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User: zoney_ie

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  1. Re:Interesting... on London Tube Dangerous for Technophiles? · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Socialist Republic? Are you smoking crack? It's not a Republic for one thing (the whole thing of having a monarch and no written constitution is a bit of a giveaway).

    As for socialist? Well, only compared to the US. It's a social democracy, with much less of the "social" side than mainland Europe. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_Democrat for a good explanation. Yeah there's a welfare state, but it's not comprehensive, there are merely aspects of it present. Mostly European countries are social democracies - they aren't actually massively left wing on a global scale - being centerist really. Ireland and Britain more so than the others. You could say "centre-right" and "centre-left", but really compared to global extremes (US, Japan, China, Cuba), Europe is pretty middle-of-the-road politically.

    What does "restrictive gun laws" have to do with the idea of a socialist Republic? It's perhaps an indicator of authoritarianism rather than liberalism (although on this particular topic, I would say "sanity rather than insanity"). But your comments make no logical sense.

    So as regards your observation that "posts here in /. seem to lean a little to the left", I doubt you would actually know whether someone's comments were left or right leaning.

  2. Re:The good, the bad and the ugly on Linux Trademark Rejected in Australia · · Score: 1

    And here in Ireland - a window cleaning company with the name... ...Windows 2000

  3. Re:I wonder... on 9 Weeks to Pump Out New Orleans? · · Score: 1

    The real world isn't black and white.

    We manage here in Europe to have bits of capitalism and socialism. And furthermore, here in Ireland (and in the UK) we manage to balance it well (avoiding the mainland Europe stagnant economies and joblessness). Admittedly we've the usual problems with inept politicians, so we're not some kind of paradise. But it's a more pleasant place to be if you're not rich than the US is. And it's not like the rich are taxed heavily. Sure 45% looks like a lot, but some of the rich here avail of tax breaks to pay less than ordinary workers (and yes, I find that an outrage, but the point is we are far from communist). Having a Welfare State and restraints on the market is not incompatible with a democratic semi-capitalist state.

    Check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_democracy

    It's perfectly right to decry rampant unrestrained capitalism - each man for himself. The government should take care of the citizens - I can scarce believe that the poor, sick and elderly were left behind in New Orleans rather than evacuated by bus or rail. In fact, they're going to have to do that anyways now, albeit with it now much more difficult and many having been washed away.

  4. Re:Would have fallen off on Discovery's Dangling Gapfiller Removed by Hand · · Score: 1

    Are the heatshield tiles on the shuttle reuseable? I thought they had to redo the entire underbelly of the shuttle after each landing?

    But of course, the other issue is that the shuttle doesn't even go that far into space. It's a low earth orbit. Pretty pathetic all things considered - I think it's useful for military satellites and missions though, and that's why they developed it. (Space exploration isn't the main concern really).

  5. Re:It's about time! on Hot Coffee Cooling Off · · Score: 2, Informative

    Hey, the problem does exist, and isn't even just one of selling to those underage for the title.

    Here in my city in Ireland, one of the major toy stores (which sells computer games) stocked GTA:SA. Well, they didn't sell to those underage - they didn't have to. The kids' parents were buying it for them.

    And it gets worse. The counter assistents were under orders to tell the parents just how graphic the game was (in language, violence, etc.) without pulling the punches. Well, the parents were taken aback and shocked apparently, but most bought it all the same, saying "ah sure, all his friends will have it".

    People aren't interested in rearing kids properly anymore. They probably shouldn't have kids, and only do so out of selfishness (wanting to hear the pitter-patter of feet, etc., etc.).

    Kids not being reared properly is the single reason our society will continue in its decadent downward spiral.

    ----

    On a more related note, I do find it strange that in the US, mere sex scenes bring the game up to an 18s rating, while the graphic violence, gritty theme, and appalling language do not.

  6. Re:'merciful' atomic bomb !? on U.S. House Votes to Extend Patriot Act · · Score: 1

    Yeah. Keep telling yourself that. The reason there isn't political progress is precisely because the IRA weren't defeated, are still around, are still training and recruiting, still have weapons, and still make a fortune every year controlling much of the black economy in Ireland (north and south).

