Not to mention, the "average Joes" who aren't shareholders are probably consumers. Consumers vote with their wallets. Therefore, if things aren't good for them (the consumer) they will likely vote against you (i.e. not buy your product) which is bad for the corporation and the shareholder alike.
It is more complex than he made it out to be, but in some regards it is still amazing simple. In this country the exchange between producers and consumers is mututal and a matter of free choice. Nobody has ever made me buy anything. There has always been a choice involved at some level or another. This producer-consumer relationship is what drives literally everything.
Yeah, probably Pepsi donated a bunch of product to our troops in Iraq or something. While a nice gesture that I'm sure our guys appreciated, the freebie songs are all tossed in the desert somewhere.
One thing to consider, how many people actually redeem their bottle caps when they win something like "A free 20 oz Pepsi."
Don't know about you guys, but when I get one of those off a soda from the office soda machine, I usually toss it. Mainly, because I haven't figured out how to redeem the damn thing AT a vending machine. And I don't make a habit of traveling to the grocery store every time I want a soda.
Well, you've got to figure it is a numbers game. If you only catch one person who was getting ready to set off a suitcase nuke in NYC, by my calculations that is probably the equivalent of several trillian misdemeanors caught.
What would happen if their system ends up catching someone on the FBI's most wanted list? Also, how would people feel if it weren't a camera but a cop sitting in place writing down and calling in every license tag? Also, do you realize your license tag has perhaps been photographed before? Automated toll booths, systems to catch people who run red lights, or speed, etc...
I'm not necessarily for or against this, I'm just asking the questions.
I guess I don't see the irony in the fact that the U.S. locks up people who break the law, and the fact that there is no such thing as free speech in China.
You said:
Note also that I never said america was "less free" than anyone.
Well, the post you replied to was:
Yes, China, that world-renowned last bastion of free speech. They'll SURELY be the answer to our prayers.:P
So, why did you have such a problem with someone making a (sarcastic) comment that China would offer less than the U.S. in regards to free speech? Seems to me, the OP is right. If someone thinks they can do something more freely in China, I'm sure the OP and I would both invite them to move there. I see no problem with his statement and I really see no need for a reply like yours which was clearly an attempt at proving him wrong. Clearly, you disagree with him though. So, off to China for you. First stop, Tiananmen Square. I suggest you set up shop there preaching about democracy, the western way, how Communism sucks, how the Chinese governemnt sucks. Oh, and marry a Chinese woman and have 10 kids and see how they treat you. Oh, and for shits and giggles try the same thing someone in NYC before you go, just for comparisons.
Then decide if this is really a post you should have posted a disagreement with:
Yes, China, that world-renowned last bastion of free speech. They'll SURELY be the answer to our prayers.:P
Tell me you don't favor a modernized country that has a good set of laws and is able to enforce them. Or would you rather live in some place like China or basically any place in the middle east, minus Israel, where there is no judicial system at all. Yeah, that means if someone steals your shit, the government doesn't care and the thief won't go to jail even if he were delivered on a silver platter. Or, he might get his hand cut off. Who knows, it is rolling the dice. Since there is no judicial system, anything goes. It is the law of the jungle- which might mean less people in jail.
On the other hand if you got caught with the wrong materials or someone overhears you talking about Christianity, your ass is going to disappear pretty quick, and without a trace. Thats right, I said disappear- no legal system, remember?
You know the Iraqi's didn't have a system in place to even put Saddamm on trial. We're having to help them build one. There were no judges in Iraq. There wasn't anybody who had ever served on a Jury. But fuckin hallelujah- they've got less people in jail- which is what you wanted, right? But, as another reply said, you might also want to count the number of lives that were disposed of on a mere whim of a dictator or king or prince.
Oh, and I hope you aren't female. Because as a recent story in the news exposed, beating your wife in places like Saudi Arabia is viewed as standard practice and acceptable, and usually not punished. Fuck the U.S. for putting all the men who beat their wives in jail, right?
