If the IOC wants to make some fucking rules why not make rules banning professionals from competing?
AFAIU, that was how the modern Olympics were in the beginning. The instigator (de Coubertin? I'm too lazy to look it up) was a French Anglophile who was determined to keep the riff raff out of his 'pure' games. The only way a 'commoner' could afford to take time from work in order to train or compete was to earn money from their sport.
Even now, poorer countries are restricted on the number of athletes they can send, even if they're good medal chances.
I wonder if Michael Phelps would ever have done what he's done (I'm an Australian and I wish he hadn't) if there was no money in the sport. No, he'd be back in the States serving fries at McDonalds.
And Roy and H.G. would still be commentating the NRL.
I don't know if you've been into a Target store recently but their prices are NOT competitive with Wal-Mart; better quality maybe but not competitive.
Half the point of a competitive market is that quality of products will (theoretically) improve. If quality is higher, then prices may still be competitive, even if they are higher.
For example, if could buy a twenty dollar gadget at Wal-Mart, but can also buy a similar gadget with longer warranty, twice as many buttons and a machine that goes 'ping!' function for $25 at Target, I know which one I will be buying, and the price would be a major factor in that purchase.
So I guess the word you're looking for is 'cheaper.'
Google has it's own share of questions to answer. A month or two ago I mangled a URL I typed into the address bar in FireFox. Because there was no DNS entry for what it was I typed, FF kindly submitted what it could to Google for a 'I feel lucky' search. In this case, all it could rescue was 'http'.
It turns out a Google search on 'http' comes up with www.microsoft.com as it's number one hit.
Alta Vista doesnt. Lycos doesn't. I got through a few pages on those engines, but nothing.
Google has it as number one. Funnily enough, apart from inside the odd link, 'http' doesn't appear anywhere on that page.
I emailed Google, and received an auoreply telling me I would get a human reply in a few days. I'm still waiting.
...if my friend told me his car's engine died because he wouldn't fix the clutch...
Don't mean to sound like a troll, but how do stuffed clutches kill the engine? I can see how it's possible, but how common is it?
Having said that, it's been a while since I had the chance to do so much as change oil. My work gives me a car (Good Thing) but it's automatic and I'm not allowed to do any more than refill the window washer reservoir. All that stuff I used to know...
Actually, their computer use policy is much the same. Do MS license cars?
Actually, a thread participant is allowed to draw a comparison with Hitler if the comparison is legitimate.
The parent post points out that Hitler was able to sway the opinion of the masses, but that that was not necessarily a good thing. Hitler's ability is an extreme example that proves the parent's point, or at least weakens the opponent's argument.
That's what we have in Australia. It works well, but people don't understand it too well, and I know many who consider that a vote for an alternative party is a wasted vote.
People actually follow the 'How-to-Vote' card party volunteers give them at the polling booth, and then get upset that their party has done preference deals with other parties.
Most recently I used my dremel and got through in about ten seconds (like a knife through hot butter)
Man, I don't know where you come from, but ten seconds? You must have either really blunt knives in your town, or titanium spiked butter or something, but damn!
Here in Victoria, Australia, we have laws like this. Kids as young as twelve (I think) can have sex, but with no-one more than two years older than them. Once they turn 16, they can have sex with someone up to five years older. Once they're eighteen, there's no limit.
In practice, the police really don't care about splitting hairs. They'll do something about a 35 year old seducing a 13 year old, but it's just not worth the investigation if somebody a week or two (or even a year or two) out of range.
And nobody seems to get upset that a movie that has as it's crucial scene an elephant and pantless mouse getting absolutely $&^*!faced still gets a 'G' rating.
In practice, I put my favourite candidates first , my least favourite last, and the ones I really don't care about can have what's left. This is a lot of fun when I'm casting my Senate vote, because I always manage to miscount somewhere and I have to go back three or four times for a fresh paper (which I'm allowed to have).
I still think it's important to list the candidates in the order you prefer them. I'll always put the ALP ahead of Liberal, Liberal ahead of National and National ahead (just) of One Nation. But given that I'd prefer most of the other minor parties ahead of the above four, I put them ahead of them.
I've spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to best cast my vote, but it always comes back to the fact that I'd rather have most parties ahead of the two main parties, and a handful behind them, and my whole vote is intended to send a message.
Pity the poor bloke trying to count them all though. Australia's voting system is a great argument for electronic voting.
If the Liberals get >=51% of the primary vote, it doesn't matter if Labor, the Greens or the Natural Law Party get your primary vote. Even if the minor parties didn't get a vote Labor couldn't hope for more than 49%.
On the other hand, preferences come into play in a big way if the winner of the primary vote doesn't get the 51%. Two or three elections ago Alexander Downer came close to losing his seat because the Democrats came very close on the Primary vote, but didn't quite make 50%. After preferences though, he had quite a comfortable win (damn!).
I've come to the conclusion that the system does exactly what it says it does. In other words, don't play silly buggers with your vote, but simply list your candidates in oreder of preference.
And make sure you vote below the line for the Senate!
