol' days. When were the good ol' days again? That's right, NEVER!
No one knows how to be a good parent. If someone is a good parent, it's probably by accident. People have argued about the best way to raise children for thousands of years. And in all that time, there is still no consensus on the best way to do it.
So, Dr. Spock, you have good ideas on parenting? Write a book.
the vast majority of people who don't finish high school are just plain stupid.
In what sense do you mean they are stupid? Do you mean that they make poor decisions? If so, how does one go about making a good decision? By being informed? And how does one become informed? Oh, by getting an education, either through formal schooling or self-guided study. So, they fail because no one has shown them the value of an education.
Is there any direct correlation between success in high school and, as you say, "long-term economic health"?
Yes, as a matter of fact, this is a well-established fact. Here are some statistics to back that up. On average, college graduates make more than twice as much as people who don't finish high school.
Nice dodge replying to a question I didn't ask. These statistics show that the median income difference between high school graduates and non-graduates is a measley $6000 over the entire span of age groups studied. Hardly a step up to long-term economic health.
I also personally know college drop-outs who make more money than I could ever dream of earning.
So? I do to, what's your point? That basing your opinions on weird exceptions instead of the rule is a good thing? That just because Michael Jordan has more money than he knows what to do with, I should tell my kids to forget all that stupid studying, they should be playing basketball instead? That doesn't sound very smart to me at all.
Really? Maybe you overvalue education. Education is not necessarily the best path to self-actualization, a high income, or happiness. Most of the people I know who have college degrees work in areas unrelated to their field of study. Ergo, college isn't about education, it is about jumping through one more hoop to prove you are worthy of success. Some people choose the fast track to success --- the weird exceptions, as you so call them. Others realize that education isn't for them, and get a head start in the work force.
Businesses that operate mostly with short-term goals in mind tend to blow up in pretty spectacular fashion. Witness Enron and the dot-com demise. So do most people.
Evidence? Links? I'd say our whole culture revolves around short-term goals. Hero today, gone tomorrow. Daily we are inundated with drug advertisements to cure pain and suffering NOW, but not with plans for preventative health care. Why take time planning a well-balanced diet, when we can scarf a burger and fries at McDonalds and sweat it off at the gym? Why sit down at the table to negotiate policy with foreign leaders when we can ride in on a horse, guns-blazin' and kill some towel-heads? In America, the path to happiness (and the ONLY measure of success) --- we are told daily on television, radio, newspapers, ad nauseum, --- is in spending money. Hell, it doesn't even matter what you spend it on.
These kids have already got their education: Spend, spend, spend. Is it any wonder they want to quit school and get down the serious business of amassing large piles of expensive garbage to show off to their friends?
Witness day-traders and steroid abusers. As for the government, that's why a lot of things are so screwed up these days. Witness global warming and our dependence on oil. This is an attitude to be discouraged, both in our personal lives and in the bigger picture, not encouraged.
On that, we agree.
If you don't feel that way, then I feel sorry for you, and I especially feel sorry for any kids you might pass your warped view of reality on to.
You misunderstand me. I don't advocate a short-term goal approach to life. I merely point out that it should be no mystery why so many youths shun education. The lure of instant gratification, in which our culture is steeped, is more tempting than gathering acorns to store for winter. And while our corporate media cannot be held exclusively culpable for this state of affairs, they sure aren't helping matters.
In my opinion, our biggest problem is not education, but lack of good leaders with vision. Most people work toward nothing more than obtaining trinkets. Even those with long-term goals rarely look beyond their own retirement.
The fact is that the vast majority of kids who don't finish high school are pretty stupid. Yes, there are weird exceptions. Yes, I even know at least one. But for every one of them, there are a hundred people who are dumb as doornails who simply give up on it because they lack the self-discipline to see something that is really not that hard through. They're sacrificing their long-term economic health for the short-term gratification of not having to study, take tests, and otherwise jump through the hoops one has to in order to graduate.
Does this line of reasoning extend to college? Didn't Bill Gates drop out of Harvard? I bet he's regretting it. Is there any direct correlation between success in high school and, as you say, "long-term economic health"? I know several college graduates who are still struggling to make ends meet ten years after graduation. I also personally know college drop-outs who make more money than I could ever dream of earning. Is any of this lost on today's youth? People bemoan the "me, me, me, now, now, now" mentality. But let me ask you this: Do the government and corporations (arguably the most powerful entities) operate mostly with short-term goals or long-term goals? And once again, is the answer lost on today's youth?
You seem to be missing one of the key points of the "doom and gloom" scenario: The problem isn't getting to the oil --- the problem is the COST of getting to the oil. Once you consume one gallon of oil to pump one gallon of oil out of the ground, you might as well pack up and go home. Game over.