Man, please do something for me next time. The next time you read something or hear something, take 5 seconds to double check and see if it even makes sense. See if it contradicts almost every piece of knowledge you have already previously aquired. Do you really think the U.S. is less free than Chine or the Middle East? If not, and you read something to the contrary, starting thinking. Start asking questions. But don't let the first thing you do be post a one sentence post with no original content other than basically "I believe everything that is at this URL- go read it- I beleive what they believe."
My guess is that if this goes through, their intention is to tax VOIP when it is implemented through a telco. It is hard to tell from these articles that were posted though because aren't written with a lot of technical detail.
Sure, there are other ways to use VOIP technology, but it is totally nothing compared to the number of people who use the PSTN. My guess is they would like to position themselves to levy taxes as some telcos go from circuit switched technology to packet switched.
You're probably right though, I think the laws will end up being written so broadly and poorly that nothing will really be exempt.
He calls it a "scale" replica...considering a Star Destroyer is supposed to be 1.6 kilometers long, those little model people are what, 500 feet tall?
Why do you think he is selling it? He realizes he seriously fucked up the scale and dimensions. He's trying to unload this piece of shit to get money for more materials to build a new one that isn't such a royal embarrassment.
If it had 8 laser cannons, two X-wings would outgun it, lol.
Well, you see ordinarily this would be true, but not in this dipshit's world. Realizing his first screw up, he built a scaled version of an X-Wing that only has 2 CO2 powered BB guns on the bow. 8 lasers vs. 2 BB guns... thats about to scale I guess.
Nice bluff, XCor. In related news, I'm going to write some exotic foreign country tomorrow and ask for a tourist visa so I can show it off to chicks at the bar. Show them what a world traveler I am. No, my eyes aren't red from a 21" CRT. It's that I just got in from my last exotic trip. Sounds like kind of the same thing as requesting an FAA launch permit, no?
Dick's brother Burt is going to beat him into space on this one. In SpaceShipOne no less! I'm sure that is going to burn a bit. Maybe Burt will offer Dick a ride. Honestly, compare a bunch of artist renderings and what looks like a prototype mock up vehicle vs. something that recently broke the sound barrier propelled by a firing rocket engine to over 100,000 feet.
I certainly respect Tillman, but for a different reason. I don't think he made any sacrifice at all- at least I hope he didn't feel that way.
A good soldier is a selfish one. Ask any general in history if he'd rather have a volunteer army or a drafted one. People fight the strongest and the bravest when they are fighting for something they believe in. Tillman felt his country, his family, and the values he held true to his heart (freedom, liberty, all that we are known for) were worth fighting and dying for. Think of the militias that continually defended Texas against Mexico. These types of men are some of the most courageous, respectable, admirable, selfish heros this country will ever know.
A sacrifice is a gesture made when no value is returned, like giving a 10 spot to a bum and having him curse you in return. Or having the company you work for force you to donate to the United Way even if you don't believe in some of their causes or motives. Or having to die for a cause you don't believe in- such as being drafted to go to Vietnam.
So, hopefully he felt he was going to Iraq to keep us safe. That is what this was supposed to be about in the beginning. It burns me up to here Bush's after-the-fact motives- this "liberate the Iraqi people bullshit because it is our duty." Ask our boys to die defending our borders anywhere in the world and they'll respond. But don't ask them to give their life for some fucking group of militant, Islamic thugs who will thank us for their liberation from Saddam by killing and mutilating our boys for the local "news." If these son of a bitches ever figure out how to build a boat and sail over here, I'll be one of the first joining up with a local militia to greet them at the border. Like the Alamo, I'll fight along right along side the U.S. Military.
If you want to see a hero, don't turn on ESPN or MTV. Look for the guy cooking meals for his unit in the desert or the guy flying a fighter jet. God bless our troops.
A lot comes down to which technology you want to be owner of record for your music data as well. Do you have one hard drive that contains a digital copy of every song you have? Do you just rip the stuff you really like and leave the rest on the original CDs you bought for years? Do you back everything up to DVD and have that as your permanent storage?