And significantly, that issue revolves around companies applying for bogus patents in order to prevent companies releasing 'generic' versions of the same drug.
Interestingly, though, Labor refuses to say what they'll do if the Liberals don't accept that amendment. Oh politics, how I love thee...
It's generally less hassle to show up and tick some boxes.
Why bother ticking them? You only have to have your name crossed off the list and put your ballot papers in the box. If you want tyour vote to count, though, you have to number the boxes.
Funny thing in Australia, though, is that whilst it's quite legal to vote informally, it is illegal to encourage others to do so.
So please, consider this post as information only, and not a suggestion!
I came close to voting for the Natural Law Party once. Not because I liked their policies (let's get all our politicians to meditate the country along) but because I'd love to watch them in action.
If it were possible to throw a vote away in the Australian system, that would have been close.
Depends on the country you're in. Here in Australia, playing music --CD, radio or kazoo-- publically (ie for more than personal use--waiting rooms and restaurants aren't personal use) must pay royalties.
If the dentist is playing music because it helps her relax, which is somethng I sort of like her to be, it's personal use, are legitinate, regardless if I can hear it.
Of course, this all assumes that the copyrights in question are administered/enforced by the Australian Performing Rights Association.
In the context of the article, though, I wonder if we're talking about professionals who will go broke if we happen to have the radio a little too loud in the waiting room.
It's the record companies selling Britney who get the most upset aboput the free airplay, not the honest, hardworking musician who hopes to make enough to feed his family.
I'm in the position of overseeing the management of a small opportunity shop in Australia. We're not even allowed to play the radio without a license (and I imagine radio stations have licenses to play to as many people as possible... double dipping?). To get around the problem, the manager got her husband, an accomplished pianist, to record a whole heap of Public Domain music, and that gets played (and believe me, it's better than the *&^%*&! she was playing before!
I've started to go to mutopia and similar sights to hunt down some PD midis and so forth, and put those on CD (as background music they're not too bad, as long as I use decent soundfonts).
Now all I have to do is sneak the CD into the APRA licensed competition, get it played, then go and sue their butts off for copyright violation. Gee, maybe I could even afford an APRA license then!
Slashdot Mirror
AFAIU, that was how the modern Olympics were in the beginning. The instigator (de Coubertin? I'm too lazy to look it up) was a French Anglophile who was determined to keep the riff raff out of his 'pure' games. The only way a 'commoner' could afford to take time from work in order to train or compete was to earn money from their sport.
Even now, poorer countries are restricted on the number of athletes they can send, even if they're good medal chances.
I wonder if Michael Phelps would ever have done what he's done (I'm an Australian and I wish he hadn't) if there was no money in the sport. No, he'd be back in the States serving fries at McDonalds.
And Roy and H.G. would still be commentating the NRL.
Half the point of a competitive market is that quality of products will (theoretically) improve. If quality is higher, then prices may still be competitive, even if they are higher.
For example, if could buy a twenty dollar gadget at Wal-Mart, but can also buy a similar gadget with longer warranty, twice as many buttons and a machine that goes 'ping!' function for $25 at Target, I know which one I will be buying, and the price would be a major factor in that purchase.
So I guess the word you're looking for is 'cheaper.'
I'm pretty glad to say that that was more or less what I thought would happen. I haven't lost it yet!
Actually, it's good to think that people do ask these questions. If the answers are listened to, such questioning should be encouraged.
Google has it's own share of questions to answer. A month or two ago I mangled a URL I typed into the address bar in FireFox. Because there was no DNS entry for what it was I typed, FF kindly submitted what it could to Google for a 'I feel lucky' search. In this case, all it could rescue was 'http'.
It turns out a Google search on 'http' comes up with www.microsoft.com as it's number one hit.
Alta Vista doesnt. Lycos doesn't. I got through a few pages on those engines, but nothing.
Google has it as number one. Funnily enough, apart from inside the odd link, 'http' doesn't appear anywhere on that page.
I emailed Google, and received an auoreply telling me I would get a human reply in a few days. I'm still waiting.
Does anyone else have a clue?
Don't mean to sound like a troll, but how do stuffed clutches kill the engine? I can see how it's possible, but how common is it?
Having said that, it's been a while since I had the chance to do so much as change oil. My work gives me a car (Good Thing) but it's automatic and I'm not allowed to do any more than refill the window washer reservoir. All that stuff I used to know...
Actually, their computer use policy is much the same. Do MS license cars?
Actually, a thread participant is allowed to draw a comparison with Hitler if the comparison is legitimate.
The parent post points out that Hitler was able to sway the opinion of the masses, but that that was not necessarily a good thing. Hitler's ability is an extreme example that proves the parent's point, or at least weakens the opponent's argument.
Thus, let the thread continue!
That's what we have in Australia. It works well, but people don't understand it too well, and I know many who consider that a vote for an alternative party is a wasted vote.
People actually follow the 'How-to-Vote' card party volunteers give them at the polling booth, and then get upset that their party has done preference deals with other parties.
You can lead a horse to water...
