In actual fact there is no evidence that a bistable system is bad. Indeed the entire point of our electoral system in that the winning person enters with a strong mandate to govern, not be voted in as the lesser of multiple evils as a third choice candidate everyone could agree upon. You want a candidate that can enter office and govern with a single uncompromoised point of view for an effective period of time.
I think the fact that the two major parties currently actively conspire to exclude third parties from public discourse (and by public, I mean national and explicit) The irony is that what you call a "bistable " system, the Greens and Libertarians agree are a unified system that places corporate interests over human interests. I agree with you value of the Electoral College but I believe individual states should amend their procedures for nominating electorates (IRV, Condorcet, or proportional representation would be a start.)
As an American alcoholic, let me say "Dude, where are these vending machines you speak of?"
Re:Apparantly Amateurs are producing content too..
on
Amateur Revolution?
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· Score: 1
I would argue that these events aren't as isolated as you might imagine. It all boils down to effective methods of communication becoming affordable to a large number of people. A few decades ago, you needed thousands of dollars of studio equipment and expensive expertise to produce a quality audio recording (or film for that matter.) These days, the necessary expenses are much cheaper. You still need the expertise but thanks to global communication mediums such as the internet, this is readily available. Believe it or not, amatuers doproduce content. Sure, some of it is-well, amateur-but there are numerous examples of quality work. I would like to see a common method to "moderate" the wide variety of informational content out there. As technology marches exponentially forward, I imagine that point is not too far off. How you got moderated +5 insightful for a short line punctuated with a "geeze" is beyond me.
You may be interested in pGina; it's a nifty, opensource, project that allows you to bypass Microsoft's authentication schemes and replace it with something like LDAP. Works like a charm! We're still working out the kinks of the roaming profiles with the ftp plugin though. Anyone interested in cross-platform authentication should check it out.
Yeah, I've seen this story and am not too impressed. So as many as 1000 people voted twice. Although they break down how many Democrats are registered in both states, they don't mention how many Democrats voted twice. Obviously it's impossible to tell, but even if we assume the ratio is the same we're talking about 600 voters. That pails in comparison to the systemic violation of voters' rights (mostly minorities) in the 2000 election.
Well, I live in Georgia and can understand why our elections should be monitored. In the 2002 elections, we were the first state to have entirely switched over to Diebold elctronic voting machines. That election, Sen. Max Cleland and Gov. Roy Barnes were expected to win judging from polls immediately before the election. Curiously, the Republican Saxby Chamblis won the Senate race and Sonny (serously) Perdue won the race for Governor. To be quite honest, I don't think that they stole the election; there are other reasons the polls could've swung so rapidly. Still, I can't help but wonder sometimes whether our elections were a "test" case for public acceptance of anomolous electronic voting machine results.
hands down the best spot to buy media . . . as low as $1.85 per DL-disc
http://meritline.com/dvd-r-blank-media-94.html
Re:Tariffs make things BETTER, not worse
on
The Jobs Crunch
·
· Score: 1
I won't elaborate too much, but essentially corporate power is increasinglly dictating government policy. Rights are slowly being eroded, language is changing in a most Orwellian manner, and more of our time and money is devoted to weaponry, rather than livingry (another Fullerism.) So much money is devoted to destruction rather than creation. I believe, like Fuller, that the Earth has the resources to adequately support all humans; unfortunately there is incredible inefficiency. I remain optimistic because there is a large global movement rejecting inordinate corporate control and affirming individual human liberty. Hope that clarifies a little. I'll followup if you have any more questions.
Cheers!
The funny thing is, the Sims in Sim2 can play Sim1. Who says no one wants a game to remind them of their monotonous life ; ) Link.
Re:low unemployment compared to europe
on
The Jobs Crunch
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· Score: 1
Well said. I completely agree.