I know a few folks who have ripped hundreds of their CDs to their hard drive, and with no backup. This seems stupid. Although, so does the 4 weekends they spent changing CDs to do the ripping.
Of course, too many copies, and how do you stay in sync? You have a copy of everything on HD, a backup on DVD, the orignal CDs for most of the stuff, and a copy of everything on an iPod. What happens if you get a new CD? Is there a change control methodology for introducing new music into the collective?
Sigh. Dilbert was right I think, when he said technology wasn't for wimps.
Well, it probably doesn't count as flying either, but there used to be an 80's club in Manhattan that had a de lorean hanging from the ceiling. Anybody know the place I'm talking about? Maybe it is still open, even.
Just like if a team recruits an excellent quarterback from a team in their own division, they don't poison and kill him just to get rid of him once he arrives to your city. Shit no, they get the guy out there throwing passes winning games! Its just a side benefit that he is also no longer playing for one of your closest competitors who you play 2 games against a season. That is 2 games vs. the other 14.
Well, if we lived in Galt's Gulch, we would be free of ANY government imposed regulations on labor. This includes minimum wages, overtime laws, etc.
I am strongly in favor of this type of world and would move immediately if any independent state offered a Galt's Gulch style of living. A contract of work between an employee and and employer can be made without involvement of any type from government. Anybody who thinks that people would get paid 2 cents an hour w/o minimum wage laws is a fool. The labor market is just like anything else and it has its own equilibrium price just like a loaf of bread or a PC. Based on this 2 cent an hour logic, we'd all be forced to pay a thousand dollars for a loaf of bread too.
I do find it interesting that Linux users like to lord over Windows users how "sophisticated" they are, but when it comes to MySQL, they use the "well it does what I need" excuse, ignoring the gaping technical issues with the product.
Interesting? Or predictable. Linux users will justify every single piece of software they use or have installed, regardless of how ridiculous it might be. They'd say, who needs AutoCAD when you've got the Gimp installed, etc.
For IT geeks, the ability to make independent decisions on technology solutions based on the situation at hand and without regard for personal interests or passions is often seriously lacking which probably contributes to the way management handles situations the way they do, and the reason when IT geeks then complain. I've had to recommend different technologies at different times that I don't particularly care for, but I know it is the right fit for the situation.
On the flip side, I've recently discovered that some porn sites are using the image publishing software I wrote. Needless to say, I couldn't be happier!
Was suprised to see there was people who agreed (at least somewhat) with my post since I got modded as a troll both times! Bwah. Must be a lot of pissy students with mod points today.
My kind of school! I had some friends that thought it was odd that I had places on campus that served alcohol. Guess maybe its of those hit-or-miss type things.
The local universities I am familiar with have dorms which piggyback off of pipes that supply bandwidth to the entire university. The dorms are not a stand-alone finanical entity, either. They aren't a privately owned apartment complex. And the truth is, state universities are subsidized by tax payers.
If kids want to be treated more like adults, they can get jobs, get a real apartment for $800 a month, pay their utilities, cook their own food, and pay the local telco $50 a month for DSL and do "whatever you damn well please with your net connection". Because otherwise, they are kids or at the very most, very young adults who are living on campus in a supervised environment and they have to realize that. When I lived in a dorm, I couldn't handle being treated like a kid and I couldn't handle the total lack of maturity around me, so I moved out. There is the real world, and there is campus and university life. It is important to know the difference.
This is exactly what happens with KDE, it seems. Search for posts with people trying to skin KDE to look like OS X Aqua. Everything I've seen is a cheap rip off. Haven't seen anything close to the refinement of Panther.
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Not to mention, the "average Joes" who aren't shareholders are probably consumers. Consumers vote with their wallets. Therefore, if things aren't good for them (the consumer) they will likely vote against you (i.e. not buy your product) which is bad for the corporation and the shareholder alike.
It is more complex than he made it out to be, but in some regards it is still amazing simple. In this country the exchange between producers and consumers is mututal and a matter of free choice. Nobody has ever made me buy anything. There has always been a choice involved at some level or another. This producer-consumer relationship is what drives literally everything.
