Hey Bigjeff5,
I left that "out", the idea that killing a fox, specifically for profit, would be a "negative" number for animal deaths. Thing is, that fox killed another animal each day, each week, however often they eat, I dont know how often foxes kill other animals. So, if we guess the fox lived a year, and it killed another animal every other day (Im sure they scavenge food too), then thats 180 odd animals dead. Im sure thats more than the amount killed for any cotton clothes I have!
Raising animals for their death will never be an acceptable proposition to me, or other ethical vegans. I wouldnt advocate for anything to do with so called "welfare" or "humane" standards.
You used the term "humane", are you aware what a buzzword that is? Wikipedia Page
So, humane does NOT mean "oh, we're gonna keep killing 56 billion land animals a year, we justify it to ourselves (the animals has no say, "it" is our property), because we give it enough room to turn around in its cage". Humane basically means, check the definition, "gentle", "kind", "tender"... Its got far more to do with SAVING lives, NOT TAKING THEM!
Sadly, the meat industries (and others) have managed to pervert the term "humane" into meaning who knows what! Its similar to "barn fresh" eggs, there is no definition (at least in NZ) for "barn fresh" eggs, although it sure sounds good on the carton! Those are still hens living in battery cages, that get killed after becoming "spent", when they no longer have periods as frequently.
Fact is, killing an animal is still killing an animal no matter what. You would say "I killed a starving african boy yesterday, gee arnt I great selling his organs to sick rich folk, I've reduced world hunger, AND made a profit doing so!". So why try using that argument about a nonhuman animal?
When you say that life for all animals is nothing but struggle, thats bunk! I would assume ALL animals play, all animals have times of pleasure. Name an animal that doesnt! You completely forgot a whole subset of emotions that animals undoubtedly experience.
Also, there are many animals that dont get killed, one I was reading about today is the Elephant. Many of the absolute largest and strongest animals are herbivores ("vegan"), the Elephant, Giraffe, Gorilla, Cattle... Being a herbivore doesnt make you a pansy, just think of all the "sports cars" named after animals. Over in America, I guess theres the "Mustang", but even desirable brands can be NAMED after animals, Ferrari has the prancing horse (is prancing manly?), Lamborghini has a Bull. Both are doing well, on the other hand, Jaguar has been sold to every little boys favourite brand, Tata motors...
Professor Gary Francione of Rutgers University mentions his rescued dogs experience more "joy" in every day than any human hes met, dont you think thats true? I've taken in some chickens, they live happily in my large backyard. When the rooster finds a single piece of grain, costing a fraction of a cent, he calls all the others over! If you give him a piece of bread, he goes NUTS! Its like the Nintendo 64 Kid, and thats every day!
I would assume many animals spend more of their lives "happy" than the average human. I've never seen any of my animal friends buying anti depressents, have you?
the dumber kiwi's are immigrating to australia. it might not be scientific but i think i work with most of them.
Of course, the smart ones know to stay:P
“New Zealanders who emigrate to Australia raise the IQ of both countries." Robert Muldoon
Just ensuring I stay modded down, remember, I was the one saying we need to get over our silly jokes, and come together as ANZAC brothers and sisters. Imagine, the Australasian Union! As long as we keep our coin sizes, $1 should be a smaller coin than $2:)
exactly, I realise that populations change significantly. On the last 60 Minutes podcast I listened to, one of the birthpaces of Christianity has been radically changed, and christians are apparently harassed, the entire region is Islamic now. I dont see it as a "bad" thing.
I'm "New Zealand European" or "Pakeha" or "white. I realise that going into the future, my country will be "less white", who cares? Why should we be afraid of that? That there will be more cultures in our country, I think thats great! It busts stereotypes, "oh, NZers are all just white trash dairy farmers", well, not the Chinese Vegans.
If a hundred years after my death, New Zealand population is mainly Chinese, it doesnt hurt me any! I guess I could fear my history and culture will be forgotten, that "NZ Europeans" will "die out", but really, what are we to do? A pre emptive nuclear strike on China? "fixing" people from large countries, the way we "fix" a dog?
Diversity is almost certainly a good thing, I have nothing to fear if poorer people come here and make a new life, good for them. I wouldnt try and stop them.
""Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!""
How did America move away from its ideals, such as the pursuit of happiness for all?
Im an "abolitionist vegan", against all use. You could sum it down to "animals one right, not to be property". Simply put, I'd say I'm against hurting others, theres no doubt in mainstream scientific knowledge that animals "feel" and have "emotions", most likely "thinking" about themselves and others, and I know that I certainly dont want to hurt an animal if I can help it. No matter what I do, animals will be hurt, but I always try and cause the least harm that I can.
