But China has never really been an expansionistic type country. It's seems throughout their history, they're usually the ones attacked, or the fighting is domestic (power struggles etc).
...yes and no. Historically the worst enemy of the Chinese have been other Chinese, even to the present day (how's that for progress?)
Go back over the past couple thousand years and you'd find that the Chinese have invaded and/or conquered the lands of Koreans, Vietnamese, Cambodians, Tibetans, and a few minor Tartar/Turkish/Mongol and subcontinental realms at different times....point being that they haven't always gotten along with everyone and still don't.
It wasn't all brutal subjugation and cultural imperialism. Over time, contact with the Chinese (even colonialism and governance) allowed for trade and communication with civilizations far beyond the Chinese sphere of influence.
Here's where I contradict myself - I could see all of that changing however, a growing economy with a billion++ people will probably need a lot of resources...especially oil.
Wouldn't it be funny (and perhaps a bit ironic) if the Chinese concentrated a lot more research and funding into hydrogen-based fuels out of necessity reducing their need for petrol?
Then how do you explain that perhaps the most capitalist country in the world, USA, has a system where politicians are more likely to be bought, than in other countries with socialist ideals, like Norway? Is it a coincidence that money has a greater influence on US politics than in Europe?
...invalid premise. Are you kidding me? Capitalism implies open, fair and free commerce on a "level playing field" unhindered by government or bullies with big money and highly skilled lawyers.
The USA is not the most capitalist country in the world, or the most democratic (Trust me, I've been here a while). I don't know if the playing field was ever all that "level". I'd still rather be here than in Norway, anywhere else in Europe or anywhere else period. I think it's still the best place anywhere to make a career, make a home, get educated, raise a family and live a fulfilling life.
...just curious. Precisely how many Indians out of a billion have regular access to any kind of computer?
"Why is it... that to protect us from gangs and thugs and criminals, we have to employ gangs and thugs and criminals."
Because the enemies of America's enemies aren't always nice folks like you. It began with Louis XVI, and Napoleon but it didn't end with them (Stalin, Noriega, Saddam, even UBL for a while).
>>>And Americans wonder why the rest of the world hates them.......invalid premise, and a bit suspect considering your anger (or just nausea). Not everyone in the world views America as simplistically as you do....and not all Americans view the world as "Americans and the rest", either. Outrage and indignation make for very poor solutions to complex problems.
>>>Dude, nothing has changed since my ancestral parent kicked your acestral parent's ass with a bone club.
Dude, your ancestral parents may have had to do things they shouldn't have had to do to stay alive and keep a line of descendents going....still keep that bone club around?
>>>That said, I'm French, and not happy at all with the way France has supported dictators, but frankly do you really believe that the USA are better in this respect??
I suppose not. We did a lot of business with Napoleon a couple of hundred years back, right?
If you bought a video tape or DVD legitimately, you're also allowed to dispose of it at your discretion, give it away as a gift, loan it to friends, relatives, co-workers.
Copyright holders get upset when you alter and/or make copies of what they claim as their intellectual property and sell those copies without their consent.
There's still some debate as to whether the legitimate buyer is allowed to make one or more backup copies for his own personal use. I've yet to hear of legislation or precedent eliminating that option.
I also know people that have several hundred CD's who have ripped, mixed, and burned most of their libraries as I have. Before there were mp3's, we used to exchange "mix tapes". That's a LOT of music, and a rather diverse selection even among the small circle of my close friends....and we don't charge each other anything for what other folks are paying (or not paying) a dollar for.
I was under the impression (perhaps mistakenly) that Steve Jobs had anticipated that this sort of thing would happen, and not only with me and folks I know.
[[In most civilised countries only the criminals and the police have guns. And these countries have a much lower crime and murder rate than the USA. ]]...which suggests a little and proves nothing. 100% of ALL crime is caused by criminals. That is a proven fact.
The USA has more crime and a higher murder rate because we have more criminals and more murderers. That is also a proven fact.
Inanimate objects such as firearms are not capable of mis-using themselves. That is also a proven fact.
Old arguments and business models don't cut it anymore. Contemporize, man!