    Certain youths all around Ireland, particularly in rural areas, still participate in activities akin to going off on boy scouts but a lot more serious and damn scarier.

    The IRA are a very serious threat not just to peace in the North, but to the Republic. They style themselves "Oglaigh na hÉireann", that is the title used by our national army. They see themselves as the rightful army (and government on the political side) of all Ireland (Republic administration seen as illegitimate as the North).

    Their political wing is not failing, rather than being beaten, they are the second party in Northern Ireland, and manage to poll about 10% or more in the Republic (that percentage is very high for an extremist Marxist party - it's damn scary - and no wonder our govt's ditched the soft approach since the Sinn Féin/IRA electoral successes).

    Yeah. The IRA was beaten. HAH! They may have realised they aren't likely to acheive what they want by force alone, but they didn't stop fighting because they'd lost.

  7. Re:I haven't tried it, but I'm wary on World of Warcraft For The Win · · Score: 1

    Despite the PvP being quite good, once the PvE is completed people are not likely to play indefinitely. So the $60 or whatever is likely to provide profit and money for resources.

    The other issue is that not much overhead exists for the Guild Wars servers when one is outside towns (in an instance of the world for your party, which might just be you + computer henchmen) - in fact, I'm not sure the main servers do anything here once you've downloaded data for that area.

    Guild Wars PvE is *really good*. But it's about one or two months gameplay to finish (without spending silly amounts of time each day).

    So all in all, I don't think there really are much ongoing costs for each player.

    The lack of monthly fees, and the fact that it's a pretty decent MMORPG, will ensure more people buy the game as time goes on.

  8. Re: Coming to America on Riot Control Ray-Gun for Use in Iraq · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Course not. Sure didn't some big world superpower give him a load of help in the 1980s?

  9. Re:Noone posting? on World of Warcraft Duping Bug Found · · Score: 2, Informative

    Not paying for the priviledge of logging on is also nice :)

    I love Guild Wars.

  10. Re:Sometimes, A watch isn't good enough on Five PC Innovations the Industry Should Get To · · Score: 1

    Why should I have to shackle myself with a watch? Not that I'm a fan of having to carry around a mobile phone, but as I do, it makes sense to have the time displayed on it and rely solely on the phone for telling the time.

    Although occasionally I know I don't need to take my phone out with me, so I leave it at home and just get the time relying on the fact that there're clocks everywhere, and other people around with watches or phones.

  11. Re:Maybe it's a completely new UA string on MS Urging Developers To Prep For IE 7 · · Score: 1

    Yeah, except there was a dilemma of whether to put off 2K, and get the more up-to-date version of essentially the same thing (when getting XP). Except 2K was more mature, XP had breakages (in fact, possibly it's only with SP2 that outright a choice between 2K and XP results in a clear choice for XP). Of course now, why go for XP when Longhorn's around the corner. Except Longhorn looks like being what 2K was to XP, except worse.

    ARRghghghg!!! Run away!

    Unfortunately leaving Windows isn't an option just yet for most. (And yes, I have Ubuntu on my secondary PC to play with - it's not going to be my primary desktop OS just yet! And not in work in any case.)

    Spoken by one who runs XP looking like 2K, with half the insane default services neutered (no thank you, I won't leave Remote Registry running when I don't use/need it, and I don't want Universal PnP, etc., etc.).

    Thank goodness for Firefox though, and not having to run IE despite being stuck with Windows.

  12. Re:Maybe it's a completely new UA string on MS Urging Developers To Prep For IE 7 · · Score: 1

    Longhorn looks like it won't deserve the 6.0 label anyways, it'll be more like NT 5.5.

    (XP is 5.1 BTW)

  13. Re:Bit of a waste, surely? on Got Spyware? Throw out the Computer! · · Score: 1

    Just pick them up/buy/ask for them at the local recycle depot (or dump I guess).