I've gotten used to comment SIMILAR to yours, "you're not that perfect you know! you still kill animals! dont judge meeeeee!".
Fact is, foxes eat other animals, so if you are going on "death" based on what happens to produce an item, there are still many more than one for a fox.
I see that every action we do will probably harm another in some way. I realise that. So, why not do AS LITTLE HARM AS YOU CAN instead of as much as you can? Why not leave the fox alone? What did you get out of it? A freaking hat? Seriously? Did you eat the rest of the animal? Or did you dump it somewhere? So, you got a hat, maybe a meal or two? In return for a lovely animal being killed, for no reason. Congratulations.
Glad to hear from an Australian friend, I've long wished that the "ANZAC spirit" were closer, with less of our stereotypes and poor jokes. If you forgive my "fussh und chuups", I'll pass over your "sex/six" difficulties:)
Still, Australia and NZ have had asylum seekers, that ended up being turned away. Really, if some impoverished people want to come to your country, is it such a bad thing for you, as a "rich" person? No matter how "poor" we might feel, we are so much better off than millions, nay, billions, overseas. What a strange situation, where many of our middle class give "a dollar a day" to "starving children in Africa", but we put up walls, fences, MOATS, to keep people out.
Does this talk of "patrolling the border" remind anyone else of the Berlin Wall? Wasnt a Right Wing American known for "tear down this wall"?
Ahh, yes, thank you, I knew about the river, but was going for the "over the top" approach, using advice gained from a violent video game:)
I think we have bigger problems than illegal immigration and trying to patrol the border, which is an arguably worthwhile endeavor, is really not the most effective technique at our disposal. It would help, for starters, if the country they were fleeing wasn't such a cesspool of corruption, crime and poverty. Notice that we don't have nearly as much trouble with Canadians fleeing their country. I can hardly blame those Mexican immigrants for wanting to get the heck out of there.
Exactly! All this talk of "criminals" and "drugs", calling large swaths of people "illegals"...its a terrible thing! They are still human beings you know...
This idea of having people watching computer screens for desperate people trying to make a new life in another country, its revolting to me. I also feel sorry for those who have grown up on the other side to see these people as a "pest".
Agreed. Im an abolitionist Vegan, and disagree with the idea of "owning" animals. When you look at the number of animal shelters, and how they are ALWAYS "overstocked", its heartbreaking. In one city near me, a newspaper reported over 600 kittens have to be dealt with, and no doubt that means "put to sleep". Why? People giving animals as pets, people have lost their jobs, and so they dump the kitten somewhere.....
If you want to have an animal, please adopt from an animal shelter.
Speaking as a New Zealander, living on an island far away from other countries, whats the point in patrolling the border? To stop "criminal activity"? Isnt that really no different than all the Patriot act BS Security Theatre?
If you are so concerned about criminal activity "crossing the border", why not do what that lovely man in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City suggested for florida, build a moat! Start digging, and pretty soon you'll be sailing across the Caribbean sea, singing kumbya in the sunshine! No school! No tax! Free BBQ and pinball for everyone! We will have a rollercoaster for every family!......
In all seriousness though, surely a large enough moat would be the best thing to do, if you have such a problem with crime. Its pretty much eternal (unless "global warming" dries it up!) , so surely it would pay itself off over time? Oh, if only it had been done a hundred years ago! Think of all the "crime" and "drugs" that would have been stopped, the lives that would have been saved!
Check out the logo on TFA's linked site, here, imagine some obese guy with a tattoo of that on his left manboob watching his Dell hour after hour for starving families "trying to break in"...
what are you talking about, its a kickass phone, the best I've ever had! Are you American, are you talking about the iPhone just in that one country? I hear ALL THE TIME that AT&T sucks big time, but you know, thats not the iPhones fault:) Remember too, didnt Stevie J go to Verizon FIRST, but they were all "oh we dont want your shitty little phone that will be a big failure..." so they went with AT&T. The rest is history:)
In terms of just "phone" use, whats your favourite phone? Mines my iPhone. So thats at least one tick for the iPhone right there.
I dont use my iPhone for voice calls, they are expensive on Vodafone prepaid. See, I have a jailbroken, unlocked original iPhone, they were never even on sale in my country. I paid under $600 USD for it, a few months after it came out, got it brand new in the packaging, still had the plastic wrap over it, although it had been jailbroken for me. I run it on prepaid, I top it up with about $15 USD every couple MONTHS.
