I wasn't implying that they were. I was responding based on my mistaken understanding that it was Pennsylvania that did this, not the Federal government. I guess because surely the Federal Government would never try to micro-manage everthing. If you reread the thread you will see that I corrected myself.
Pennsylvania is not the most powerful country in the world but to be a legislator anywhere in the US one only needs to fool most of the people some of the time or even a simple majority once. Hell, one can just get lucky on a plurality.
Representative democracy my arse.
-----
Clever trolls are master baiters of the worst kind.
The thing which I think you should bear in mind is that the tool used is nowhere near as important as the teacher using it.
I think you are 100% correct. Unfortunately, I didn't know that at the time.
If it's any comfort, there's a lot of people in IT who didn't start out there
Actually, it is a comfort. Since I do not have the where-with-all to go back to school at this time, I am learning what I can in my spare time. MIT rocks. http://ocw.mit.edu/index.html
-------
Clever trolls are master baiters of the worst kind.
The solution is the instant run-off system. It is a bit complex to describe but, quick and dirty, if one's first selection does not garner enough votes to win, the next selection is tallied. It would make third parties viable without abandoning the two party system that the US has adopted.
One can vote one's conscience with the confidence that if the non-mainstream party of choice does not win, the second choice can be the mainstream party that will do the least damage. ('Course, given the last 30 years, I couldn't tell you which one that is or if there is any real difference, but I digress...)
We attempted to institute the instant run-off system in Alaska but certain idiots didn't think it was fair if they "only got one vote". (Which meant that their first choice would have been elected.) They actually would have voted as many times as anyone else but they never seemed to understand this.
I finally told this group of idiots (I am still grumpy about it) that they could have 10000 votes to my one if I got to win every time.
Realistically, I don't think the US will ever change until we experience a catastrophe that requires us to rebuild our government. Either way, rough times ahead.
-------
Clever trolls are master baiters of the worst kind.
I would not be in the slightest bit surprised if the same is true in a number of other schools up and down the country.
It surprises and saddens me that any school would still be so far behind.
Regrettably, this is exactly what my experience was and I entered the wrong career field because of it. Every year from 6th to 10th grade they hauled us out of math class, en mass, to type a 16 line program in basic. I still don't know what it was supposed to do but, what ever it was, my program never did it.
So, 20 - 30 years later, having avoided programming courses in university like they were the plague, I pursued a liberal arts degree - and got the type of office job one would expect. To process the BS faster, I now spend as much time as I can writing scripts in a non-robust proprietary language that syntactically is similar to python (without the higher functionality). It is a definite bummer that my early exposure of any type of programming was about as fun as a kick in the nuts because I love this type of programming. It would be nice to get paid for it rather than only doing it for a hobby.
-------
Clever trolls are master baiters of the worst kind.
This is the most insightful post I have read in a long time.
You sir (or madam, can't really tell from gogoGodzilla but this IS/.) appear to be in favor of law and order, yet opposed to tyranny; and you have demonstrated with your simple post how the two actually CAN coexist.
I applaud you and hope the NSA person assigned to/. takes it to heart.
...the US Constitution allows too much interpretation...
I disagree. Accepting that it was written in the vernacular of its time, I think it is very clear. It clearly delineates Federal responsibilities, outlines the specific personal (popular) liberties that shall not be abridged by the States or the Federal Government, and leaves the rest to the States, specifically, local populations.
The trouble is that it has been ignored and changed (mostly ignored) in the last 150 years (particularly the last 50) to enable an domineering Federal Government.
I am not sure writing a new constitution so it can be ignored as well will be of any use.
It could be done in the USA as well. It just means that Congress as whole would have to behave rationally, ethically, and without hidden agendas (aka $$$).
...the top thousand sites get 99.99% of the traffic. How's the democracy? How's that "power to the people"? While new technologies may come out that gives the "little guy" a voice for a while, this period goes away quickly as either entrenched companies jump into the fray
I think I do not understand what you are saying. While future freedoms (or lack thereof) are always a concern, the little guy is indisputably empowered with the internet. Anyone in the free world who is interested in the subjects on which I post has, thanks to google, et. al., the ability to hear (read) my views. How democracy relates to technology in your post is a little unclear to me and I am not sure I agree with your numbers, but assuming for the moment that they are completely correct, so what. The top 1000 sites have not achieved that high margin by stifling my voice (webpage or posts), they have achieved it by having a site that more people know about or want to go to. Democratization of speech, if I understand your context and usage, is not a guarantee to be heard but the opportunity to be heard. We have that now far more than previous generations have.
This response is a case in point. You have had your opportunity to present a view and many people have responded to it. Other than your basic access infrastructure, it was of no additional cost to you. (IE. publishing, printing, etc.) You, the individual posted. You did not require the resources of a group to present your views to such a widely distributed audience.