Yeah, probably Pepsi donated a bunch of product to our troops in Iraq or something. While a nice gesture that I'm sure our guys appreciated, the freebie songs are all tossed in the desert somewhere.
One thing to consider, how many people actually redeem their bottle caps when they win something like "A free 20 oz Pepsi."
Don't know about you guys, but when I get one of those off a soda from the office soda machine, I usually toss it. Mainly, because I haven't figured out how to redeem the damn thing AT a vending machine. And I don't make a habit of traveling to the grocery store every time I want a soda.
Well, you've got to figure it is a numbers game. If you only catch one person who was getting ready to set off a suitcase nuke in NYC, by my calculations that is probably the equivalent of several trillian misdemeanors caught.
What would happen if their system ends up catching someone on the FBI's most wanted list? Also, how would people feel if it weren't a camera but a cop sitting in place writing down and calling in every license tag? Also, do you realize your license tag has perhaps been photographed before? Automated toll booths, systems to catch people who run red lights, or speed, etc...
I'm not necessarily for or against this, I'm just asking the questions.
You'd be surprised how many folks are taking the time to sit down and rip thru hundreds of audio CD's, changing them one by one.
Personally, I really don't see enough reward in spending several evenings doing nothing but changing CDs either. But, to each his own I guess.
It's something that a brilliant coder should consider first before giving away their hard work
No worries about that here, bro... this kid's gotta eat! And I've yet to find an open source MEAL... much less free beer.
Just stated a fact and noted its irony.
I guess I don't see the irony in the fact that the U.S. locks up people who break the law, and the fact that there is no such thing as free speech in China.
You said:
:P
:P
Note also that I never said america was "less free" than anyone.
Well, the post you replied to was:
Yes, China, that world-renowned last bastion of free speech. They'll SURELY be the answer to our prayers.
So, why did you have such a problem with someone making a (sarcastic) comment that China would offer less than the U.S. in regards to free speech? Seems to me, the OP is right. If someone thinks they can do something more freely in China, I'm sure the OP and I would both invite them to move there. I see no problem with his statement and I really see no need for a reply like yours which was clearly an attempt at proving him wrong. Clearly, you disagree with him though. So, off to China for you. First stop, Tiananmen Square. I suggest you set up shop there preaching about democracy, the western way, how Communism sucks, how the Chinese governemnt sucks. Oh, and marry a Chinese woman and have 10 kids and see how they treat you. Oh, and for shits and giggles try the same thing someone in NYC before you go, just for comparisons.
Then decide if this is really a post you should have posted a disagreement with:
Yes, China, that world-renowned last bastion of free speech. They'll SURELY be the answer to our prayers.
Should smoking one too many joints carry a life sentance like it does?
You're right. My neighbor (well, old neighbor) got sentenced last year- LIFE IN PRISON for smoking too many joints.
Oh, you said "sentance". A life sentace is much different than a sentence.
WTF? Mod to 4 for that bullshit?
Tell me you don't favor a modernized country that has a good set of laws and is able to enforce them. Or would you rather live in some place like China or basically any place in the middle east, minus Israel, where there is no judicial system at all. Yeah, that means if someone steals your shit, the government doesn't care and the thief won't go to jail even if he were delivered on a silver platter. Or, he might get his hand cut off. Who knows, it is rolling the dice. Since there is no judicial system, anything goes. It is the law of the jungle- which might mean less people in jail.
On the other hand if you got caught with the wrong materials or someone overhears you talking about Christianity, your ass is going to disappear pretty quick, and without a trace. Thats right, I said disappear- no legal system, remember?
You know the Iraqi's didn't have a system in place to even put Saddamm on trial. We're having to help them build one. There were no judges in Iraq. There wasn't anybody who had ever served on a Jury. But fuckin hallelujah- they've got less people in jail- which is what you wanted, right? But, as another reply said, you might also want to count the number of lives that were disposed of on a mere whim of a dictator or king or prince.