    Although I think here in Ireland those days, which only began a short while back, are soon to be over. The government has brought in the EU laws that force manufacturers to pay for the recycling of their goods (the theory being they'll make them easier/cheaper to recycle, or not as time-limited/disposable, or do something sensible).

  14. Re:Non-security fixes in Firefox 1.0.5 on Flurry of Security Patches · · Score: 1

    Annoying that they don't have the latest updates available for the regional versions at the same time. And British English (as used by much of the world outside the US/Canada) is a whopping huge regional version.

    On the flipside, it's nice that there are so many regional versions now. I now have Firefox in Irish (Gaelic) at home, along with Microsoft's/Irish Govt's recent project of Windows XP Irish LIP.

  15. Re:Sorry, bollocks on BBC In Trouble Over Free Music · · Score: 1

    > And how are they being subsidised by the UK taxpayer? Do they collect tax money? Again, some proof would be nice.

    On this second point, taxpayers are paying for the newspapers - so if indeed they avoid taxes, which sounds unlikely, then those taxpayers who buy the papers are wholly funding them.

    And for other taxpayers who don't, it is an issue for them as to where the former group spend their money (if they didn't spend it on vile extrusions like the Sun, the money would finance something better for the latter group).

  16. Re:I'm confused, what exactly does copyright mean? on BBC In Trouble Over Free Music · · Score: 1

    Surely the improvised performance is an original work of authorship - and a recording of said performance is the original work fixed in a tangible medium of expression?

    I'm sorry, but your elaboration does not explain to me why copyright does not apply in the situation.

    Certainly there's nothing to stop *you* carrying out the recording - but afterwards the copyright of the recording is automatically held by the author of the work (i.e. you have a legal recording, but you can't resell, copy or distribute it).

  17. Re:Thats one piece of Good news on EU Says No To Software Patents · · Score: 1

    Yes, his claim to socialism was... gob-smacking (where else but Ireland?).

    The SF/IRA thing doesn't impress me - the change in policy was merely cause it suited FF (climate was appropriate and they hoped to hurt the dangerous SF electoral successes). Why not earlier eh?

    In fairness - who in their right mind would want SF in Dáil Éireann in their current state (with the private army, and their seeing themselves as the sole legitimate politicians on the island, with the legitimate army of the Irish Republic - not ROI - of "Oglaigh na hÉireann"?) And how come we expected their political mortal enemies in the North to do what we wouldn't?

    The sweet-talkers had me fooled too for a few years. They should never have taken it.

    NI may have escaped some years of heavy violence, but the society there is more divided and mistrustful than ever. That is a fact (look at the peace walls, and surveys of how segregated people there are now compared to ten years ago).

    A hard line should have been taken long ago. No I do not credit that nefarious politician Bertie Ahern for anything but continuing the usual FF-ism.

  18. Re:Thats one piece of Good news on EU Says No To Software Patents · · Score: 1

    Heh heh, yeah, our equivalent in Ireland, Bertie Ahern, has been getting booed at every major appearance recently. Despite that everyone used love him, and all the good little sheep voted for the current Fianna Fáil govt. (the party that's mostly always been in power in Ireland).

    Although in reality - either he'll scrape through the next general election (like Blair), or he'll be ditched by his party for someone else (not so likely - the Blair/Browne mid-term changeover is a more likely scenario to be mirrored here - if that even happens).

  19. Re:It's possible that certain types of patents are on EU Says No To Software Patents · · Score: 1

    Ignore the syntax you program in, and essentially your application is mostly moving numbers around and performing operations on them.

    Think of logic gates, then more complex digital circuitry (adders etc.), then simple microprocessors (adders and other such things), then think what happens to your code when you compile it and execute that.

    Heck - the device you're programming is a *COMPUTER*. It computes based on your instructions, which are indeed pretty much a set of mathematical procedures.

  20. Re:Power to the Parliament! on EU Says No To Software Patents · · Score: 1

    You're not kidding re: this Commission. Another Commission member is the ex-Finance Minister of my country, Ireland. Charlie McCreevy was essentially dumped on Europe by our PM, as his hardline economic policies (economy first, people second) were hurting the govt's popularity.

