The men in my family have had an odd genetic condition where our forskins do not grow fast enough, and cuts off circulation to the tip. So the men, since the procedure was developed, have had dorsal slits done. Except me. Because when I went to the table, the doctor got confused, not knowing the difference, and CUT IT ALL OFF (The foreskin, not the dick... ).
Will this merger affect my Playboy Radio? I mean I signed up to XM in the first place for it, and when they cancelled it, I cancelled my subscription... Now Sirus has it, I worry about if it will be dropped again...
Of course, it is worth pointing out that given the recent change in Congress, I suspect that a number of countries will get a "bye" on this round.
I was under the impression that the recent change in congress was motivated by the people of this fine nation tired of America breaking all the rules of decentcy, rights of the people, and other things of that nature... So how would some countries get a "bye"? What is a "bye"? Is it a general banning? If so, most Democratic Party methods of increasing money and lowering debt is raising tarrifs and increasing tourism... Banning the richest, although terrorist prone, nations is not something they would want to do.
Or is it that with the recent change in Congress, this bill will go "bye"? That America will no longer rubber-stamp a Big Brother nation into being...
The parent is not a joke. Please do not moderate it as funny.
If I have offended your sensibilities, then rate me as a troll.
If you have worn a bandana soaked in apple cider vinegar, have a friend who has broken ribs at a protest, or the like, then please moderate insightful.
I was/am excited about this technology, and have been for a while, for one reason: Protection. I see my nation enacting laws that truly frighten me. I want to be able to protect myself and my family if/when the offal hits the fan.
Man, I hope this trickles down (Affordably) to the masses. Anything that hardens on impact would be great for those of us that attend protests. Its not so much the bullets and stabbing that worries me, but the savage beatings that we recieve. Though having protection is good when some rookie decides to fire rubber bullets into the crowd. Hasn't happened to me yet, but with how peacful protesters are being treated, its only a matter of time.
1. Stop suing schools for "endangering" students. Sign the little form that tells them you will not sue is little Suzie decides to drink the liquid nitrogen.
2. Stop suing people making chemistry sets with real chemicals. If parents don't explain that NaOH is not sugar, or tell them "While this is fun, its also dangerous, so do not eat or drink anything from, or around, the chemistry set.", then have the state punish the parents. Its their fault, not the fault of the company that made said set.
3. Stop lowering the bar in schools to fit with the lowest common denominator. Push kids to learn, not make friends. Trust me, they will still make friends without all the "Happy Happy Fun Times". Hell, if schools actually taught in schools anymore, asside from a little reading assignments, homework should be nigh unexistant. Send them out to play...
4. Have schools have longer classes, that actually have time to do experiments. Two hours in a science, or an english, or a history. Rotate classes during the week so that the students get all classes each week, not in each day.
5. Push your kids to learn ar home. Make it fun. Turn off the T.V. They make these things called 'books'. Encourage intrests. Take them out on hikes. Enroll them in the scouts.
In Massachusetts, and many other states, we have a stamp tax on pot. For each gram over an ounce, one is required to have paid the tax on said amount. Now pot is still illegal, but if you are found to not of paid the tax, they can tack tax evasion onto your sentance. Or if you get off light, then just charge you for tax evasion.
So a tax is not just a lisence to steal, its a lisence for the goverment to add a larger sentance onto your current offence. I bet that all those that have a media player manufactured by those that have yet to pay the tax, then the consumer, if sued by the RIAA, will have tax evasion clipped onto the lawsuit...
If they survive, the machines will be shipped off to places like Brazil, Argentina, Nigeria, Thailand and Libya, where strongman Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi signed a deal with Negroponte to supply the country's 1.2 million children with the machines and supporting infrastructure for $250 million.
Look at the list of deployment. These are not horribly poor countries. They have electrical infestructure, access to medical care in many cases, food, clothing, and domestic products they sell. What they lack is a well established educational system, or funds for the ever changing textbooks. This laptop is to eliminate the second, and help build the first.
Not to mention in even poorer countries, such as the Dominicain Republic, the best hope for leaving poverty is to get a job in the tourism industry. What are the qualifications for the best jobs? English. Computer skills. People skills. This project could help hundreds of kids grow up with a decent future that does not involve baseball in another land... Then as these people grow and earn more, their savings will be reinvested into improving the lives of themselves, and their families, lives. Better houses. Improved streets. Creature comforts. And a better school for their children.