Oh, and I hope you aren't female. Because as a recent story in the news exposed, beating your wife in places like Saudi Arabia is viewed as standard practice and acceptable, and usually not punished. Fuck the U.S. for putting all the men who beat their wives in jail, right?
Man, please do something for me next time. The next time you read something or hear something, take 5 seconds to double check and see if it even makes sense. See if it contradicts almost every piece of knowledge you have already previously aquired. Do you really think the U.S. is less free than Chine or the Middle East? If not, and you read something to the contrary, starting thinking. Start asking questions. But don't let the first thing you do be post a one sentence post with no original content other than basically "I believe everything that is at this URL- go read it- I beleive what they believe."
My guess is that if this goes through, their intention is to tax VOIP when it is implemented through a telco. It is hard to tell from these articles that were posted though because aren't written with a lot of technical detail.
Sure, there are other ways to use VOIP technology, but it is totally nothing compared to the number of people who use the PSTN. My guess is they would like to position themselves to levy taxes as some telcos go from circuit switched technology to packet switched.
You're probably right though, I think the laws will end up being written so broadly and poorly that nothing will really be exempt.
He calls it a "scale" replica...considering a Star Destroyer is supposed to be 1.6 kilometers long, those little model people are what, 500 feet tall?
Why do you think he is selling it? He realizes he seriously fucked up the scale and dimensions. He's trying to unload this piece of shit to get money for more materials to build a new one that isn't such a royal embarrassment.
If it had 8 laser cannons, two X-wings would outgun it, lol.
Well, you see ordinarily this would be true, but not in this dipshit's world. Realizing his first screw up, he built a scaled version of an X-Wing that only has 2 CO2 powered BB guns on the bow. 8 lasers vs. 2 BB guns... thats about to scale I guess.
Nice bluff, XCor. In related news, I'm going to write some exotic foreign country tomorrow and ask for a tourist visa so I can show it off to chicks at the bar. Show them what a world traveler I am. No, my eyes aren't red from a 21" CRT. It's that I just got in from my last exotic trip. Sounds like kind of the same thing as requesting an FAA launch permit, no?
Dick's brother Burt is going to beat him into space on this one. In SpaceShipOne no less! I'm sure that is going to burn a bit. Maybe Burt will offer Dick a ride. Honestly, compare a bunch of artist renderings and what looks like a prototype mock up vehicle vs. something that recently broke the sound barrier propelled by a firing rocket engine to over 100,000 feet.
I certainly respect Tillman, but for a different reason. I don't think he made any sacrifice at all- at least I hope he didn't feel that way.
A good soldier is a selfish one. Ask any general in history if he'd rather have a volunteer army or a drafted one. People fight the strongest and the bravest when they are fighting for something they believe in. Tillman felt his country, his family, and the values he held true to his heart (freedom, liberty, all that we are known for) were worth fighting and dying for. Think of the militias that continually defended Texas against Mexico. These types of men are some of the most courageous, respectable, admirable, selfish heros this country will ever know.
A sacrifice is a gesture made when no value is returned, like giving a 10 spot to a bum and having him curse you in return. Or having the company you work for force you to donate to the United Way even if you don't believe in some of their causes or motives. Or having to die for a cause you don't believe in- such as being drafted to go to Vietnam.
So, hopefully he felt he was going to Iraq to keep us safe. That is what this was supposed to be about in the beginning. It burns me up to here Bush's after-the-fact motives- this "liberate the Iraqi people bullshit because it is our duty." Ask our boys to die defending our borders anywhere in the world and they'll respond. But don't ask them to give their life for some fucking group of militant, Islamic thugs who will thank us for their liberation from Saddam by killing and mutilating our boys for the local "news." If these son of a bitches ever figure out how to build a boat and sail over here, I'll be one of the first joining up with a local militia to greet them at the border. Like the Alamo, I'll fight along right along side the U.S. Military.
If you want to see a hero, don't turn on ESPN or MTV. Look for the guy cooking meals for his unit in the desert or the guy flying a fighter jet. God bless our troops.