Linear Algebra --- explicitly listed in your Graphics and Compression categories.
Engineering makes use of calculus, but the only math a computer can do is addition and multiplication, i.e. linear algebra. Fortunately this is good enough since differentiable functions (the ones of interest to engineers) are locally linear.
Business applications also benefit from linear methods.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Let's just reduce our vocabulary to about 5 words that cover every conceivable object, action, thought, etc. I already made this point in my previous post, but I guess it flew right over your head. I weep for this generation of armchair Noah Websters who play so fast and loose with the language that nobody knows what anyone is talking about. The current thread is a prime example of this. Murder is distinct from and worse than theft. Theft is distinct from and worse than copyright infringement.
It is also a fact in our society that copyrights expire after a limited time. Of course, the corporations and Congress have conveniently seen fit to effectively ignore this half of the arrangement. So much for the law.
Can it be agreed upon that theft is when you take something away, without permission, from someone else so that they no longer possess it, or as much of it, as they had before the theft?
Umm, no. If you intentionally take away someone's life, you call it murder. (Unless the state does it, then it's called execution.) But it isn't called theft.
Maybe we should call copyright violation murder. Sounds more dangerous. Someone should do something about all these murderers on the internet. I wonder how many times Madonna has been murdered.
Niiiice. I've always hated that crap about not taking returns on software. As you rightly point out, there are easier ways to get free games than waiting for an hour in the checkout line at Wally World.
My own anecdote --- I put the last copy of Fear Effect: Retro Helix on layaway at the local Mall-Wart. A month later I picked it up, took it home and noticed the tabs had broken off and scuffed up the discs something terrible. I took it back to electronics and they said I probably scuffed it up myself, and that they couldn't refund my money. I had them call a manager and explained that it was broken and I couldn't get a replacement since it was their last one. He yielded and refunded the money.
This whole "let's treat our customers like criminals" really stinks.
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Ummm, no. From TFA: as the panelists themselves acknowledged, there is no consensus among mental health professionals about the dangers of porn or the use of the term "pornography addiction." Furthermore, where are the details of the experimental methods used to "measure" anything?
You're going to have to try harder than that.
saying that sex and violence has no effect on forming minds is ignorance.
No more so than saying they have an effect and yet not being able to back it up with any reliable measure of said effect.
One would hope that the record companies and "musicians" favor extending copyright because their recordings are still selling and making money
If they want to make more money, they can get their asses back into the recording studio. That's what copyright is for.
Really??? I was introduced to computing on a CBM 8032 in high school. I then saved up money to purchase a Commodore 64 and used that exclusively for several years. Now I'm familiar with many scripting languages, programming languages, Linux, Unix, Windows, Excel, Word, Open Office, LaTeX. I have also built my own computers and networks, and configured a firewall using iptables. How is all this possible from such humble origins??? Can you say "zealot"?
Do you speek in monotone, or do you inflect to emphasize some particular word or phrase?
I have a cell phone because I've decided that I want to be in contact most of the time.
Maybe other people decide they don't want to be annoyed by narcissistic, self-important morons yammering on their cellphones when they attend a film, attempt to do research in a library, or listen to a lecturer in a classroom. Guess those people are out of luck, eh? You seem to think that your "rights" trump everyone else's rights.
It must be the same logic used by automobile engineers who design cars so that you have to remove the engine, radiator hoses, power steering pump, air-conditioning compressor, and exaust manifold in order to change the spark plugs.
Let's have a show of hands from all the kind folks who have attempted to open a plastic bag of spaghetti at the seams, only to have it rip down the sides sending noodles flying all over the kitchen floor. I've never understood the logic of using a glue that is stronger than the material it is intended to seal.
All I'm saying is that I'm sick of the complaints from Europeans on how the US manages the Internet, how US businesses (notably, Microsoft, Boeing, VISA, MasterCard) are "too successful" in Europe, etc... when the reality of the matter is that the reason those companies are so successful is because Europe basically had no decent competition of its own.
Alternatively, maybe Europeans are sick of U.S. based corporations pouring money into the pockets of slimeball politicians to twist the laws and give themselves an advantage over everyone else. Do you think that megacorporations got to be so powerful merely by having a superior product while operating within the bounds of the law and competing fairly in the open market? Ha!!
In American culture, when you see something bad about to happen, you're supposed to do something to stop it - call the fire department when you see a house on fire, etc. To a Christian, a non-Christian is "unsaved": in imminent danger of death, forever.