Fantastic. First hand account. I take it you were there as well and saw him and his vantage point? No? Then this is a second-hand account. A bit less reliable. You sure he was there, or might he have heard it go down from a friend? Third hand account then. Which is basically pulling something out of your arse...
I personally am a dick. If someone cards me in the library, and I am busy reading a document and pouring all of my energy into understanding its depth, then I will simply tell them to fuck off. If that gets me escorted out of the library in cuffs, sure, I guess I might deserve it. But if I get tazed once, I hope I am doing something a little more impressive then reading. Assulting the officer directly deserves this much force. Only once. And if I was tazed more then once, at best I would have a stress-induced asthma attack. At worst, my hear rythem would start to fuck around on me again. Twice, the heart is more likely to go. Five times? I think it would be safer to shoot me in the leg with a rubber bullet then tazing me five times...
And I look for complicated answers to simple problems all the time. Sure, I could use VO5 in the production of sulphuric acid, but spending weeks learning about the lead-chamber process, or making my own oil of vitrol, experimenting, and building my own equipment, not to mention learning all the nuances of the impurities, gave me a greater knowledge then just doing the same-old-thing. Its also quite entertaining.
Now, have you ever been in a bar fight skippy? Telling someone off is one thing. Taking a swing is another. Giving a guy a Glasgow smile is another. Now the first two might be justifiable. Man slapped you. Man grabbed your girlfriends arse. The third option is "Unreasonable Force". Never need to do it. Might want to. Might think it would be cool. Might even think that a well-placed credit card in his mouth and a swift punch could pull off a similar effect. But you don't do it. Same thing with these cops. Arresting is one thing. Cuffs is another. Tazering is another. Tazering five-times while sounding like Buffalo Bill all the while is well over the line, even if the guy basically is Buffalo Bill...
Thanks to Lulu books, and the innovation of acid-free paper, I am printing out copies of all of my failing out-of-print documents. From books of my childhood passed on to me from my father, to old documents detailing how to do everything I can think of (Such as purifying insulin from cattle. Should a sudden war destroy my supply I plan on being ready for it...), I will have a new and shiny copy to pass on to the next generation.
Though it is hard to do on a students budget, as well as slow going... But I will manage. Right now I am formating all of my favorite Royal Society write-ups into a single volume. Good reading in that.
Man I hope they don't try to tackle that one... Its not a novel, but a book of history. To cover it properly one needs a three week mini-series run on the history channel. (Please? With sugar on top? I put up with a week of fictional bible history, give me my Tolkein...)
But the moron who included that in an add may not be.
Now people have the right to have opinions I find horrid, they do have that right. But they do not have the right to discriminate with housing. On paper.
They could show the room to let to several people, choice one that configures with their "beliefs" and call the others with the statement that an earlier viewer decided to rent, and has secured a deposit. Easy. Clean. And hard to sue.
Personally, I am guilty to the treatment above. I "HATE" idiots. Pure stupidity and I do not mix (Idiots, not dyslexics. We cool.). So when I rent a room, I conduct a small interview, both via e-mail and durring a personal tour. If I like the cut of their jib, I rent them the room. If not, I wait until I find one I do like, then rent to the following party.
So, if you hate hippies, the same method works as well. Or any other group.
Personally, I always add an iodine tablet to my drinking water. Be it purified, distilled, distilled/deionized, treated with chlorine, you name it, I always add it. I grew use to the taste of iodine, and I associate the taste with safe water... Now I admit that this system seems great, and highly cool, but without that taste myself, and a lot of others, really will not trust the water....
Oh, if anyone knows if I am slowly killing myself by doing this, please tell me....
Who gives gifts of several hundreds of dollars in electronics? One can geek out in holiday shopping without breaking the bank. Thinkgeek sells fine geeky gifs at a great range, for example.
Or a good book? "The Ascent of Science" by Brian Silver is quite a nice read. Buying for an eight year old? May I reccomend a reprint of "the Golden Book of Chemistry" (Go to LuLu books. Several versions of differing quality. Some are very good labors of love, others not so much, yet still useful.).
Or a subscription to MAKE, CRAFT, National Geographic, or some other magazine?
Or if you are going to break the bank on a gift, how about something not obsolete in a couple of years. How about a chemistry set? The CHEM C3000 doesn't suck. And given todays "chemistry sets", that is high praise. Or go all out if its a son/grandson/daughter/granddaughter. Buy a nice shed, build a chemistry workbench. Cover it in bronze sheeting (or copper. or brass). Buy some surplus glassware and an inkwell burner at American Science Surplus. And a lot of mason jars of varying sizes. A golden book of chemistry. A pack of three moleskin notebooks for their notes, and to top it off, privacy if they want it. Or get involved in their lives. Make it fun. Bond.