Viruses from medical equipment? Haven't they heard of autoclaving? Sounds like a negligence lawsuit waiting to happen...
Man, I don't know where you come from, but ten seconds? You must have either really blunt knives in your town, or titanium spiked butter or something, but damn!
I find Disney's stance on this ironic^H^H^H^H^H^H hypocritical. How many of their movies are remakes of Public Domain material?
/.er and thus too lazy to research.)
I could be wrong (please tell me if I am---film rights may have been bought. I'm a
The Jungle Book and Peter Pan come to mind---how many else?
Here in Victoria, Australia, we have laws like this. Kids as young as twelve (I think) can have sex, but with no-one more than two years older than them. Once they turn 16, they can have sex with someone up to five years older. Once they're eighteen, there's no limit.
In practice, the police really don't care about splitting hairs. They'll do something about a 35 year old seducing a 13 year old, but it's just not worth the investigation if somebody a week or two (or even a year or two) out of range.
And nobody seems to get upset that a movie that has as it's crucial scene an elephant and pantless mouse getting absolutely $&^*!faced still gets a 'G' rating.
What were the censors thinking?
In practice, I put my favourite candidates first , my least favourite last, and the ones I really don't care about can have what's left. This is a lot of fun when I'm casting my Senate vote, because I always manage to miscount somewhere and I have to go back three or four times for a fresh paper (which I'm allowed to have).
I still think it's important to list the candidates in the order you prefer them. I'll always put the ALP ahead of Liberal, Liberal ahead of National and National ahead (just) of One Nation. But given that I'd prefer most of the other minor parties ahead of the above four, I put them ahead of them.
I've spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to best cast my vote, but it always comes back to the fact that I'd rather have most parties ahead of the two main parties, and a handful behind them, and my whole vote is intended to send a message.
Pity the poor bloke trying to count them all though. Australia's voting system is a great argument for electronic voting.
I think 'Australasian' is the generally accepted term.
If the Liberals get >=51% of the primary vote, it doesn't matter if Labor, the Greens or the Natural Law Party get your primary vote. Even if the minor parties didn't get a vote Labor couldn't hope for more than 49%.
On the other hand, preferences come into play in a big way if the winner of the primary vote doesn't get the 51%. Two or three elections ago Alexander Downer came close to losing his seat because the Democrats came very close on the Primary vote, but didn't quite make 50%. After preferences though, he had quite a comfortable win (damn!).
I've come to the conclusion that the system does exactly what it says it does. In other words, don't play silly buggers with your vote, but simply list your candidates in oreder of preference.
And make sure you vote below the line for the Senate!
And significantly, that issue revolves around companies applying for bogus patents in order to prevent companies releasing 'generic' versions of the same drug.
Interestingly, though, Labor refuses to say what they'll do if the Liberals don't accept that amendment. Oh politics, how I love thee...
Why bother ticking them? You only have to have your name crossed off the list and put your ballot papers in the box. If you want tyour vote to count, though, you have to number the boxes.
Funny thing in Australia, though, is that whilst it's quite legal to vote informally, it is illegal to encourage others to do so.
So please, consider this post as information only, and not a suggestion!
I came close to voting for the Natural Law Party once. Not because I liked their policies (let's get all our politicians to meditate the country along) but because I'd love to watch them in action.
If it were possible to throw a vote away in the Australian system, that would have been close.
Last night I found an extension that does this in the Moz repository. I haven't tried it out yet, but here's hoping!
That's the great thing about Linux. It can be all things to all people, morons included.
Depends on the country you're in. Here in Australia, playing music --CD, radio or kazoo-- publically (ie for more than personal use--waiting rooms and restaurants aren't personal use) must pay royalties.
If the dentist is playing music because it helps her relax, which is somethng I sort of like her to be, it's personal use, are legitinate, regardless if I can hear it.
Of course, this all assumes that the copyrights in question are administered/enforced by the Australian Performing Rights Association.
As an amateur artist, I agree with you.
In the context of the article, though, I wonder if we're talking about professionals who will go broke if we happen to have the radio a little too loud in the waiting room.
It's the record companies selling Britney who get the most upset aboput the free airplay, not the honest, hardworking musician who hopes to make enough to feed his family.
Exactly. It's called Free Software, and is championed by such people as Rischard Stallman, Eric Raymond, and many others.
Of course, there's nothing wrong with being paid for it, but there are benefits that aren't easily monetarised.
I'm in the position of overseeing the management of a small opportunity shop in Australia. We're not even allowed to play the radio without a license (and I imagine radio stations have licenses to play to as many people as possible... double dipping?). To get around the problem, the manager got her husband, an accomplished pianist, to record a whole heap of Public Domain music, and that gets played (and believe me, it's better than the *&^%*&! she was playing before!
I've started to go to mutopia and similar sights to hunt down some PD midis and so forth, and put those on CD (as background music they're not too bad, as long as I use decent soundfonts).
Now all I have to do is sneak the CD into the APRA licensed competition, get it played, then go and sue their butts off for copyright violation. Gee, maybe I could even afford an APRA license then!