"Global Cooling" is a BS red herring that only Greenhouse deniers like you take "seriously".
I think you missed my point entirely. I don't take any of these seriously. Should I? What difference would it make other than the added stress to my life? Fact is that we are constantly bombarded by doomsday predictions that are insignificant to the true problems that may face us. The problems I listed in my GP post are not really global problems, regardless of what you may think. The flu outbreak of 1918, Tunguska event, and Bubonic Plague were serious problems, SARS is not. To me, global warming is just another alarmist-media-driven event that will disappear in less than 10 years, just like all the things I've mentioned above.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that global warming is not happening. But I am saying the alarm and hype sound not-so-vaguely familiar. I am also saying that anyone who challenges or even questions the theory that global warming is man-made is ridiculed, called names like denial addicts, lose their jobs and certifications, and have their ethics questioned (Exxon must have paid them to say that). Isn't science about questioning the "group think"? How can we make progress if we silence those with ideas and theories that are different to what everyone else thinks? It seems like those that say global warming is a natural cycle are treated the same as those that first claimed the world was round!
Wrong. We have the (rapidly shrinking) antarctic ice, whose layers of melt-and-freeze give us a record stretching back some 65,000 years. In all that time -- eight times longer than since the dawn of civilization -- we can observe correlating CO2 and temperature levels. In all of those cycles, not ONCE has the CO2 gotten to the point where it is now.
So you are saying that CO2 correlates with temperature... the more CO2, the hotter... and there is more CO2 in the atmosphere than ever before... has it not ONCE been hotter on earth than it is right now? So, be honest and use some logic. If what you say is true, then it should be hottest it has ever been in history, or at least for 65,000 years.
* Imagine it is high summer with a temp approaching 85 degrees F.
* You are inside your house with the heat on, windows closed.
* You are sweating, uncomfortable, and wish it would be cooler
If you're a pickup truck republican wingnut, you go turn on your AC to counter the heat and ignore the fact you are partly at fault for the uncomfortable environment in your house.
So let me get this straight... If it's hot out... and you have the heater on... if you realize that this is not right and turn on the AC... you're a Republican Wingnut? Would a Democrat Tree Hugger leave the heat turned on and notice that he's responsible for it being hot?
Maybe the thousands of climate scientists who say humans are pushing climate change over the edge somehow overlooked that research.
Maybe the thousands of climatologists that overlooked that research knew they would have lost their jobs if they brought it up. Notice how people here are literally ridiculing those that say that maybe global warming isn't man made. I've seen multiple posts that compare that idea to saying the world is flat. Trust me, the scientific community seems to be less open to ideas than ignorant slashdotters and those that finance those scientists are even less interested in new ideas.
For other examples of recent hysteria, look up: Global Cooling Ozone depletion/Skin cancer SARS Bird Flue Smog Acid Rain Mad Cow disease Overpopulation/Mass starvation and the list goes on.
What will the world-ender be next week? Wake me up it is announced.
Actually, you really didn't need to read any farther than this to know you were about to get an eye-full of hysterical bullshit:
I didn't have to read past the word Greenpeace to know that. I mean here is a group that opposes everything beyond living in a mud hut eating algae (Although I have seen them drive a car to an oil protest!).
Could it be that no one has the hardware to run Vista with all of its features turned on, and to make such an upgrade after purchasing Vista would invalidate the license, forcing another purchase of Vista?
People will wait until they need to purchase a new machine that it comes with Vista.
"This story is all wet. Paulo Blikstein at MIT has created a water computer. The one boolean logic gate he created functions as a half-adder (i.e. both XOR and AND). He then proceeded to create a four bit adder."
And then he proceeded to plug it in and electrocuted himself...
Instead of taking the blame for not taking care of their child, they chose to have a judge tell them what everyone else had been saying, "It's your f&*$ing fault!"
Negligence != fault. It was the pedophiles fault. My single parent mother worked two jobs to support her two boys. There was no way she could monitor our every move. (it's amazing we survived!)
Funny how when something happens, everyone claims it was the parent's fault. Yet when something that would help the parents do their job, like tracking devices, XXX domain names or age limits for video games, people here scream LIBERTY and talk about what a bad idea it is.
*Note, I am not endorsing tracking devices, XXX domain names or video game ratings. That's another discussion.
I'm just surprised he didn't get the death penalty!
It's a shame, isn't it. I felt he should have at least gotten a good neutering! Granted, some of the responsibility lies with girl's parents, but that doesn't lessen the crime at all.
The government should never be making these decisions, individuals should. It is called freedom, even if it is the freedom to waste an hour writing about how cute your poodle is and publishing it.
Should I demand a nVidia 8800 GTX be installed at the library so I can play World of Warcraft? It won't run with the crappy integrated video at my library's computers. Has the government limited my freedoms by not installing a good 3D card?