* And actually spending money on developing an infestructure in his country to keep it going when the oil money runs out...
Really, for every bad thing this man did, he did at least two good things.... And given how many bad things he did, that should give you an idea of all the good. He kept things stable, made sure the fanatics were controlled, and that there was a greater degree of equality amongst his citizens then many of the nations in that area.
In many third world countries with a high level of tourism, the children already have this. What they need to get a job in the hotels are a knowledge of computers, a bit of math, and the ability to speak either English or German. This computer can aid them in many of these tasks. This is not about providing a necessity of survival, but to give them hope to raise themselves out of the hovel.
And say your town wants to build an irrigation system and learn about crop rotation? You don't have that book, but thanks to the internet connection you find someone that knows how to do just that.
It's very sad, because what once was an organization that helped kids learn about skills and camping and other simple yet vital tasks for a well rounded person have been hammered away into anti-gay, christian centric whored out to any group that wants type of thing.
Right. I'm sure that around the bible belt some troops have become like this, just as many organizations have. I am, on the other hand, an Eagle Scout from Massachusetts. We went camping, learned our knots, learned how to survive in the wilderness, learned how the goverment worked, helped the community, got involved with other organizations that helped the state, etc.
* The faith of those in my troop consisted of the following: Nine agnostics, three deists, four atheists (there is a specific requirement for Eagle scout that requires a testimant of faith. Not a religiouse faith. All we needed to say is we has faith in the existance of atoms.), six people of the Jewish faith, two Buddists, one Hindu, and I think two prodestants. Of those that have since become Eagle scouts: One Atheist, One agnostic, One Buddist, and One Christian.
* For the anti-gay thing, three members of my troop were gay and admitted it to the troop. Its not even a "Don't ask, don't tell" policy in scouting. Its a "Don't ask, Don't tell; if you tell, don't have sex with a guy in your tent during the camping trip". And I felt that it was a very equal position; as that only three times while I was active in scouting had anyone I have ever met, from another troop, been kicked out of scouting. Two were guys that was gay and got caught screwing during a trip. The other was a guy that got caught with his girlfriend while at a Scout camp. Basically I interprested the rule as don't have sex around the other scouts during a trip.
If anything, Scouting showed me the diversity in my community, taught me to help my fellow man, taught me how to take a stand against things I disagree with, and helped me get ready for life. I also learned a little bit of many fields thanks to the Merit badges which helped broaden my intrests into many fields, some of which I took classes in college based on how I felt about the subject while in scouting. And as I left scouting at age 18, three years ago, I doubt that much as changed.
If it had more then one page... I buy books for the ability to turn the pages, to have the feel of the book.
And thats just for the crummy books.
For the good books I read, it is the experience I enjoy. The smell of the paper, a well-crafted binding, the yellowing of the paper, the feel of the paper. Its a relegiouse experience.
Or when I read a science book I enjoy, how would I take notes in the margins? Or use a massive resourse text as a filing system?
If the technology advances to the point I can enjoy reading my books with most of the sensations intact (hell, a movable touchscreen so I can still write in the margins, and I'll shell out a grand), then I might consider it. Until then, great idea, but its still way too green.
What we need to spend money on is developing a proper nuclear infrastructure. We need reactors, and a lot of them, otherwise we are going to be screwed in a few years. Renewable energy is great and all, but will not be able to sate our unquenchable thirst for energy. We need infrastructure now.
So write to your congressman about building some breeders today. Remember, call then Breeder Reactors, not mentioning the "nuclear" aspect. That makes people much more comferatable. Same way they renamed NMRI's to MRI's.... It makes the common man feel safer...
So far I have never had a problem with the WCT (Windows Checker Thingy) and my copy of Crossover Mac. So I cannot validate this proccess. On the other hand, Codeweavers seems to have solved this problem...
I want to listen to these podcasts... I already love MIT Opencourse lecture notes. Its great for people that want to learn, but lack the bank to take the classes.
I just take the CLEP for each subject I really don't feel intrested in, and plan only on taking the classes I WANT when I start college.
* A Slide-rule, preferably Log Log. I recommend a Pickett all metal with the instruction booklet on how to USE the thing. Teach the kid his tables, arithmetic, algebra, and as much calculus as you can jam down his/her throat. Buy the book 'Calculus Made Easy' by Silvanus P. Thompson. Sit down with the child and teach the math. Make it fun. Use it every day, If the kid has a D.S buy a copy of 'Brain Age' as well. Its a great game. I play it every morning and it aides in keeping my mind sharp for the rest of the day.