A previous reply noted their father, who volunteered 60+ hours a week would be devastated if he were forced to clean streets. I believe what the parent post was getting at is that he wouldn't be forced to do any particular job. A person receiving unemployment benefits should be required to spend a portion of their week working on a community service project that fits their abilities. If your father was an computer technician, perhaps he could work for a non-profit building machines for schools and churches. There are numerous other community pursuits that can suit a wide variety of interests (gardening, carpentry, etc) They wouldn't be expected to work on their projects full-time. Twenty hours a week should be enough to allow some time to find a job. Interestingly enough, volunteering time for community interest projects may even help you find a job. It's called networking; if I volunteer and see your abilities and dedication, I may be able to hire you or find you a job. I would also imagine it helps improve the self-worth of the unfortunately unemployed.
Again, brilliant idea! Let's hope this sees some light.
Re:Tariffs make things BETTER, not worse
on
The Jobs Crunch
·
· Score: 1
I'm sorry, but I thought I should pipe up here. It seems to me the fundamental problem plaguing humanity is our myopic ability to pen ourselves into nationstates. You mention that our government has a mandate to promote the welfare of American people, at the exclusion of others. Likewise for the other national governments of the world. Essentially, you accept economic warfare as a fact of life.
I understand there are many differences in regional ideologies, but essentially we (meaning humanity) are all in the same boat. I don't think it's naive to postulate that humanity would be better off if we began to recognize our fundamental similarities rather than remain content (even demand!) to be isolated in what Buckminister Fuller likened to cattle holding pens. Corporations are free. Why aren't we? I may be overstating the case but not by much. In 5 more years, if the prevailing political winds continue their course, I'll be even more right.
I completely agree, although in my dream I take it a step further. Yes, it involves flying cars, which I'm well aware aren't close to viability, but . ..
Imagine we had the technology to have flying, autonomous vehicles that were capable of helicopter-like flight. Like Moeller but not as dangerous or expensive. Also, larger and more comfortable; a comfortable cabin with facing bench seats and a domed roof would fit the bill, as long as I'm imagining.
You see, the autocab flight paths are registered with a central computer database. The computer analyzes all current flight paths and computes an appropriate vector for your journey to your destination. The immensity of 4d space should make this relatively easy. There could still be "lanes" but your trip would not be limited to them if it was not the most efficient. Ideally, there could be a variety of paths to choose from: scenic, fastest, whatever. Perhaps people could even program favorites or select other popular routes. It doesn't stop there--I'm fairly certain that although for most trips, people would rather be chatting or reading, there are some occasions where it's just nice to drive. For these instances, the computer could "reserve" swaths of 3d space for freeflight. There would be some constraints, of course, to keep the freeflyers out of managed trafficspace, but you would still have a large degree of control.
The thing is, I don't think we're too far away from the computing power that would be necesary to manage a complicated system like this. On the other hand, the actual vehicle technolgy seems way off, barring some beneficent visit by galactic travellers. Also, it's a sociological pickle : )
Yeah, it's a shame . . . but if you're interested there's a nice video of the Badnarik-Cobb debate in New York here (top link.) Imagine if Kerry and Bush were held to that level of discourse . . .
couldn't believe how many times I heard something that I only vaguely remembered but liked, and never would have thought of searching for.
And this is why it would be friggin' awesome if there was a SD card in the car radio and a button called "remember this song." Later on, you could take the card out of the car, pop it on your PC and buy the songs you totally forgot about. In my case, this would be more useful for flagging great songs I hear on the local college radio and community stations. Oftentimes, I can't stick around to hear who a particular artist is but I want to check them out later. Yes, it's analog radio now, but maybe when they switch to digital it will be possible. I'm not holding my breath . ..
(I actually would like it even better if there was a button that, when pushed would donate a quarter to directly to the artist and give me the right to download the song. It seems like a better distribution model for both consumer and producer. Unfortunately, I don't think the middlemen would quite latch on to the concept ; )
Another interesting fact, (not sure if it's mentioned in Wikipedia, didn't bother to check) is that Cunard was the line that sent the Lusitania across the Atlantic with passengers and ordinance for the Allies, which brought America into World War I.