  21. Re:Oh no on A Glimpse at the Linux Desktop of the Future · · Score: 1

    Yay?

    Thanks.

  22. Re:article text, for those who don't need 1,000 ad on Longhorn Preview · · Score: 1

    Like I'm going to buy anything advertised in obnoxious Internet ads.

    These sites have not lost money they would otherwise have acquired from me.

    I don't sit through ad breaks on TV and watch them all either. Hah! (Besides, the BBC doesn't have ad breaks during programmes - and the other channels I watch are on a subscription satellite package - I don't see why I should have to put up with ads *as well*!!! Rupert Murdoch profiteering is all that's about).

    As regards PBS - I haven't seen the US channel - but surely in a country the size of that place everyone could throw in a dollar or two tax a year and get quality programming? Or is that too Communist?

  23. Re:article text, for those who don't need 1,000 ad on Longhorn Preview · · Score: 4, Insightful

    What ads?

    This message courtesy of: Adblock and RemoveIt Permanently.

  24. Re:Oh no on A Glimpse at the Linux Desktop of the Future · · Score: 1

    > "Installing Applications is complicated"
    > No, it isn't. It's different than what people are accustomed to, but it sure isn't complicated.

    > "Steep learning curve required to understand system functions"
    > As is the case with any OS out there.

    Hence why unless I *really* have to switch, I'll be sticking to Windows and my 12+ years experience with it.

    Admittedly, I installed ubuntu on my secondary machine cause it has been really hyped. As a fresh install on a clean system it was indeed straightforward - more so than Windows (in fairness - that's not hard). I haven't managed to get SAMBA working yet, nor Synergy. It should be trivial enough now that I've found the Ubuntu wiki, and know to add Universe to the (repositories?) list to get Synergy. But I've left it alone for now cause after two hours of messing about before finding those two important resources I was pretty sick of it all. Attempting to play around with downloaded Debian packages for Synergy from the project site was a bit messy. Meanwhile, I'm not exactly sure how to arrange permissions on SAMBA now that I have it running (note that I attempted to do things through the GUI - as it shouldn't be required that I use the CLI for such a basic feature).

    I'll likely go back to it at some stage out of curiousity - in fact, I'm thinking it'd be interesting to note down all the mistakes and false assumptions I make as an experienced Windows user coming to Linux (who knows, it might be of some use to someone if I put it online). But at the moment, spending my free time playing MMORPGs is more fun.

  25. Dark days and neverending light days on Sunscreen Not So Good for You? · · Score: 1

    The problem is us folk who live at high latitudes. We have little sunlight in the winter, and it's weak (we're further from the sun), and yet in the summer we have oodles of sunlight, and it's strong (closer to the sun). Also in places like Ireland (as far north as Hudson bay in Canada), where I am, we have very changeable weather. In the summer, one can easily rack up a lot of sun exposure despite having a day where mostly it's overcast and rainy (there might be sunny spells that amount to a couple hours in total) if you're outdoors for the day (not uncommon in the summer!)

    Generally we're very pale-skinned too.

    I find that I never uncover more than my head, arms and legs (T-shirt + shorts at the least) or I would burn to a crisp. My face and arms are usually uncovered at times all through the year - so all I have to do is be careful for the first week or so of summer weather (they are paler after the winter). I always need sunscreen for legs though, and if it's a scorcher and I'm out for more than an hour - I need it for the rest of me too (and even so - I seek shade). Us northerners aren't adapted for lots of sun - not even the sun we get in the best summer days.

    Black and other dark-skinned people this far north can have Vitamin-D deficiency problems, particularly during the winter - when even pale-skinned people need to actively seek at least 30 mins sun/daylight to be in peak form.

    Some of the winter is very depressive here - a heavy rain day near mid-winter means "twilight" from 10am - 3pm and night the rest of the day. I don't like to think what it's like in Scandinavia/North Russia/North Canada.

    Having daylight till nearly 11pm in mid-summer is very nice though :D - although dawn at 4:30am with inadequate curtains is painful. Again - pity the folks further north!