*Alright, we have math covered. Next step. Listen closely. Richard Feynman is your god. Buy the Feynman lectures on physics. In both audiobook and print format. Through in a couple problem books, such as "Feynman's Tips on Physics: A Problem-Solving Supplement to the Feynman Lectures on Physics". And read the man's essays; namely "Judging Books by Their Covers". Which goes into the hypocrisy, idiocy, and laziness surrounding children's textbooks.
*Alright, so we have math and physics covered to start (start them early on this). Now for a little chemistry. May I suggest "The Golden Book of Chemistry" to get their minds going? Download the ebook, or go to lulu books and buy a bootlegg copy. Its both out of print and its copyrights expired. Fantastic book, got me into the sciences in a flash. Good starting point to chemistry. Never, EVER, underestimate a child's ability to learn. Make the learning fun, but hard. And let them do the dangerous stuff. Make sure they follow the safety guidelines, and teach them safety, but let them do it all. Do. Not. Mollycoddle. Them.
* Now for the really fun bit. Both a spot of literature and creativity. Tolkien is childhood crack. Read it all, gristle and all. Just gives the child a little to chew on. All the books, 'The Hobbit' onward. Afterwards, try something light and fast. Read (and have them read) some Terry Pratchett. Diskworld aides with humor and puns. Get them started on punning and they will do it all their lives... Anywho, make this "special" time with your kid/s. Get them to learn to love reading. Get them a library card as a reward and give them full access to whatever. May I suggest the military section? (Also do not underestimate a child's love of gore. The campaigns of Caesar is a good starting point. And this is true of both girls and boys. Do not start treating girls as 'weaker', or equality will never truly enter their heads...)
* History? Just throw in a nice history book in a subject they like if you want. What is better? Traveling. A child learns so much more with leaving the dusty pages of a book. Its like a chemistry set, a necessity if you want the knowledge to last. Let them pick a book at the gift shop and move on.
*Camping. Best way to give both a love of nature, a little lesson in thrifty packing, and living off the land. Sugar pine tea and all. Mix in a little geology (pick up a geology merit badge book, great summary. Also pick up the forestry, survival, and nature. Whatever you can. Great little primers, even if they are not into scouting.)
*Turn up the heat. If you want them in school, fine, just take an interest and augment it as much as you can. Involve yourself in the lessons of the day, read the textbook, and do the homework. Look for errors and things that will hurt them later on. Remember children's textbooks tend to be wrong in many ways. Rain is round. Two prisms will not "break" and "fix" a bream of white light (you need three or a lens). And the math is dumbed down to all hell. Aim to finish algebra by fourth grade, not starting it.... I remember my father spending three days on a problem I had in fifth grade as homework. Managed to finish it as well. Took five pages of crimped writing of calculus to get it down. Came into school with me. Sat down with my teacher. And asked what the hell was going on. Turns out the answer in the book was wrong, the solution to the problem was wrong, and that the teacher never noticed it wrong before. That she had solved on the board with the teachers edition, and never noticed it was done wrong. And came out with the wrong answer.... Never put full trust in a textbook.
The only thing I can think of doing to remedy this situation is to move to Alaska to skew the vote, and get this guy out of office.
The way I see it, the FreeState program has it right, but instead of choosing a decent state to begin with, they should of chosen a state with a lot of potential, but without the minds to guide it, would of been better.
That and Alaska is just a wonder of nature...
Maybe I should start my own project, the Technocratic Liberation Project. Where well-educated, liberal minded, science minded people can go to live in peace from terrorists that firebomb labs, states that cut funding for schools, anti-abortionists that pipebomb buildings, Federal wiretapping, and the broadband monopoly. And whats perfect is, if America gets really bad, then we can leave and become our own nation, and to retort America would half to drive into Canada... Something thy would not do....
I hope that this project will eventually rolls their own distro, as this might be a great improvement for childrens computers in general. Imagine a distro that parents can install on a cheap computer for a home-schooled child. With access to other children, classes, and other features: home-schooled children might be able to develop more social connections, and have a better education in general. Or even elementary school children, learning to use a computer and how to use them to interact.
I am fine with this project not releasing laptops to American children, but I hope to see other aspects of their work trickling down into the school systems.