What about people who can't afford to have a computer at home? You've applied regressive censorship - only the poor are prevented from accessing certain information.
Are you saying that MySpace is a right? These are public machines. No one is saying that they can't be used. The bill would limit these computers to what they are intended for.
Well we wouldn't want anyone actually LEARNING but using the Internet, would we? I particularly find it offensive when non-porn, sexually-related material is blocked from the very people who could use that information the most.
What have you learned from MySpace that has any value in an educational environment? Besides, this is only for schools and libraries. The case could be made that there is no valid reason for someone to be accessing MySpace from a library other than wasting time.
However, I am assuming that by "schools", he is not including universities and colleges.
It's government's job to step in and tell the parents what their kids can or can't play.
No one is saying what kids can and can't play. What is being said is what kids can and can't buy. If parents want to purchase this game for their kids, great! But if a child wants to ride his bike to Walmart and spend the Christmas money he got from Grandma on this game without his parent's knowledge, that's a problem.
Please understand that I have nothing against violent or sex based video games. I think there should be more of them! Unfortunately, it's too risky for a game company to produce a game that shows "inappropriate" material when that game can legally be purchased by a 10-year-old. Putting restrictions on who can purchase these games liberates game makers to make whatever game their perverted little minds can dream up and allows perverts like me to purchase them... even for my kids if I so desire! At least then it's my choice what games my kids buy and not the manager of the toy department at Walmart.
It has been dubbed the "Necessary and Proper Clause". Look it up.
Article I, Section 8, "Clause" 18: The Congress shall have power...To make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers, and all other powers vested by this Constitution in the government of the United States, or in any department or officer thereof.
I don't see how this is a problem. Not to mention that the game (GTA) was already rated M...
Rated M, what does that mean? Does it mean that you have to 18 yrs or older to buy the game? Nope. Does it mean you have to have your parents with you to buy the game? Nope. It means nothing at all. It's voluntarily rated M as a warning to parents who may be buying the game for their preacher's kid, nothing more. There is no legal binding behind it. All this guy wants to do is to place a standardized rating system on video games so that the technically illiterate can understand it.
And it's not just the outcry over the Hot Coffee thing, but GTA in general. The object of the game is to carjack as many people as possible. Bonus points for beating up whores and ripping them off!??! It's not just the Hot Coffee that is the problem, it's the whole damn game and games like it. Ever play Postal 2? You piss on people, cut their heads off with shovels, douse them with gasoline and throw lit matches on them... and so on. How about Duke Nukem 3D ("Shake it, Baby!")? These games need a rating so that any 5 year-old off the street can't just walk into any GameStop and pick up GTA New Orleans-Mardis Gras.
It's not that I think all games should be Disney approved, but a rating system can actually free programmers to make whatever game they want. The can make "Sam and Max go the Red Light District" because the second a parent complains, all they have to say is, "Hey lady, you have to be 18 or over to buy this game. You saw the rating, why did you buy it for your kid? Do you buy them Playboy too? Then why did you buy them a game that says in plain letters that it is an X-rated game, right there on the label?" Right now, Sam and Max--Red Light will not be made because they'd get too much heat. Allow an X rating and it's on!
If the FTC or whomever must review the ENTIRE content of a video game, does that mean every possible combination of levels/characters/interactions?
I doubt it. What I expect to see is the product manager and maybe a programmer or QA tech go to their ratings meeting with the FTC. These two sit in a room with a few FTC reps and they ask questions about the game. Then they say, "OK, show me everything". The QA tester or programmer runs through each of the levels and shows all the cut scenes. Of course, they should be smart enough to show any easter eggs (ala Hot Coffee) to the FTC as well. When they are done, they get their ratings.
What I don't see is the following for Starcraft: Here is Zerg vs. Human Here is Zerg vs. Protoss Here is Zerg and Human against Protoss Here is Zerg, another Zerg and a Human against a Protoss Here is Zerg, teamed up with a Human against another Zerg, but the Zerg will turn on the human after the other Zerg is wiped out. Here is Protoss vs. Human Here is Protoss vs. Human and another Protoss... OK, that's map one. Now lets look at Map two. Here's Zerg vs. Human....
You get the idea. I'm sure the Product Manger will merely have to point out the different combinations and maybe show the layout of each map. Every single possible combination would be asinine. Trust me, the FTC guys have lives too, even if it is TV Dinners and Lucy re-runs.
Figures I'd get someone who trades in probably the most efficient SUV out there for an equally efficient minivan. Damn you, Toyota!;-)
I was thinking more along the lines of a Dodge Durango, Ford Explorer, Chevrolet TrailBlazer style SUV vs most minivans. I shudder to think of the Lincoln Navigator types when they hit the pumps.
Well, if you want full disclosure, we traded in a Ford Explorer (V-8 w/ all time 4WD) to get the 4-Runner. It got between 15 and 20. I agree that the Excursion is a bit much for southern city driving.