...nothing to be embarassed about. Not everyone in the company is required to attend the Intermediate Windows Basics class (last time I checked, ours was 4 hours minus the coffee break - attended mostly by secretaries, assistants, clerks, you get the idea).
The Windows XP Find/Search process is indeed cumbersome....and granted that any sysadmin, developer, or dataminer type can do the same thing near instantaneously at the shell prompt.
But not every user has had the chance to undergo the degree of training or the time to attain the knowledge and experience of the fortunate few who have even heard of Unix/Linux....or Slashdot.
The Mongols conquered most of the Chinese in the 1200's. In spite of that, the written and spoken languages survived intact....as did most works of Chinese literature....as did their knowledge of science and especially engineering....pottery and sculpture, architecture....Confucianism, Taoism. All of the above also survived Manchu and Turkish conquest and rule. Continuous blood lineage was not relevant, or particularly necessary in the case of the Chinese.
Slashdot Mirror
But China has never really been an expansionistic type country. It's seems throughout their history, they're usually the ones attacked, or the fighting is domestic (power struggles etc).
...yes and no. Historically the worst enemy of the Chinese have been other Chinese, even to the present day (how's that for progress?)
Go back over the past couple thousand years and you'd find that the Chinese have invaded and/or conquered the lands of Koreans, Vietnamese, Cambodians, Tibetans, and a few minor Tartar/Turkish/Mongol and subcontinental realms at different times. ...point being that they haven't always gotten along with everyone and still don't.
It wasn't all brutal subjugation and cultural imperialism. Over time, contact with the Chinese (even colonialism and governance) allowed for trade and communication with civilizations far beyond the Chinese sphere of influence.
Here's where I contradict myself - I could see all of that changing however, a growing economy with a billion++ people will probably need a lot of resources...especially oil.
Wouldn't it be funny (and perhaps a bit ironic) if the Chinese concentrated a lot more research and funding into hydrogen-based fuels out of necessity reducing their need for petrol?
"good old rock, nothing beats rock!"
Howzabout very sharp scissors?
Then how do you explain that perhaps the most capitalist country in the world, USA, has a system where politicians are more likely to be bought, than in other countries with socialist ideals, like Norway? Is it a coincidence that money has a greater influence on US politics than in Europe?
...invalid premise. Are you kidding me? Capitalism implies open, fair and free commerce on a "level playing field" unhindered by government or bullies with big money and highly skilled lawyers.
The USA is not the most capitalist country in the world, or the most democratic (Trust me, I've been here a while). I don't know if the playing field was ever all that "level". I'd still rather be here than in Norway, anywhere else in Europe or anywhere else period. I think it's still the best place anywhere to make a career, make a home, get educated, raise a family and live a fulfilling life.
...just curious. Precisely how many Indians out of a billion have regular access to any kind of computer?
...or been anywhere near a call center?
...you really only rent Sapphire/Novec 1230.
Only law can correct the problems that greed/capitalism creates.
To loosely paraphrase P.J. O'Rourke - "When buying and selling are legislated, the first thing bought and sold are the legislators".
>>>Michael Dell stepping down from the helm at Dell and Godzilla going into retirement. Anyone smell collaboration?
I see a wacky sit-com on the way!
...sounds as if they're edging closer to my Red Bull and Pop Rocks experiments.
Maybe I shouldn't have kept my documentation on paper only. It took 5 weeks for my eyebrows to grow back.
I think I was the first to post a Simpsons quote in this thread too. Go figger.
>>>JasonF, a scientist at NCSU, has created a perpetual motion machine!
"In this house, we obey the laws of thermodynamics!" - Homer S.
>>>And you may ask yourself "Where is my beautiful arcade?" They paved it over... ...and put up a parking lot.
...as it ever was.
"Why is it... that to protect us from gangs and thugs and criminals, we have to employ gangs and thugs and criminals." Because the enemies of America's enemies aren't always nice folks like you. It began with Louis XVI, and Napoleon but it didn't end with them (Stalin, Noriega, Saddam, even UBL for a while).
...looks like "AllUser" stole Randy's act.
...left foot, right foot, left foot, right foot...