Slashdot Mirror
The men in my family have had an odd genetic condition where our forskins do not grow fast enough, and cuts off circulation to the tip. So the men, since the procedure was developed, have had dorsal slits done. Except me. Because when I went to the table, the doctor got confused, not knowing the difference, and CUT IT ALL OFF (The foreskin, not the dick... ).
I agree, I want that bit of my dick back.
Will this merger affect my Playboy Radio? I mean I signed up to XM in the first place for it, and when they cancelled it, I cancelled my subscription... Now Sirus has it, I worry about if it will be dropped again...
Got to love Playboy radio...
Of course, it is worth pointing out that given the recent change in Congress, I suspect that a number of countries will get a "bye" on this round.
I was under the impression that the recent change in congress was motivated by the people of this fine nation tired of America breaking all the rules of decentcy, rights of the people, and other things of that nature... So how would some countries get a "bye"? What is a "bye"? Is it a general banning? If so, most Democratic Party methods of increasing money and lowering debt is raising tarrifs and increasing tourism... Banning the richest, although terrorist prone, nations is not something they would want to do.
Or is it that with the recent change in Congress, this bill will go "bye"? That America will no longer rubber-stamp a Big Brother nation into being...
The parent is not a joke. Please do not moderate it as funny.
If I have offended your sensibilities, then rate me as a troll.
If you have worn a bandana soaked in apple cider vinegar, have a friend who has broken ribs at a protest, or the like, then please moderate insightful.
I was/am excited about this technology, and have been for a while, for one reason: Protection. I see my nation enacting laws that truly frighten me. I want to be able to protect myself and my family if/when the offal hits the fan.
Man, I hope this trickles down (Affordably) to the masses. Anything that hardens on impact would be great for those of us that attend protests. Its not so much the bullets and stabbing that worries me, but the savage beatings that we recieve. Though having protection is good when some rookie decides to fire rubber bullets into the crowd. Hasn't happened to me yet, but with how peacful protesters are being treated, its only a matter of time.
Wow, I would hate to see what happens after you heat about the 22 minute hypnotoad special...
1. Stop suing schools for "endangering" students. Sign the little form that tells them you will not sue is little Suzie decides to drink the liquid nitrogen.
2. Stop suing people making chemistry sets with real chemicals. If parents don't explain that NaOH is not sugar, or tell them "While this is fun, its also dangerous, so do not eat or drink anything from, or around, the chemistry set.", then have the state punish the parents. Its their fault, not the fault of the company that made said set.
3. Stop lowering the bar in schools to fit with the lowest common denominator. Push kids to learn, not make friends. Trust me, they will still make friends without all the "Happy Happy Fun Times". Hell, if schools actually taught in schools anymore, asside from a little reading assignments, homework should be nigh unexistant. Send them out to play...
4. Have schools have longer classes, that actually have time to do experiments. Two hours in a science, or an english, or a history. Rotate classes during the week so that the students get all classes each week, not in each day.
5. Push your kids to learn ar home. Make it fun. Turn off the T.V. They make these things called 'books'. Encourage intrests. Take them out on hikes. Enroll them in the scouts.
In Massachusetts, and many other states, we have a stamp tax on pot. For each gram over an ounce, one is required to have paid the tax on said amount. Now pot is still illegal, but if you are found to not of paid the tax, they can tack tax evasion onto your sentance. Or if you get off light, then just charge you for tax evasion.
So a tax is not just a lisence to steal, its a lisence for the goverment to add a larger sentance onto your current offence. I bet that all those that have a media player manufactured by those that have yet to pay the tax, then the consumer, if sued by the RIAA, will have tax evasion clipped onto the lawsuit...
If they survive, the machines will be shipped off to places like Brazil, Argentina, Nigeria, Thailand and Libya, where strongman Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi signed a deal with Negroponte to supply the country's 1.2 million children with the machines and supporting infrastructure for $250 million.
Look at the list of deployment. These are not horribly poor countries. They have electrical infestructure, access to medical care in many cases, food, clothing, and domestic products they sell. What they lack is a well established educational system, or funds for the ever changing textbooks. This laptop is to eliminate the second, and help build the first.
Not to mention in even poorer countries, such as the Dominicain Republic, the best hope for leaving poverty is to get a job in the tourism industry. What are the qualifications for the best jobs? English. Computer skills. People skills. This project could help hundreds of kids grow up with a decent future that does not involve baseball in another land... Then as these people grow and earn more, their savings will be reinvested into improving the lives of themselves, and their families, lives. Better houses. Improved streets. Creature comforts. And a better school for their children.