A lot comes down to which technology you want to be owner of record for your music data as well. Do you have one hard drive that contains a digital copy of every song you have? Do you just rip the stuff you really like and leave the rest on the original CDs you bought for years? Do you back everything up to DVD and have that as your permanent storage?
I know a few folks who have ripped hundreds of their CDs to their hard drive, and with no backup. This seems stupid. Although, so does the 4 weekends they spent changing CDs to do the ripping.
Of course, too many copies, and how do you stay in sync? You have a copy of everything on HD, a backup on DVD, the orignal CDs for most of the stuff, and a copy of everything on an iPod. What happens if you get a new CD? Is there a change control methodology for introducing new music into the collective?
Sigh. Dilbert was right I think, when he said technology wasn't for wimps.
Well, it probably doesn't count as flying either, but there used to be an 80's club in Manhattan that had a de lorean hanging from the ceiling. Anybody know the place I'm talking about? Maybe it is still open, even.
Just like if a team recruits an excellent quarterback from a team in their own division, they don't poison and kill him just to get rid of him once he arrives to your city. Shit no, they get the guy out there throwing passes winning games! Its just a side benefit that he is also no longer playing for one of your closest competitors who you play 2 games against a season. That is 2 games vs. the other 14.
Well, if we lived in Galt's Gulch, we would be free of ANY government imposed regulations on labor. This includes minimum wages, overtime laws, etc.
I am strongly in favor of this type of world and would move immediately if any independent state offered a Galt's Gulch style of living. A contract of work between an employee and and employer can be made without involvement of any type from government. Anybody who thinks that people would get paid 2 cents an hour w/o minimum wage laws is a fool. The labor market is just like anything else and it has its own equilibrium price just like a loaf of bread or a PC. Based on this 2 cent an hour logic, we'd all be forced to pay a thousand dollars for a loaf of bread too.
I do find it interesting that Linux users like to lord over Windows users how "sophisticated" they are, but when it comes to MySQL, they use the "well it does what I need" excuse, ignoring the gaping technical issues with the product.
Interesting? Or predictable. Linux users will justify every single piece of software they use or have installed, regardless of how ridiculous it might be. They'd say, who needs AutoCAD when you've got the Gimp installed, etc.
For IT geeks, the ability to make independent decisions on technology solutions based on the situation at hand and without regard for personal interests or passions is often seriously lacking which probably contributes to the way management handles situations the way they do, and the reason when IT geeks then complain. I've had to recommend different technologies at different times that I don't particularly care for, but I know it is the right fit for the situation.
On the flip side, I've recently discovered that some porn sites are using the image publishing software I wrote. Needless to say, I couldn't be happier!
Was suprised to see there was people who agreed (at least somewhat) with my post since I got modded as a troll both times! Bwah. Must be a lot of pissy students with mod points today.
My kind of school! I had some friends that thought it was odd that I had places on campus that served alcohol. Guess maybe its of those hit-or-miss type things.
(it is included with your outragous dorm fees)
The local universities I am familiar with have dorms which piggyback off of pipes that supply bandwidth to the entire university. The dorms are not a stand-alone finanical entity, either. They aren't a privately owned apartment complex. And the truth is, state universities are subsidized by tax payers.
If kids want to be treated more like adults, they can get jobs, get a real apartment for $800 a month, pay their utilities, cook their own food, and pay the local telco $50 a month for DSL and do "whatever you damn well please with your net connection". Because otherwise, they are kids or at the very most, very young adults who are living on campus in a supervised environment and they have to realize that. When I lived in a dorm, I couldn't handle being treated like a kid and I couldn't handle the total lack of maturity around me, so I moved out. There is the real world, and there is campus and university life. It is important to know the difference.
Nice troll, though.
This is exactly what happens with KDE, it seems. Search for posts with people trying to skin KDE to look like OS X Aqua. Everything I've seen is a cheap rip off. Haven't seen anything close to the refinement of Panther.