Never before has the voice of the individual been so super empowered. In fact, I suggest that this super-empowerment of the individual is what has so many governments looking to controlling the internet's content.
The director and chief economist of the US Cyber Consequences Unit (CCU) name is Scott Borg? Is this a set up?
As far as fear mongering, you don't get a $93 million dollar budget for simply recommending that companies follow well established security procedures, including vigilance against social engineering.
This, by the way, isn't intended to start a nice Bush-Clinton who is better who is worse war. They are both bastards.
It is to point out that use of Executive Orders have always been questionable and the same rhetoric is used by both sides either against or for depending on whether they are on the receiving or giving end.
The issue as I see it is how to stop electing "Kang or Kodo" short of armed conflict.
Yeah. It has been depressingly interesting to watch both sides of the Republicrats (spell checker suggestionRepublic Rats - which also works) implode and snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
It would be kinda funny if it were happening to someone else.
-----
Searching for a party that supports a Constitutional Republic since 2005.
I don't know if it's just me, but something seems wrong about the government forcing a company to tailor a product to a specific need.
It is actually about as close to a text-book definition of economic Fascism as you can get. The government controls the means and results of production which are held in private trust.
It is not based on the same principles but its pragmatic result is the same (ie. totalitarianism). Consequently, it is generally accepted by most that fascism is an undesirable approach to state-individual (including corporate) interactions.
Yeah, I hadn't missed the fact that only the true power-brokers of the industry seemed to be contributing. I just lost myself in a moment of wishful thinking.
...with the help of a $400 million investment from some of the biggest technology companies, including Nokia, Intel, Apple, Sony, and Microsoft...
Maybe since the investment is from so many diverse entities the industry is trying to do an end around the patent office and allow the true spirit of honest competition based upon good products free reign! "Patent infringement" will be ignored because everyone owns a piece of each patent.
Well, while I stand by my statement: that Fascist regimes are de-humanizing, which I don't think you are arguing against, it is always good to discuss history as factually as possible.
I though the Italian train statement was correct because a history major I know, corrected me from saying that Hitler made the trains run on time by indicating that it was Mussolini. 'Til now, I have never questioned what he said because he otherwise greatly assisted my historical knowledge. (Which I can justify saying because I received several good grades in my University history classes as a result of his assistance.)
I wasn't under the impression that you had to buy back the stuff that was stolen from you.
In this case it is probably just quicker. Not to mention, on the off chance that the selling entity has NOT YET viewed-copied-distributed-and sold the information, the military might get its information back with minimal dissemination.
Slashdot Mirror
Well yeah. Isn't the CPU the heater thingy behind the retractable cup-holder that comes with almost every new computer?
I wasn't implying that they were. I was responding based on my mistaken understanding that it was Pennsylvania that did this, not the Federal government. I guess because surely the Federal Government would never try to micro-manage everthing. If you reread the thread you will see that I corrected myself.
Don't know what I was thinking...
Sorry, I guess shocked stark disbelief got the better of me.
Representative democracy my arse.
-----
Clever trolls are master baiters of the worst kind.
The thing which I think you should bear in mind is that the tool used is nowhere near as important as the teacher using it.
I think you are 100% correct. Unfortunately, I didn't know that at the time.
If it's any comfort, there's a lot of people in IT who didn't start out there
Actually, it is a comfort. Since I do not have the where-with-all to go back to school at this time, I am learning what I can in my spare time. MIT rocks. http://ocw.mit.edu/index.html
-------
Clever trolls are master baiters of the worst kind.
The solution is the instant run-off system. It is a bit complex to describe but, quick and dirty, if one's first selection does not garner enough votes to win, the next selection is tallied. It would make third parties viable without abandoning the two party system that the US has adopted.
One can vote one's conscience with the confidence that if the non-mainstream party of choice does not win, the second choice can be the mainstream party that will do the least damage. ('Course, given the last 30 years, I couldn't tell you which one that is or if there is any real difference, but I digress...)
We attempted to institute the instant run-off system in Alaska but certain idiots didn't think it was fair if they "only got one vote". (Which meant that their first choice would have been elected.) They actually would have voted as many times as anyone else but they never seemed to understand this.
I finally told this group of idiots (I am still grumpy about it) that they could have 10000 votes to my one if I got to win every time.
Realistically, I don't think the US will ever change until we experience a catastrophe that requires us to rebuild our government. Either way, rough times ahead.
-------
Clever trolls are master baiters of the worst kind.
I would not be in the slightest bit surprised if the same is true in a number of other schools up and down the country.
It surprises and saddens me that any school would still be so far behind.
Regrettably, this is exactly what my experience was and I entered the wrong career field because of it. Every year from 6th to 10th grade they hauled us out of math class, en mass, to type a 16 line program in basic. I still don't know what it was supposed to do but, what ever it was, my program never did it.