Some time later I'll estimate that it's 4:22, look at my watch, and find it's 4:20.
That's funny. Back in college I had a remarkable ability to know when it was exactly 4:20. True! A number of times, my biological clock would trip and I'd roll up a spliff. Before smoking, I'd look at a clock and, lo and behold, it was 4:20! This happened a number of times, although it's hard to estimate how accurate I really was due to, uh . . . circumstances : )
Slashdot Mirror
6)How often do you listen to music in each category?
7)How much downloaded music have you wound up deleting?
8)How many CDs have you bought as a result of listening to downloaded/ripped material?
9)How many artists have you turned your friends onto by sharing your music collection via mix cds and the like?
I think the fact that the two major parties currently actively conspire to exclude third parties from public discourse (and by public, I mean national and explicit) The irony is that what you call a "bistable " system, the Greens and Libertarians agree are a unified system that places corporate interests over human interests. I agree with you value of the Electoral College but I believe individual states should amend their procedures for nominating electorates (IRV, Condorcet, or proportional representation would be a start.)
I suppose the same could be said for woman's voting rights or colored voting rights . . .
You aren't kidding! I smoked cat for years and only recently have managed to kick the habit.
Insightful? Oh, yeah, this is Slashdot. *shudders*
As an American alcoholic, let me say "Dude, where are these vending machines you speak of?"
I would argue that these events aren't as isolated as you might imagine. It all boils down to effective methods of communication becoming affordable to a large number of people. A few decades ago, you needed thousands of dollars of studio equipment and expensive expertise to produce a quality audio recording (or film for that matter.) These days, the necessary expenses are much cheaper. You still need the expertise but thanks to global communication mediums such as the internet, this is readily available. Believe it or not, amatuers doproduce content. Sure, some of it is-well, amateur-but there are numerous examples of quality work. I would like to see a common method to "moderate" the wide variety of informational content out there. As technology marches exponentially forward, I imagine that point is not too far off. How you got moderated +5 insightful for a short line punctuated with a "geeze" is beyond me.
Indeed : )
Link
here ya go
You may be interested in pGina; it's a nifty, opensource, project that allows you to bypass Microsoft's authentication schemes and replace it with something like LDAP. Works like a charm! We're still working out the kinks of the roaming profiles with the ftp plugin though. Anyone interested in cross-platform authentication should check it out.
Yeah, I've seen this story and am not too impressed. So as many as 1000 people voted twice. Although they break down how many Democrats are registered in both states, they don't mention how many Democrats voted twice. Obviously it's impossible to tell, but even if we assume the ratio is the same we're talking about 600 voters. That pails in comparison to the systemic violation of voters' rights (mostly minorities) in the 2000 election.
Diebold?
Well, I live in Georgia and can understand why our elections should be monitored. In the 2002 elections, we were the first state to have entirely switched over to Diebold elctronic voting machines. That election, Sen. Max Cleland and Gov. Roy Barnes were expected to win judging from polls immediately before the election. Curiously, the Republican Saxby Chamblis won the Senate race and Sonny (serously) Perdue won the race for Governor. To be quite honest, I don't think that they stole the election; there are other reasons the polls could've swung so rapidly. Still, I can't help but wonder sometimes whether our elections were a "test" case for public acceptance of anomolous electronic voting machine results.
hands down the best spot to buy media . . . as low as $1.85 per DL-disc
http://meritline.com/dvd-r-blank-media-94.html
I won't elaborate too much, but essentially corporate power is increasinglly dictating government policy. Rights are slowly being eroded, language is changing in a most Orwellian manner, and more of our time and money is devoted to weaponry, rather than livingry (another Fullerism.) So much money is devoted to destruction rather than creation. I believe, like Fuller, that the Earth has the resources to adequately support all humans; unfortunately there is incredible inefficiency. I remain optimistic because there is a large global movement rejecting inordinate corporate control and affirming individual human liberty. Hope that clarifies a little. I'll followup if you have any more questions. Cheers!