>>>And Americans wonder why the rest of the world hates them.... ...invalid premise, and a bit suspect considering your anger (or just nausea). Not everyone in the world views America as simplistically as you do. ...and not all Americans view the world as "Americans and the rest", either. Outrage and indignation make for very poor solutions to complex problems.
>>>Dude, nothing has changed since my ancestral parent kicked your acestral parent's ass with a bone club.
...still keep that bone club around?
Dude, your ancestral parents may have had to do things they shouldn't have had to do to stay alive and keep a line of descendents going.
Henry Kissinger is a Nobel laureate, as is Le Duc Tho.
...which proves nothing of course, but it does give ME pause.
Come to think of it, so is Yasser Arafat.
>>>That said, I'm French, and not happy at all with the way France has supported dictators, but frankly do you really believe that the USA are better in this respect??
I suppose not. We did a lot of business with Napoleon a couple of hundred years back, right?
>>>I wish I could 'automagically' skip parts of my life I got bored with/didn't want to endure.
I've but two words for you: "WHITE LIGHTNING"!
>>>Your only license it to watch it.
If you bought a video tape or DVD legitimately, you're also allowed to dispose of it at your discretion, give it away as a gift, loan it to friends, relatives, co-workers.
Copyright holders get upset when you alter and/or make copies of what they claim as their intellectual property and sell those copies without their consent.
There's still some debate as to whether the legitimate buyer is allowed to make one or more backup copies for his own personal use. I've yet to hear of legislation or precedent eliminating that option.
I also know people that have several hundred CD's who have ripped, mixed, and burned most of their libraries as I have. Before there were mp3's, we used to exchange "mix tapes". That's a LOT of music, and a rather diverse selection even among the small circle of my close friends. ...and we don't charge each other anything for what other folks are paying (or not paying) a dollar for.
I was under the impression (perhaps mistakenly) that Steve Jobs had anticipated that this sort of thing would happen, and not only with me and folks I know.
>>>" . . . and it's only gonna cost you a dollar a song. "
...even half-way?
Suppose I have an I-Pod that can hold 10,000 songs.
What compels me to spend a dollar a song to fill it up?
Steve Jobs might make a very believable "Simpsons" character. Think about it.
[[In most civilised countries only the criminals and the police have guns. And these countries have a much lower crime and murder rate than the USA. ]] ...which suggests a little and proves nothing. 100% of ALL crime is caused by criminals. That is a proven fact.
The USA has more crime and a higher murder rate because we have more criminals and more murderers. That is also a proven fact.
Inanimate objects such as firearms are not capable of mis-using themselves. That is also a proven fact.
Old arguments and business models don't cut it anymore. Contemporize, man!
...nothing to be embarassed about. Not everyone in the company is required to attend the Intermediate Windows Basics class (last time I checked, ours was 4 hours minus the coffee break - attended mostly by secretaries, assistants, clerks, you get the idea).
...and granted that any sysadmin, developer, or dataminer type can do the same thing near instantaneously at the shell prompt.
...or Slashdot.
The Windows XP Find/Search process is indeed cumbersome.
But not every user has had the chance to undergo the degree of training or the time to attain the knowledge and experience of the fortunate few who have even heard of Unix/Linux.
>>>The OS and the office suite are thus mostly pirated, and usually include a plethora of free viruses...Ditto for the development environments.
...9 million of 'em running Windows. I'm thinking retail prices and viruses are NOT a deterrent.
Have you ever met anyone who let this get in the way of using pirated OS's (especially Windows) or office suites?
There might be 10 million PC's in India.
>>>Thanks Microsoft for creating a generation of users restricted to mindless pointing and clicking!
You know that Mac OS is the most common desktop flavor of Unix nowadays, right?
As long as there are users other than sysadmins, developers, webmasters, etc., there WILL be a place for user-friendly Windows-type environments.
The Mongols conquered most of the Chinese in the 1200's. In spite of that, the written and spoken languages survived intact. ...as did most works of Chinese literature. ...as did their knowledge of science and especially engineering. ...pottery and sculpture, architecture. ...Confucianism, Taoism. All of the above also survived Manchu and Turkish conquest and rule. Continuous blood lineage was not relevant, or particularly necessary in the case of the Chinese.