That's fine and all, except for one thing. It should be clear to one and all that if a house is on fire, it will be consumed if the fire isn't put out. However, this whole "saving a person from eternal damnation" (which, by the way, puzzles me about a being who professes to love all people) is not something that can be proven. They step over the line and harass people. Let's put the shoe on the other foot. Would Christians tolerate men going door to door with a black robe, devil horns, and a pentagram emblazoned on their exposed chest enjoining them to worship at the church of Satan? At a minimum, they'd probably call the cops. All right. That was cheap. Here's another.
Would Christians tolerate men with dark skin, long beards, Asian accents, and turbans going door to door trying to convert people to Islam? Or would they call the department of Homeland Security? Or would they just shoot first?
There is a double standard in the U.S. regarding this type of behavior.
I'm not going to get over it. These people are breaking the law and clandestinely subverting the authority of parents, while being paid by the parents (through taxes) to do it.
Some people like to rape and murder as well. Do you tell them and their families to "Get over it"? Asshole.
Gotta agree with you here. My 7-year-old son came home from school one day (right around Easter) and started talking about Easter ... and the Crucifixion. We asked him where he heard about all that. Oh, his teacher told the class all about it. I phoned the principal, and he said he would look into it. A day later he called back and said the teacher denied it. What can you do?
One of the reasons I cannot stand Christianity is that it compels people to spread the word. Hence the knocks on the door, and the proselytizing in the classroom. It's one thing to harass an adult with their bullshit, as they can be told to fuck off. But to take advantage of their position to preach the gospel to a child when their parents are absent is fucking outrageous. Sons-of-bitches should be drawn and quartered.
Education is not necessarily the best path to self-actualization, a high income, or happiness.
Yes, it is. Period.
Prove it. Don't put your fingers in your ears and go "I'm right, I'm right, I'm right." PROVE IT. One chart showing median incomes doesn't even begin to shed light on this subject.
No other objective factor determines the liklihood of someone's financial success as much as education does.
What about being born into the right family? I'm telling you that a kid with Downs whose last name is Rockefeller will have more financial success than most college graduates. That is a fact.
Saying that education is the one and only true path to success is like saying Christianity is the one and only true path to a rewarding afterlife. It's bullshit. You've been brainwashed.
From $21,332 to $27,351 represents more than a 28% increase. I don't know about you, but if I thought I could get a 28% raise, I'd jump through a lot of hoops.
And if you earn an annual salary of $1, and get a raise so that now you earn a salary of $2, you have increased your earnings by 100%. Golly, that's probably worth killing for. Missed my point there didn't you?
If the parents were parenting we wouldn't be having the problems we are today.
Ahh yes, things weren't like this in the good ol' days. When were the good ol' days again? That's right, NEVER!
No one knows how to be a good parent. If someone is a good parent, it's probably by accident. People have argued about the best way to raise children for thousands of years. And in all that time, there is still no consensus on the best way to do it.
So, Dr. Spock, you have good ideas on parenting? Write a book.
the vast majority of people who don't finish high school are just plain stupid.
In what sense do you mean they are stupid? Do you mean that they make poor decisions? If so, how does one go about making a good decision? By being informed? And how does one become informed? Oh, by getting an education, either through formal schooling or self-guided study. So, they fail because no one has shown them the value of an education.
Is there any direct correlation between success in high school and, as you say, "long-term economic health"?
Yes, as a matter of fact, this is a well-established fact. Here are some statistics to back that up. On average, college graduates make more than twice as much as people who don't finish high school.
Nice dodge replying to a question I didn't ask. These statistics show that the median income difference between high school graduates and non-graduates is a measley $6000 over the entire span of age groups studied. Hardly a step up to long-term economic health.
I also personally know college drop-outs who make more money than I could ever dream of earning.
So? I do to, what's your point? That basing your opinions on weird exceptions instead of the rule is a good thing? That just because Michael Jordan has more money than he knows what to do with, I should tell my kids to forget all that stupid studying, they should be playing basketball instead? That doesn't sound very smart to me at all.
Really? Maybe you overvalue education. Education is not necessarily the best path to self-actualization, a high income, or happiness. Most of the people I know who have college degrees work in areas unrelated to their field of study. Ergo, college isn't about education, it is about jumping through one more hoop to prove you are worthy of success. Some people choose the fast track to success --- the weird exceptions, as you so call them. Others realize that education isn't for them, and get a head start in the work force.
Businesses that operate mostly with short-term goals in mind tend to blow up in pretty spectacular fashion. Witness Enron and the dot-com demise. So do most people.
Evidence? Links? I'd say our whole culture revolves around short-term goals. Hero today, gone tomorrow. Daily we are inundated with drug advertisements to cure pain and suffering NOW, but not with plans for preventative health care. Why take time planning a well-balanced diet, when we can scarf a burger and fries at McDonalds and sweat it off at the gym? Why sit down at the table to negotiate policy with foreign leaders when we can ride in on a horse, guns-blazin' and kill some towel-heads? In America, the path to happiness (and the ONLY measure of success) --- we are told daily on television, radio, newspapers, ad nauseum, --- is in spending money. Hell, it doesn't even matter what you spend it on.