I have the best phone I've ever used, it cost me under 600 USD all up, and I run it for a couple bucks a month. Sure, I dont use it off wifi much or use it for calls, I'd go on a plan if I did, but dammit, its dirt cheap to run, and I get all the other iPhone benefits. Whats not to love?
If you think other phones have "better" sound quality or whatever, thats cool, that should be a factor yes. A phone should actually work as a phone afterall! My iPhone sounds pretty good to me, I use it with a bluetooth headset while I play BFBC2 Beta online with a friend, who pays about $4 USD a month for unlimited calling and txting to my number. We dont like the ingame VOIP, and besides, people from around the world would have to hear us whine:)
again, when people complain about an extra hundred bucks or so upfront, do you ever consider the lifetime of the device? When you decide to buy a cheaper non Apple product, do you "feel" the savings? Looking at my friends who have, I sure see them! The things are junk, utter junk! Example, several years back, I had a friend who was overseas, he decided to pick up an MP3 player "duty free". I had told him to get an iPod, but at the last minute, some moronic sales person stepped up, and did all the NLP techniques you can think of! "oh, this is $40 cheaper! AND it records through a shitty little microphone!". I cant even remember what brand the device was, it was from a major PC maker, might have been toshiba. My friend fell for it. This thing was awful, it was probably discounted to get it out of the store!
Suffice to say, this friend of mine recently picked up an iPhone 3GS, after being again suckered into taking out the 200+ dollar extended warranty etc on it, "but they said it normally would cost THREE hundred, and I got it for ONLY TWO hundred!", and he LOVES his iPhone. Really, he loves the thing, every day he finds a new App that really impresses him. He loves the interface, how txt messaging works, I think hes looking into using Nike+ (which impresses me too)....
If I have to pay an extra hundred bucks up front, for something that I will absolutely love for years to come, then I will, rather than suffering through some awful clone. Its just not worth my time or money, "yeah, it sucks at everything, but I saved a couple bucks!"
Do you really want to use a ruggedised device all the time? Or would you rather have a "sexy" device? If practicality and "gets the job done cheaply" is more important than style or "love", what is your partner like? Do little boys grow up dreaming of having a wife thats "cheap" and while rather unattractive "costs" a hundred bucks less upfront, or do they want the svelte, sexy supermodel? I know what I've chosen!
Damn the patents! Anyway, its not like Microsoft and co. are impoverished, right? They kinda have R&D of their own, they have all kinds of income streams....And yet it only ever seems to be Apple that busts heads and creates "revolutionary" new devices.
What I'm saying is, to the people who whine on and on about Apple ads, marketing (which we generally dont see here in New Zealand, I've only seen a few Apple ads on tv, as in 5 or so, in my WHOLE LIFE), why dont the other massive computer companies market their damn products in the same way? They should be building a brand, like Apple has! My PC friends, fairly average computer users, when they buy a computer, they will be swayed on price, they dont care if the keyboard feels like shit, what the viewing angle is! I try and tell them to bother at least to compare the different PC's, but they generally go on price.
Its not like Apple is the only computer company with money! The others just dont give a damn about marketing! They really, really should! And not just "oh, the mac might be better in every way, but Apple taxes you an extra couple hundred bucks! oh noes!!!111!!!"
Translation: the only button is a power button, it has a battery-sucking colour screen as opposed to an e-ink display, it requires itunes on a mac or PC to use, the only Apple-approved way to run programs is via an app store, it has a non-user-replaceable battery, and it will cost upwards of $1000.
And it will kick the shit out of the competition, defining the decade and how future devices are made!
I've never seen what the big deal was about the app store, "waaa! waaa! I wanna drag and drop pirated apps from a micro SD card instead of using the nice looking and simple to use store", or the "requirement" of using iTunes. What is so awful about plugging a device in through USB, and the sync program opens, BOOM, you're done? Maybe wireless would be a better way to do it, if you have time, but in general, why the iTunes hate? Its simple to use, has more features than almost anyone would care for....?
Many other companies are mentioned on all the big sites. The crunchpad gets as much coverage as the long fabled Apple Tablet. Remember just before the Droid came out? Gizmodo, Engadget......they were all fizzing from the bunghole over it! "oh, that iPhone is shit, droid DOES baby!" yak yak yak. Now, the REAL Google phone, the Nexus One is suddenly the hot shit, and the Droid is overlooked as "slow" or "ugly" etc etc. By the same sites that were crazy about it, just a week ago! We get one story about the iPhone 4, after the iPhone has been attacked over AT&T issues (it works fine on any of our networks for me here in New Zealand), how its screen sucks compared to the Droid/Nexus One, how the app store is so horribly locked down, and thats why its suffering so horribly, while all the other open platforms lead the charge into mobile computing.....like the Ovi store! Or the Android marketplace! Oh Apple, you really shot yourself in the foot with your closed App store!