So, 20 - 30 years later, having avoided programming courses in university like they were the plague, I pursued a liberal arts degree - and got the type of office job one would expect. To process the BS faster, I now spend as much time as I can writing scripts in a non-robust proprietary language that syntactically is similar to python (without the higher functionality). It is a definite bummer that my early exposure of any type of programming was about as fun as a kick in the nuts because I love this type of programming. It would be nice to get paid for it rather than only doing it for a hobby.
-------
Clever trolls are master baiters of the worst kind.
This is the most insightful post I have read in a long time.
You sir (or madam, can't really tell from gogoGodzilla but this IS /.) appear to be in favor of law and order, yet opposed to tyranny; and you have demonstrated with your simple post how the two actually CAN coexist.
I applaud you and hope the NSA person assigned to /. takes it to heart.
Don't confuse assault with theft ;o)
I disagree. Accepting that it was written in the vernacular of its time, I think it is very clear. It clearly delineates Federal responsibilities, outlines the specific personal (popular) liberties that shall not be abridged by the States or the Federal Government, and leaves the rest to the States, specifically, local populations.
The trouble is that it has been ignored and changed (mostly ignored) in the last 150 years (particularly the last 50) to enable an domineering Federal Government.
I am not sure writing a new constitution so it can be ignored as well will be of any use.
Ahaha hahaha hahahahahaha
Oh God... I crack myself up.
I think I do not understand what you are saying. While future freedoms (or lack thereof) are always a concern, the little guy is indisputably empowered with the internet. Anyone in the free world who is interested in the subjects on which I post has, thanks to google, et. al., the ability to hear (read) my views. How democracy relates to technology in your post is a little unclear to me and I am not sure I agree with your numbers, but assuming for the moment that they are completely correct, so what. The top 1000 sites have not achieved that high margin by stifling my voice (webpage or posts), they have achieved it by having a site that more people know about or want to go to. Democratization of speech, if I understand your context and usage, is not a guarantee to be heard but the opportunity to be heard. We have that now far more than previous generations have.
This response is a case in point. You have had your opportunity to present a view and many people have responded to it. Other than your basic access infrastructure, it was of no additional cost to you. (IE. publishing, printing, etc.) You, the individual posted. You did not require the resources of a group to present your views to such a widely distributed audience.
Never before has the voice of the individual been so super empowered. In fact, I suggest that this super-empowerment of the individual is what has so many governments looking to controlling the internet's content.
The footage of it, however, is spectacular if you ever get the chance to see it.
As far as fear mongering, you don't get a $93 million dollar budget for simply recommending that companies follow well established security procedures, including vigilance against social engineering.
This, by the way, isn't intended to start a nice Bush-Clinton who is better who is worse war. They are both bastards.
It is to point out that use of Executive Orders have always been questionable and the same rhetoric is used by both sides either against or for depending on whether they are on the receiving or giving end.
The issue as I see it is how to stop electing "Kang or Kodo" short of armed conflict.
Yeah. It has been depressingly interesting to watch both sides of the Republicrats (spell checker suggestion Republic Rats - which also works) implode and snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
It would be kinda funny if it were happening to someone else.
-----
Searching for a party that supports a Constitutional Republic since 2005.
I don't know if it's just me, but something seems wrong about the government forcing a company to tailor a product to a specific need.
It is actually about as close to a text-book definition of economic Fascism as you can get. The government controls the means and results of production which are held in private trust.
It is not based on the same principles but its pragmatic result is the same (ie. totalitarianism). Consequently, it is generally accepted by most that fascism is an undesirable approach to state-individual (including corporate) interactions.
Yeah, I hadn't missed the fact that only the true power-brokers of the industry seemed to be contributing. I just lost myself in a moment of wishful thinking.
Maybe since the investment is from so many diverse entities the industry is trying to do an end around the patent office and allow the true spirit of honest competition based upon good products free reign! "Patent infringement" will be ignored because everyone owns a piece of each patent.
Or, am I just smoking wishful happy-crack again?
Yes, but he may have explained why the Horde always kicks butt on the Alliance.
I though the Italian train statement was correct because a history major I know, corrected me from saying that Hitler made the trains run on time by indicating that it was Mussolini. 'Til now, I have never questioned what he said because he otherwise greatly assisted my historical knowledge. (Which I can justify saying because I received several good grades in my University history classes as a result of his assistance.)
Damn another great meme shot to hell.
Actually, Fascism is effective and modern. It is the blood of all the innocents and its de-humanizing repression that are the big hang-ups.
Case in point, the trains in Italy did run on time during the WWII era; Mussolini had any striking (slow-down) employees shot.
In this case it is probably just quicker. Not to mention, on the off chance that the selling entity has NOT YET viewed-copied-distributed-and sold the information, the military might get its information back with minimal dissemination.
Were you told that this ban oversight can be easily remedied if you just send $100 to a Nigerian bank account?
-- Looking for a political party that supports a Constitutional Republic since 2005.