The funny thing is, the Sims in Sim2 can play Sim1. Who says no one wants a game to remind them of their monotonous life ; ) Link.
A previous reply noted their father, who volunteered 60+ hours a week would be devastated if he were forced to clean streets. I believe what the parent post was getting at is that he wouldn't be forced to do any particular job. A person receiving unemployment benefits should be required to spend a portion of their week working on a community service project that fits their abilities. If your father was an computer technician, perhaps he could work for a non-profit building machines for schools and churches. There are numerous other community pursuits that can suit a wide variety of interests (gardening, carpentry, etc) They wouldn't be expected to work on their projects full-time. Twenty hours a week should be enough to allow some time to find a job. Interestingly enough, volunteering time for community interest projects may even help you find a job. It's called networking; if I volunteer and see your abilities and dedication, I may be able to hire you or find you a job. I would also imagine it helps improve the self-worth of the unfortunately unemployed.
Again, brilliant idea! Let's hope this sees some light.
I understand there are many differences in regional ideologies, but essentially we (meaning humanity) are all in the same boat. I don't think it's naive to postulate that humanity would be better off if we began to recognize our fundamental similarities rather than remain content (even demand!) to be isolated in what Buckminister Fuller likened to cattle holding pens. Corporations are free. Why aren't we? I may be overstating the case but not by much. In 5 more years, if the prevailing political winds continue their course, I'll be even more right.
Imagine we had the technology to have flying, autonomous vehicles that were capable of helicopter-like flight. Like Moeller but not as dangerous or expensive. Also, larger and more comfortable; a comfortable cabin with facing bench seats and a domed roof would fit the bill, as long as I'm imagining.
You see, the autocab flight paths are registered with a central computer database. The computer analyzes all current flight paths and computes an appropriate vector for your journey to your destination. The immensity of 4d space should make this relatively easy. There could still be "lanes" but your trip would not be limited to them if it was not the most efficient. Ideally, there could be a variety of paths to choose from: scenic, fastest, whatever. Perhaps people could even program favorites or select other popular routes. It doesn't stop there--I'm fairly certain that although for most trips, people would rather be chatting or reading, there are some occasions where it's just nice to drive. For these instances, the computer could "reserve" swaths of 3d space for freeflight. There would be some constraints, of course, to keep the freeflyers out of managed trafficspace, but you would still have a large degree of control.
The thing is, I don't think we're too far away from the computing power that would be necesary to manage a complicated system like this. On the other hand, the actual vehicle technolgy seems way off, barring some beneficent visit by galactic travellers. Also, it's a sociological pickle : )
I can dream right ? . . .
Yeah, it's a shame . . . but if you're interested there's a nice video of the Badnarik-Cobb debate in New York here (top link.) Imagine if Kerry and Bush were held to that level of discourse . . .
I believe you mean misunderestimated.
And this is why it would be friggin' awesome if there was a SD card in the car radio and a button called "remember this song." Later on, you could take the card out of the car, pop it on your PC and buy the songs you totally forgot about. In my case, this would be more useful for flagging great songs I hear on the local college radio and community stations. Oftentimes, I can't stick around to hear who a particular artist is but I want to check them out later. Yes, it's analog radio now, but maybe when they switch to digital it will be possible. I'm not holding my breath . . .
(I actually would like it even better if there was a button that, when pushed would donate a quarter to directly to the artist and give me the right to download the song. It seems like a better distribution model for both consumer and producer. Unfortunately, I don't think the middlemen would quite latch on to the concept ; )
Another interesting fact, (not sure if it's mentioned in Wikipedia, didn't bother to check) is that Cunard was the line that sent the Lusitania across the Atlantic with passengers and ordinance for the Allies, which brought America into World War I.
That's funny. Back in college I had a remarkable ability to know when it was exactly 4:20. True! A number of times, my biological clock would trip and I'd roll up a spliff. Before smoking, I'd look at a clock and, lo and behold, it was 4:20! This happened a number of times, although it's hard to estimate how accurate I really was due to, uh . . . circumstances : )