I'm a big Apple fan, huge! But I dont call myself a fanboy. I dont assume Apple makes golden products, and find faults with them. Though, I often find myself wishing Apple designed MORE products though, I absolutely hate the UI on all digital cameras, HDTV's etc that I've used. I can only imagine how great Apple versions of these products COULD be. Then, the market would of course try and catch up with better UI. It sure seems to me that most of the great products of this decade ARE from Apple. I'm always open to other companies of course, but none seem to be anywhere near as consistent as Apple. Who else has a bunch of stellar products? Microsoft? Some people love their Xbox 360, or their mice, but cmon! Samsung? Sony? Sony has been beeped for decades now! I love my PS3, I really do, but the company is incredibly messed up!
I think you have to face it, yes, you built a faster computer for less money, congratulations. But, if you could pick a couple items of tech that this decade will be remembered for, I'm sure the first half was dominated by the iPod, and the latter half of the decade by the iPhone.
I'd love to hear from others what their gadgets of the decade have been, maybe make it two like I did, one for the first half, one for the second.
Im a young New Zealander, we generally dont have American cars here, although I've noticed a LOT of chryslers recently, I've been assuming its some scheme to offload inferior cars on poor old New Zealand.
I've never been a fan of American cars, I generally dont like "classic" cars, although I do have a soft spot for Jaguar:)
I've grown up with "US Cars = poor quality, expensive, crap, slow, massive V8, 20 kilometre turning circle" etc. Watching Top Gear, the worlds best car show has reinforced this.
When I think of any car I'd consider owning, APART FROM A TESLA*, its not American. In all seriousness, what US only American cars would you recommend to someone from another country? I'm quite tall, about 6 feet 4 inches in american terms, and thought US cars would be perfect for me, being colossal. Any suggestions of truly memorable US cars would be much appreciated! I can think of cars I'd like from Italy, France, England, Germany, Japan.... what is a memorable modern US car?
*even though the Tesla seems to have a lot of "rough" spots, I hate the rear end, and its quite heavy because of the batteries, it has poor handling? In a way, it seems like the beautiful Lotus got "americanised" into the Tesla. I hope Tesla becomes successful though, electric cars FTW!
I'm a 22 year old New Zealander, and I can tell you that none of my friends thinks a watch is cool, but all would love an iPhone. I remember at high school, it was a long time ago!, having graduation and we were glad to NOT be given watches. Our cheap ass school gave out engraved candle, "oh thanks, a lump of animal fat with my name scratched on the side". Would anyone graduating school choose a watch over an iPhone? Doubt it.
I love my watch, I got a titanium, solar powered digital Casio. Its almost the watch I dreamed for years, Titanium is my favourite metal, I wanted a solar powered Ti watch. It happens to have all kinds of crap tacked on, like a compass, thermometer, and DEPTH gauge, it tells you how many metres underwater you are....gee, thanks! I'd trade all the extra junk for a slimer casing any day. Thats all thats wrong, the watch is fairly "chunky". Im 1.95 metres tall, but I dont want some big penis extension on my wrist.
I cant remember the last time I wore the watch. I carry it around in my pocket at work, I put it up on my workbench like a clock. I used to think it was odd when my friends never had watches, Im a very punctual person, they used their cellphones. Now, I never wear my watch, but couldnt live without my iPhone.
Who wants to wear a watch all the time? What, you needed a place to store an extra few grand worth of diamonds? If you're that obnoxious, you could always "pimp" out your iPhone, it would be far more useful than any Rolex, and being larger, could fit more valuable crap tacked on the outside:)
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Hey Bigjeff5, I left that "out", the idea that killing a fox, specifically for profit, would be a "negative" number for animal deaths. Thing is, that fox killed another animal each day, each week, however often they eat, I dont know how often foxes kill other animals. So, if we guess the fox lived a year, and it killed another animal every other day (Im sure they scavenge food too), then thats 180 odd animals dead. Im sure thats more than the amount killed for any cotton clothes I have!
Raising animals for their death will never be an acceptable proposition to me, or other ethical vegans. I wouldnt advocate for anything to do with so called "welfare" or "humane" standards.