Fantastic. First hand account. I take it you were there as well and saw him and his vantage point? No? Then this is a second-hand account. A bit less reliable. You sure he was there, or might he have heard it go down from a friend? Third hand account then. Which is basically pulling something out of your arse...
I personally am a dick. If someone cards me in the library, and I am busy reading a document and pouring all of my energy into understanding its depth, then I will simply tell them to fuck off. If that gets me escorted out of the library in cuffs, sure, I guess I might deserve it. But if I get tazed once, I hope I am doing something a little more impressive then reading. Assulting the officer directly deserves this much force. Only once. And if I was tazed more then once, at best I would have a stress-induced asthma attack. At worst, my hear rythem would start to fuck around on me again. Twice, the heart is more likely to go. Five times? I think it would be safer to shoot me in the leg with a rubber bullet then tazing me five times...
And I look for complicated answers to simple problems all the time. Sure, I could use VO5 in the production of sulphuric acid, but spending weeks learning about the lead-chamber process, or making my own oil of vitrol, experimenting, and building my own equipment, not to mention learning all the nuances of the impurities, gave me a greater knowledge then just doing the same-old-thing. Its also quite entertaining.
Now, have you ever been in a bar fight skippy? Telling someone off is one thing. Taking a swing is another. Giving a guy a Glasgow smile is another. Now the first two might be justifiable. Man slapped you. Man grabbed your girlfriends arse. The third option is "Unreasonable Force". Never need to do it. Might want to. Might think it would be cool. Might even think that a well-placed credit card in his mouth and a swift punch could pull off a similar effect. But you don't do it. Same thing with these cops. Arresting is one thing. Cuffs is another. Tazering is another. Tazering five-times while sounding like Buffalo Bill all the while is well over the line, even if the guy basically is Buffalo Bill...
Thanks to Lulu books, and the innovation of acid-free paper, I am printing out copies of all of my failing out-of-print documents. From books of my childhood passed on to me from my father, to old documents detailing how to do everything I can think of (Such as purifying insulin from cattle. Should a sudden war destroy my supply I plan on being ready for it...), I will have a new and shiny copy to pass on to the next generation.
Though it is hard to do on a students budget, as well as slow going... But I will manage. Right now I am formating all of my favorite Royal Society write-ups into a single volume. Good reading in that.
Man I hope they don't try to tackle that one... Its not a novel, but a book of history. To cover it properly one needs a three week mini-series run on the history channel. (Please? With sugar on top? I put up with a week of fictional bible history, give me my Tolkein...)
But the moron who included that in an add may not be.
Now people have the right to have opinions I find horrid, they do have that right. But they do not have the right to discriminate with housing. On paper.
They could show the room to let to several people, choice one that configures with their "beliefs" and call the others with the statement that an earlier viewer decided to rent, and has secured a deposit. Easy. Clean. And hard to sue.
Personally, I am guilty to the treatment above. I "HATE" idiots. Pure stupidity and I do not mix (Idiots, not dyslexics. We cool.). So when I rent a room, I conduct a small interview, both via e-mail and durring a personal tour. If I like the cut of their jib, I rent them the room. If not, I wait until I find one I do like, then rent to the following party.
So, if you hate hippies, the same method works as well. Or any other group.
Personally, I always add an iodine tablet to my drinking water. Be it purified, distilled, distilled/deionized, treated with chlorine, you name it, I always add it. I grew use to the taste of iodine, and I associate the taste with safe water... Now I admit that this system seems great, and highly cool, but without that taste myself, and a lot of others, really will not trust the water....
Oh, if anyone knows if I am slowly killing myself by doing this, please tell me....
Who gives gifts of several hundreds of dollars in electronics? One can geek out in holiday shopping without breaking the bank. Thinkgeek sells fine geeky gifs at a great range, for example.
Or a good book? "The Ascent of Science" by Brian Silver is quite a nice read. Buying for an eight year old? May I reccomend a reprint of "the Golden Book of Chemistry" (Go to LuLu books. Several versions of differing quality. Some are very good labors of love, others not so much, yet still useful.).
Or a subscription to MAKE, CRAFT, National Geographic, or some other magazine?
Or if you are going to break the bank on a gift, how about something not obsolete in a couple of years. How about a chemistry set? The CHEM C3000 doesn't suck. And given todays "chemistry sets", that is high praise. Or go all out if its a son/grandson/daughter/granddaughter. Buy a nice shed, build a chemistry workbench. Cover it in bronze sheeting (or copper. or brass). Buy some surplus glassware and an inkwell burner at American Science Surplus. And a lot of mason jars of varying sizes. A golden book of chemistry. A pack of three moleskin notebooks for their notes, and to top it off, privacy if they want it. Or get involved in their lives. Make it fun. Bond.