These kids have already got their education: Spend, spend, spend. Is it any wonder they want to quit school and get down the serious business of amassing large piles of expensive garbage to show off to their friends?
Witness day-traders and steroid abusers. As for the government, that's why a lot of things are so screwed up these days. Witness global warming and our dependence on oil. This is an attitude to be discouraged, both in our personal lives and in the bigger picture, not encouraged.
On that, we agree.
If you don't feel that way, then I feel sorry for you, and I especially feel sorry for any kids you might pass your warped view of reality on to.
You misunderstand me. I don't advocate a short-term goal approach to life. I merely point out that it should be no mystery why so many youths shun education. The lure of instant gratification, in which our culture is steeped, is more tempting than gathering acorns to store for winter. And while our corporate media cannot be held exclusively culpable for this state of affairs, they sure aren't helping matters.
In my opinion, our biggest problem is not education, but lack of good leaders with vision. Most people work toward nothing more than obtaining trinkets. Even those with long-term goals rarely look beyond their own retirement.
The fact is that the vast majority of kids who don't finish high school are pretty stupid. Yes, there are weird exceptions. Yes, I even know at least one. But for every one of them, there are a hundred people who are dumb as doornails who simply give up on it because they lack the self-discipline to see something that is really not that hard through. They're sacrificing their long-term economic health for the short-term gratification of not having to study, take tests, and otherwise jump through the hoops one has to in order to graduate.
Does this line of reasoning extend to college? Didn't Bill Gates drop out of Harvard? I bet he's regretting it. Is there any direct correlation between success in high school and, as you say, "long-term economic health"? I know several college graduates who are still struggling to make ends meet ten years after graduation. I also personally know college drop-outs who make more money than I could ever dream of earning. Is any of this lost on today's youth? People bemoan the "me, me, me, now, now, now" mentality. But let me ask you this: Do the government and corporations (arguably the most powerful entities) operate mostly with short-term goals or long-term goals? And once again, is the answer lost on today's youth?
You seem to be missing one of the key points of the "doom and gloom" scenario: The problem isn't getting to the oil --- the problem is the COST of getting to the oil. Once you consume one gallon of oil to pump one gallon of oil out of the ground, you might as well pack up and go home. Game over.
Linear Algebra --- explicitly listed in your Graphics and Compression categories.
Engineering makes use of calculus, but the only math a computer can do is addition and multiplication, i.e. linear algebra. Fortunately this is good enough since differentiable functions (the ones of interest to engineers) are locally linear.
Business applications also benefit from linear methods.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Let's just reduce our vocabulary to about 5 words that cover every conceivable object, action, thought, etc. I already made this point in my previous post, but I guess it flew right over your head. I weep for this generation of armchair Noah Websters who play so fast and loose with the language that nobody knows what anyone is talking about. The current thread is a prime example of this. Murder is distinct from and worse than theft. Theft is distinct from and worse than copyright infringement.
It is also a fact in our society that copyrights expire after a limited time. Of course, the corporations and Congress have conveniently seen fit to effectively ignore this half of the arrangement. So much for the law.
Can it be agreed upon that theft is when you take something away, without permission, from someone else so that they no longer possess it, or as much of it, as they had before the theft?
Umm, no. If you intentionally take away someone's life, you call it murder. (Unless the state does it, then it's called execution.) But it isn't called theft.
Maybe we should call copyright violation murder. Sounds more dangerous. Someone should do something about all these murderers on the internet. I wonder how many times Madonna has been murdered.
there are security issues with older software
Whew. It's a good thing there won't be security issues with any software released from this day forward.
Niiiice. I've always hated that crap about not taking returns on software. As you rightly point out, there are easier ways to get free games than waiting for an hour in the checkout line at Wally World.
My own anecdote --- I put the last copy of Fear Effect: Retro Helix on layaway at the local Mall-Wart. A month later I picked it up, took it home and noticed the tabs had broken off and scuffed up the discs something terrible. I took it back to electronics and they said I probably scuffed it up myself, and that they couldn't refund my money. I had them call a manager and explained that it was broken and I couldn't get a replacement since it was their last one. He yielded and refunded the money.
This whole "let's treat our customers like criminals" really stinks.
The game itself is tailored for a huge investment,...
And Magic isn't?!?
That comment invalidates about half the comments on slashdot that are complaints about DRM, ...
Really? How does this analogy work exactly?
Devout DRM lovers get all upset with the arbitrary limitations that come with the package?