You used the term "humane", are you aware what a buzzword that is? Wikipedia Page
So, humane does NOT mean "oh, we're gonna keep killing 56 billion land animals a year, we justify it to ourselves (the animals has no say, "it" is our property), because we give it enough room to turn around in its cage". Humane basically means, check the definition, "gentle", "kind", "tender"... Its got far more to do with SAVING lives, NOT TAKING THEM!
Sadly, the meat industries (and others) have managed to pervert the term "humane" into meaning who knows what! Its similar to "barn fresh" eggs, there is no definition (at least in NZ) for "barn fresh" eggs, although it sure sounds good on the carton! Those are still hens living in battery cages, that get killed after becoming "spent", when they no longer have periods as frequently.
Fact is, killing an animal is still killing an animal no matter what. You would say "I killed a starving african boy yesterday, gee arnt I great selling his organs to sick rich folk, I've reduced world hunger, AND made a profit doing so!". So why try using that argument about a nonhuman animal?
When you say that life for all animals is nothing but struggle, thats bunk! I would assume ALL animals play, all animals have times of pleasure. Name an animal that doesnt! You completely forgot a whole subset of emotions that animals undoubtedly experience.
Also, there are many animals that dont get killed, one I was reading about today is the Elephant. Many of the absolute largest and strongest animals are herbivores ("vegan"), the Elephant, Giraffe, Gorilla, Cattle... Being a herbivore doesnt make you a pansy, just think of all the "sports cars" named after animals. Over in America, I guess theres the "Mustang", but even desirable brands can be NAMED after animals, Ferrari has the prancing horse (is prancing manly?), Lamborghini has a Bull. Both are doing well, on the other hand, Jaguar has been sold to every little boys favourite brand, Tata motors...
Professor Gary Francione of Rutgers University mentions his rescued dogs experience more "joy" in every day than any human hes met, dont you think thats true? I've taken in some chickens, they live happily in my large backyard. When the rooster finds a single piece of grain, costing a fraction of a cent, he calls all the others over! If you give him a piece of bread, he goes NUTS! Its like the Nintendo 64 Kid, and thats every day!
I would assume many animals spend more of their lives "happy" than the average human. I've never seen any of my animal friends buying anti depressents, have you?
the dumber kiwi's are immigrating to australia. it might not be scientific but i think i work with most of them.
Of course, the smart ones know to stay :P
“New Zealanders who emigrate to Australia raise the IQ of both countries." Robert Muldoon
Just ensuring I stay modded down, remember, I was the one saying we need to get over our silly jokes, and come together as ANZAC brothers and sisters. Imagine, the Australasian Union! As long as we keep our coin sizes, $1 should be a smaller coin than $2 :)
exactly, I realise that populations change significantly. On the last 60 Minutes podcast I listened to, one of the birthpaces of Christianity has been radically changed, and christians are apparently harassed, the entire region is Islamic now. I dont see it as a "bad" thing.
I'm "New Zealand European" or "Pakeha" or "white. I realise that going into the future, my country will be "less white", who cares? Why should we be afraid of that? That there will be more cultures in our country, I think thats great! It busts stereotypes, "oh, NZers are all just white trash dairy farmers", well, not the Chinese Vegans.
If a hundred years after my death, New Zealand population is mainly Chinese, it doesnt hurt me any! I guess I could fear my history and culture will be forgotten, that "NZ Europeans" will "die out", but really, what are we to do? A pre emptive nuclear strike on China? "fixing" people from large countries, the way we "fix" a dog?
Diversity is almost certainly a good thing, I have nothing to fear if poorer people come here and make a new life, good for them. I wouldnt try and stop them.
""Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!""
How did America move away from its ideals, such as the pursuit of happiness for all?
if your from NZ it's obvious why your pro immigration - 1/2 your bloody country has immigrated to aussie!
and yet our population is growing! Things are only getting better.
Im an "abolitionist vegan", against all use. You could sum it down to "animals one right, not to be property". Simply put, I'd say I'm against hurting others, theres no doubt in mainstream scientific knowledge that animals "feel" and have "emotions", most likely "thinking" about themselves and others, and I know that I certainly dont want to hurt an animal if I can help it. No matter what I do, animals will be hurt, but I always try and cause the least harm that I can.
A good website about veganism Abolitinist Approach
I've gotten used to comment SIMILAR to yours, "you're not that perfect you know! you still kill animals! dont judge meeeeee!".
Fact is, foxes eat other animals, so if you are going on "death" based on what happens to produce an item, there are still many more than one for a fox.