*Womens rights in Iraq.
*A Western Court System
* Money Towards Education.
* And actually spending money on developing an infestructure in his country to keep it going when the oil money runs out...
Really, for every bad thing this man did, he did at least two good things.... And given how many bad things he did, that should give you an idea of all the good. He kept things stable, made sure the fanatics were controlled, and that there was a greater degree of equality amongst his citizens then many of the nations in that area.
In many third world countries with a high level of tourism, the children already have this. What they need to get a job in the hotels are a knowledge of computers, a bit of math, and the ability to speak either English or German. This computer can aid them in many of these tasks. This is not about providing a necessity of survival, but to give them hope to raise themselves out of the hovel.
And say your town wants to build an irrigation system and learn about crop rotation? You don't have that book, but thanks to the internet connection you find someone that knows how to do just that.
It's very sad, because what once was an organization that helped kids learn about skills and camping and other simple yet vital tasks for a well rounded person have been hammered away into anti-gay, christian centric whored out to any group that wants type of thing.
Right. I'm sure that around the bible belt some troops have become like this, just as many organizations have. I am, on the other hand, an Eagle Scout from Massachusetts. We went camping, learned our knots, learned how to survive in the wilderness, learned how the goverment worked, helped the community, got involved with other organizations that helped the state, etc.
* The faith of those in my troop consisted of the following: Nine agnostics, three deists, four atheists (there is a specific requirement for Eagle scout that requires a testimant of faith. Not a religiouse faith. All we needed to say is we has faith in the existance of atoms.), six people of the Jewish faith, two Buddists, one Hindu, and I think two prodestants. Of those that have since become Eagle scouts: One Atheist, One agnostic, One Buddist, and One Christian.
* For the anti-gay thing, three members of my troop were gay and admitted it to the troop. Its not even a "Don't ask, don't tell" policy in scouting. Its a "Don't ask, Don't tell; if you tell, don't have sex with a guy in your tent during the camping trip". And I felt that it was a very equal position; as that only three times while I was active in scouting had anyone I have ever met, from another troop, been kicked out of scouting. Two were guys that was gay and got caught screwing during a trip. The other was a guy that got caught with his girlfriend while at a Scout camp. Basically I interprested the rule as don't have sex around the other scouts during a trip.
If anything, Scouting showed me the diversity in my community, taught me to help my fellow man, taught me how to take a stand against things I disagree with, and helped me get ready for life. I also learned a little bit of many fields thanks to the Merit badges which helped broaden my intrests into many fields, some of which I took classes in college based on how I felt about the subject while in scouting. And as I left scouting at age 18, three years ago, I doubt that much as changed.
If it had more then one page... I buy books for the ability to turn the pages, to have the feel of the book.
And thats just for the crummy books.
For the good books I read, it is the experience I enjoy. The smell of the paper, a well-crafted binding, the yellowing of the paper, the feel of the paper. Its a relegiouse experience.
Or when I read a science book I enjoy, how would I take notes in the margins? Or use a massive resourse text as a filing system?
If the technology advances to the point I can enjoy reading my books with most of the sensations intact (hell, a movable touchscreen so I can still write in the margins, and I'll shell out a grand), then I might consider it. Until then, great idea, but its still way too green.
What we need to spend money on is developing a proper nuclear infrastructure. We need reactors, and a lot of them, otherwise we are going to be screwed in a few years. Renewable energy is great and all, but will not be able to sate our unquenchable thirst for energy. We need infrastructure now.
So write to your congressman about building some breeders today. Remember, call then Breeder Reactors, not mentioning the "nuclear" aspect. That makes people much more comferatable. Same way they renamed NMRI's to MRI's.... It makes the common man feel safer...
So far I have never had a problem with the WCT (Windows Checker Thingy) and my copy of Crossover Mac. So I cannot validate this proccess. On the other hand, Codeweavers seems to have solved this problem...
I want to listen to these podcasts... I already love MIT Opencourse lecture notes. Its great for people that want to learn, but lack the bank to take the classes.
I just take the CLEP for each subject I really don't feel intrested in, and plan only on taking the classes I WANT when I start college.