I see that every action we do will probably harm another in some way. I realise that. So, why not do AS LITTLE HARM AS YOU CAN instead of as much as you can? Why not leave the fox alone? What did you get out of it? A freaking hat? Seriously? Did you eat the rest of the animal? Or did you dump it somewhere? So, you got a hat, maybe a meal or two? In return for a lovely animal being killed, for no reason. Congratulations.
glad to meet another Vegan on /. :)
Glad to hear from an Australian friend, I've long wished that the "ANZAC spirit" were closer, with less of our stereotypes and poor jokes. If you forgive my "fussh und chuups", I'll pass over your "sex/six" difficulties :)
Still, Australia and NZ have had asylum seekers, that ended up being turned away. Really, if some impoverished people want to come to your country, is it such a bad thing for you, as a "rich" person? No matter how "poor" we might feel, we are so much better off than millions, nay, billions, overseas. What a strange situation, where many of our middle class give "a dollar a day" to "starving children in Africa", but we put up walls, fences, MOATS, to keep people out.
Does this talk of "patrolling the border" remind anyone else of the Berlin Wall? Wasnt a Right Wing American known for "tear down this wall"?
I think we have bigger problems than illegal immigration and trying to patrol the border, which is an arguably worthwhile endeavor, is really not the most effective technique at our disposal. It would help, for starters, if the country they were fleeing wasn't such a cesspool of corruption, crime and poverty. Notice that we don't have nearly as much trouble with Canadians fleeing their country. I can hardly blame those Mexican immigrants for wanting to get the heck out of there.
Exactly! All this talk of "criminals" and "drugs", calling large swaths of people "illegals"...its a terrible thing! They are still human beings you know...
This idea of having people watching computer screens for desperate people trying to make a new life in another country, its revolting to me. I also feel sorry for those who have grown up on the other side to see these people as a "pest".
Agreed. Im an abolitionist Vegan, and disagree with the idea of "owning" animals. When you look at the number of animal shelters, and how they are ALWAYS "overstocked", its heartbreaking. In one city near me, a newspaper reported over 600 kittens have to be dealt with, and no doubt that means "put to sleep". Why? People giving animals as pets, people have lost their jobs, and so they dump the kitten somewhere.....
If you want to have an animal, please adopt from an animal shelter.
Speaking as a New Zealander, living on an island far away from other countries, whats the point in patrolling the border? To stop "criminal activity"? Isnt that really no different than all the Patriot act BS Security Theatre?
If you are so concerned about criminal activity "crossing the border", why not do what that lovely man in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City suggested for florida, build a moat! Start digging, and pretty soon you'll be sailing across the Caribbean sea, singing kumbya in the sunshine! No school! No tax! Free BBQ and pinball for everyone! We will have a rollercoaster for every family!......
In all seriousness though, surely a large enough moat would be the best thing to do, if you have such a problem with crime. Its pretty much eternal (unless "global warming" dries it up!) , so surely it would pay itself off over time? Oh, if only it had been done a hundred years ago! Think of all the "crime" and "drugs" that would have been stopped, the lives that would have been saved!
Check out the logo on TFA's linked site, here, imagine some obese guy with a tattoo of that on his left manboob watching his Dell hour after hour for starving families "trying to break in"...
I'm terribly sorry that you cant download a version of iTunes for DOS :)
If you are meaning linux etc, hell, I'd sign a petition asking for a "iTunes for linux" or the permission to make a legit similar program.
what are you talking about, its a kickass phone, the best I've ever had! Are you American, are you talking about the iPhone just in that one country? I hear ALL THE TIME that AT&T sucks big time, but you know, thats not the iPhones fault :) Remember too, didnt Stevie J go to Verizon FIRST, but they were all "oh we dont want your shitty little phone that will be a big failure..." so they went with AT&T. The rest is history :)
:)
:)
In terms of just "phone" use, whats your favourite phone? Mines my iPhone. So thats at least one tick for the iPhone right there.
I dont use my iPhone for voice calls, they are expensive on Vodafone prepaid. See, I have a jailbroken, unlocked original iPhone, they were never even on sale in my country. I paid under $600 USD for it, a few months after it came out, got it brand new in the packaging, still had the plastic wrap over it, although it had been jailbroken for me. I run it on prepaid, I top it up with about $15 USD every couple MONTHS.
I have the best phone I've ever used, it cost me under 600 USD all up, and I run it for a couple bucks a month. Sure, I dont use it off wifi much or use it for calls, I'd go on a plan if I did, but dammit, its dirt cheap to run, and I get all the other iPhone benefits. Whats not to love?
If you think other phones have "better" sound quality or whatever, thats cool, that should be a factor yes. A phone should actually work as a phone afterall! My iPhone sounds pretty good to me, I use it with a bluetooth headset while I play BFBC2 Beta online with a friend, who pays about $4 USD a month for unlimited calling and txting to my number. We dont like the ingame VOIP, and besides, people from around the world would have to hear us whine
Have a great day
Lamborghini make tractors and motorboat engines too :)
again, when people complain about an extra hundred bucks or so upfront, do you ever consider the lifetime of the device? When you decide to buy a cheaper non Apple product, do you "feel" the savings? Looking at my friends who have, I sure see them! The things are junk, utter junk! Example, several years back, I had a friend who was overseas, he decided to pick up an MP3 player "duty free". I had told him to get an iPod, but at the last minute, some moronic sales person stepped up, and did all the NLP techniques you can think of! "oh, this is $40 cheaper! AND it records through a shitty little microphone!". I cant even remember what brand the device was, it was from a major PC maker, might have been toshiba. My friend fell for it. This thing was awful, it was probably discounted to get it out of the store!
Suffice to say, this friend of mine recently picked up an iPhone 3GS, after being again suckered into taking out the 200+ dollar extended warranty etc on it, "but they said it normally would cost THREE hundred, and I got it for ONLY TWO hundred!", and he LOVES his iPhone. Really, he loves the thing, every day he finds a new App that really impresses him. He loves the interface, how txt messaging works, I think hes looking into using Nike+ (which impresses me too)....
If I have to pay an extra hundred bucks up front, for something that I will absolutely love for years to come, then I will, rather than suffering through some awful clone. Its just not worth my time or money, "yeah, it sucks at everything, but I saved a couple bucks!"
Gee, I wonder when Ferrari will start making dump trucks.
Theres hope yet! Lamborghini made this!
the Newton knew how to take a beating :)
Do you really want to use a ruggedised device all the time? Or would you rather have a "sexy" device? If practicality and "gets the job done cheaply" is more important than style or "love", what is your partner like? Do little boys grow up dreaming of having a wife thats "cheap" and while rather unattractive "costs" a hundred bucks less upfront, or do they want the svelte, sexy supermodel? I know what I've chosen!
Damn the patents! Anyway, its not like Microsoft and co. are impoverished, right? They kinda have R&D of their own, they have all kinds of income streams....And yet it only ever seems to be Apple that busts heads and creates "revolutionary" new devices.
What I'm saying is, to the people who whine on and on about Apple ads, marketing (which we generally dont see here in New Zealand, I've only seen a few Apple ads on tv, as in 5 or so, in my WHOLE LIFE), why dont the other massive computer companies market their damn products in the same way? They should be building a brand, like Apple has! My PC friends, fairly average computer users, when they buy a computer, they will be swayed on price, they dont care if the keyboard feels like shit, what the viewing angle is! I try and tell them to bother at least to compare the different PC's, but they generally go on price.
Its not like Apple is the only computer company with money! The others just dont give a damn about marketing! They really, really should! And not just "oh, the mac might be better in every way, but Apple taxes you an extra couple hundred bucks! oh noes!!!111!!!"
Translation: the only button is a power button, it has a battery-sucking colour screen as opposed to an e-ink display, it requires itunes on a mac or PC to use, the only Apple-approved way to run programs is via an app store, it has a non-user-replaceable battery, and it will cost upwards of $1000.
And it will kick the shit out of the competition, defining the decade and how future devices are made!
I've never seen what the big deal was about the app store, "waaa! waaa! I wanna drag and drop pirated apps from a micro SD card instead of using the nice looking and simple to use store", or the "requirement" of using iTunes. What is so awful about plugging a device in through USB, and the sync program opens, BOOM, you're done? Maybe wireless would be a better way to do it, if you have time, but in general, why the iTunes hate? Its simple to use, has more features than almost anyone would care for....?
Many other companies are mentioned on all the big sites. The crunchpad gets as much coverage as the long fabled Apple Tablet. Remember just before the Droid came out? Gizmodo, Engadget......they were all fizzing from the bunghole over it! "oh, that iPhone is shit, droid DOES baby!" yak yak yak. Now, the REAL Google phone, the Nexus One is suddenly the hot shit, and the Droid is overlooked as "slow" or "ugly" etc etc. By the same sites that were crazy about it, just a week ago! We get one story about the iPhone 4, after the iPhone has been attacked over AT&T issues (it works fine on any of our networks for me here in New Zealand), how its screen sucks compared to the Droid/Nexus One, how the app store is so horribly locked down, and thats why its suffering so horribly, while all the other open platforms lead the charge into mobile computing.....like the Ovi store! Or the Android marketplace! Oh Apple, you really shot yourself in the foot with your closed App store!