* A Slide-rule, preferably Log Log. I recommend a Pickett all metal with the instruction booklet on how to USE the thing. Teach the kid his tables, arithmetic, algebra, and as much calculus as you can jam down his/her throat. Buy the book 'Calculus Made Easy' by Silvanus P. Thompson. Sit down with the child and teach the math. Make it fun. Use it every day, If the kid has a D.S buy a copy of 'Brain Age' as well. Its a great game. I play it every morning and it aides in keeping my mind sharp for the rest of the day.
*Alright, we have math covered. Next step. Listen closely. Richard Feynman is your god. Buy the Feynman lectures on physics. In both audiobook and print format. Through in a couple problem books, such as "Feynman's Tips on Physics: A Problem-Solving Supplement to the Feynman Lectures on Physics". And read the man's essays; namely "Judging Books by Their Covers". Which goes into the hypocrisy, idiocy, and laziness surrounding children's textbooks.
*Alright, so we have math and physics covered to start (start them early on this). Now for a little chemistry. May I suggest "The Golden Book of Chemistry" to get their minds going? Download the ebook, or go to lulu books and buy a bootlegg copy. Its both out of print and its copyrights expired. Fantastic book, got me into the sciences in a flash. Good starting point to chemistry. Never, EVER, underestimate a child's ability to learn. Make the learning fun, but hard. And let them do the dangerous stuff. Make sure they follow the safety guidelines, and teach them safety, but let them do it all. Do. Not. Mollycoddle. Them.
* Now for the really fun bit. Both a spot of literature and creativity. Tolkien is childhood crack. Read it all, gristle and all. Just gives the child a little to chew on. All the books, 'The Hobbit' onward. Afterwards, try something light and fast. Read (and have them read) some Terry Pratchett. Diskworld aides with humor and puns. Get them started on punning and they will do it all their lives... Anywho, make this "special" time with your kid/s. Get them to learn to love reading. Get them a library card as a reward and give them full access to whatever. May I suggest the military section? (Also do not underestimate a child's love of gore. The campaigns of Caesar is a good starting point. And this is true of both girls and boys. Do not start treating girls as 'weaker', or equality will never truly enter their heads...)
* History? Just throw in a nice history book in a subject they like if you want. What is better? Traveling. A child learns so much more with leaving the dusty pages of a book. Its like a chemistry set, a necessity if you want the knowledge to last. Let them pick a book at the gift shop and move on.
*Camping. Best way to give both a love of nature, a little lesson in thrifty packing, and living off the land. Sugar pine tea and all. Mix in a little geology (pick up a geology merit badge book, great summary. Also pick up the forestry, survival, and nature. Whatever you can. Great little primers, even if they are not into scouting.)
*Turn up the heat. If you want them in school, fine, just take an interest and augment it as much as you can. Involve yourself in the lessons of the day, read the textbook, and do the homework. Look for errors and things that will hurt them later on. Remember children's textbooks tend to be wrong in many ways. Rain is round. Two prisms will not "break" and "fix" a bream of white light (you need three or a lens). And the math is dumbed down to all hell. Aim to finish algebra by fourth grade, not starting it.... I remember my father spending three days on a problem I had in fifth grade as homework. Managed to finish it as well. Took five pages of crimped writing of calculus to get it down. Came into school with me. Sat down with my teacher. And asked what the hell was going on. Turns out the answer in the book was wrong, the solution to the problem was wrong, and that the teacher never noticed it wrong before. That she had solved on the board with the teachers edition, and never noticed it was done wrong. And came out with the wrong answer.... Never put full trust in a textbook.
The only thing I can think of doing to remedy this situation is to move to Alaska to skew the vote, and get this guy out of office.
The way I see it, the FreeState program has it right, but instead of choosing a decent state to begin with, they should of chosen a state with a lot of potential, but without the minds to guide it, would of been better.
That and Alaska is just a wonder of nature...
Maybe I should start my own project, the Technocratic Liberation Project. Where well-educated, liberal minded, science minded people can go to live in peace from terrorists that firebomb labs, states that cut funding for schools, anti-abortionists that pipebomb buildings, Federal wiretapping, and the broadband monopoly. And whats perfect is, if America gets really bad, then we can leave and become our own nation, and to retort America would half to drive into Canada... Something thy would not do....
The sugar interface is sweet (sorry).
I hope that this project will eventually rolls their own distro, as this might be a great improvement for childrens computers in general. Imagine a distro that parents can install on a cheap computer for a home-schooled child. With access to other children, classes, and other features: home-schooled children might be able to develop more social connections, and have a better education in general. Or even elementary school children, learning to use a computer and how to use them to interact.
I am fine with this project not releasing laptops to American children, but I hope to see other aspects of their work trickling down into the school systems.