I'm a big Apple fan, huge! But I dont call myself a fanboy. I dont assume Apple makes golden products, and find faults with them. Though, I often find myself wishing Apple designed MORE products though, I absolutely hate the UI on all digital cameras, HDTV's etc that I've used. I can only imagine how great Apple versions of these products COULD be. Then, the market would of course try and catch up with better UI. It sure seems to me that most of the great products of this decade ARE from Apple. I'm always open to other companies of course, but none seem to be anywhere near as consistent as Apple. Who else has a bunch of stellar products? Microsoft? Some people love their Xbox 360, or their mice, but cmon! Samsung? Sony? Sony has been beeped for decades now! I love my PS3, I really do, but the company is incredibly messed up!
I think you have to face it, yes, you built a faster computer for less money, congratulations. But, if you could pick a couple items of tech that this decade will be remembered for, I'm sure the first half was dominated by the iPod, and the latter half of the decade by the iPhone.
I'd love to hear from others what their gadgets of the decade have been, maybe make it two like I did, one for the first half, one for the second.
Im a young New Zealander, we generally dont have American cars here, although I've noticed a LOT of chryslers recently, I've been assuming its some scheme to offload inferior cars on poor old New Zealand.
:)
I've never been a fan of American cars, I generally dont like "classic" cars, although I do have a soft spot for Jaguar
I've grown up with "US Cars = poor quality, expensive, crap, slow, massive V8, 20 kilometre turning circle" etc. Watching Top Gear, the worlds best car show has reinforced this.
When I think of any car I'd consider owning, APART FROM A TESLA*, its not American. In all seriousness, what US only American cars would you recommend to someone from another country? I'm quite tall, about 6 feet 4 inches in american terms, and thought US cars would be perfect for me, being colossal. Any suggestions of truly memorable US cars would be much appreciated! I can think of cars I'd like from Italy, France, England, Germany, Japan.... what is a memorable modern US car?
*even though the Tesla seems to have a lot of "rough" spots, I hate the rear end, and its quite heavy because of the batteries, it has poor handling? In a way, it seems like the beautiful Lotus got "americanised" into the Tesla. I hope Tesla becomes successful though, electric cars FTW!
I've hit pause on all my torrents :(
Your post made me smile, thank you :)
:)
I'm a 22 year old New Zealander, and I can tell you that none of my friends thinks a watch is cool, but all would love an iPhone. I remember at high school, it was a long time ago!, having graduation and we were glad to NOT be given watches. Our cheap ass school gave out engraved candle, "oh thanks, a lump of animal fat with my name scratched on the side". Would anyone graduating school choose a watch over an iPhone? Doubt it.
I love my watch, I got a titanium, solar powered digital Casio. Its almost the watch I dreamed for years, Titanium is my favourite metal, I wanted a solar powered Ti watch. It happens to have all kinds of crap tacked on, like a compass, thermometer, and DEPTH gauge, it tells you how many metres underwater you are....gee, thanks! I'd trade all the extra junk for a slimer casing any day. Thats all thats wrong, the watch is fairly "chunky". Im 1.95 metres tall, but I dont want some big penis extension on my wrist.
I cant remember the last time I wore the watch. I carry it around in my pocket at work, I put it up on my workbench like a clock. I used to think it was odd when my friends never had watches, Im a very punctual person, they used their cellphones. Now, I never wear my watch, but couldnt live without my iPhone.
Who wants to wear a watch all the time? What, you needed a place to store an extra few grand worth of diamonds? If you're that obnoxious, you could always "pimp" out your iPhone, it would be far more useful than any Rolex, and being larger, could fit more valuable crap tacked on the outside
Have a great day.
oh, see, every tourist who comes, gets their soul removed. For every soul I bring into the evil NZ governments employ, I get a new car.
Just heard you like NZ, I love my country, and wanted to help give you some starting points.
Best wishes
You could always learn as much as you possibly can about NZ, so it FEELS like you're on a holiday here? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invercargill is where I live, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiordland is a wonderful place to visit, filmed in Lord of the Rings etc, it has the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manapouri_Power_Station which is very interesting for geeks. From the outside, barely anything can be seen, inside, the walls are all rock and dripping with lime deposits etc, truly a cave! best wishes to you.