Hehehe..that reminds me...I've always wanted to get one of those old '75-'76 Trans-Ams, the last years of the 455 engine. Hehehe..I always thought it kind of neat that they put a stationwagon engine in a normal sized car. Got about 10 gallons to the mile, but, man, that was fun.
Actually, my cousin took the 327 out of the station wagon mentioned above and dropped it into a Chevy Vega. My God that car would fly!
people in those areas got along just fine with normal cars before SUVs became popular, so they don't really NEED SUVs either.
Practice what you preach! People got along just fine with computers before the Internet became popular, so you don't really NEED to post on slashdot either!
Slashdot Mirror
So "right-wingers" are foolish for turning on the AC when they are hot? Is turning on the AC not a reasonable step to minimize that discomfort?
"Global Cooling" is a BS red herring that only Greenhouse deniers like you take "seriously".
I think you missed my point entirely. I don't take any of these seriously. Should I? What difference would it make other than the added stress to my life? Fact is that we are constantly bombarded by doomsday predictions that are insignificant to the true problems that may face us. The problems I listed in my GP post are not really global problems, regardless of what you may think. The flu outbreak of 1918, Tunguska event, and Bubonic Plague were serious problems, SARS is not. To me, global warming is just another alarmist-media-driven event that will disappear in less than 10 years, just like all the things I've mentioned above.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that global warming is not happening. But I am saying the alarm and hype sound not-so-vaguely familiar. I am also saying that anyone who challenges or even questions the theory that global warming is man-made is ridiculed, called names like denial addicts, lose their jobs and certifications, and have their ethics questioned (Exxon must have paid them to say that). Isn't science about questioning the "group think"? How can we make progress if we silence those with ideas and theories that are different to what everyone else thinks? It seems like those that say global warming is a natural cycle are treated the same as those that first claimed the world was round!
Wrong. We have the (rapidly shrinking) antarctic ice, whose layers of melt-and-freeze give us a record stretching back some 65,000 years. In all that time -- eight times longer than since the dawn of civilization -- we can observe correlating CO2 and temperature levels. In all of those cycles, not ONCE has the CO2 gotten to the point where it is now.
So you are saying that CO2 correlates with temperature... the more CO2, the hotter... and there is more CO2 in the atmosphere than ever before... has it not ONCE been hotter on earth than it is right now? So, be honest and use some logic. If what you say is true, then it should be hottest it has ever been in history, or at least for 65,000 years.
Is it?
* Imagine it is high summer with a temp approaching 85 degrees F.
* You are inside your house with the heat on, windows closed.
* You are sweating, uncomfortable, and wish it would be cooler
If you're a pickup truck republican wingnut, you go turn on your AC to counter the heat and ignore the fact you are partly at fault for the uncomfortable environment in your house.
So let me get this straight... If it's hot out... and you have the heater on... if you realize that this is not right and turn on the AC... you're a Republican Wingnut? Would a Democrat Tree Hugger leave the heat turned on and notice that he's responsible for it being hot?
You analogy sux!
Maybe the thousands of climate scientists who say humans are pushing climate change over the edge somehow overlooked that research.
Maybe the thousands of climatologists that overlooked that research knew they would have lost their jobs if they brought it up. Notice how people here are literally ridiculing those that say that maybe global warming isn't man made. I've seen multiple posts that compare that idea to saying the world is flat. Trust me, the scientific community seems to be less open to ideas than ignorant slashdotters and those that finance those scientists are even less interested in new ideas.
For other examples of recent hysteria, look up:
Global Cooling
Ozone depletion/Skin cancer
SARS
Bird Flue
Smog
Acid Rain
Mad Cow disease
Overpopulation/Mass starvation
and the list goes on.
What will the world-ender be next week? Wake me up it is announced.
Actually, you really didn't need to read any farther than this to know you were about to get an eye-full of hysterical bullshit:
I didn't have to read past the word Greenpeace to know that. I mean here is a group that opposes everything beyond living in a mud hut eating algae (Although I have seen them drive a car to an oil protest!).
Just give me the wearable version.
Only if it looks like a banana clip!
Could it be that no one has the hardware to run Vista with all of its features turned on, and to make such an upgrade after purchasing Vista would invalidate the license, forcing another purchase of Vista?
People will wait until they need to purchase a new machine that it comes with Vista.
"This story is all wet. Paulo Blikstein at MIT has created a water computer. The one boolean logic gate he created functions as a half-adder (i.e. both XOR and AND). He then proceeded to create a four bit adder."
And then he proceeded to plug it in and electrocuted himself...
Instead of taking the blame for not taking care of their child, they chose to have a judge tell them what everyone else had been saying, "It's your f&*$ing fault!"
Negligence != fault. It was the pedophiles fault. My single parent mother worked two jobs to support her two boys. There was no way she could monitor our every move. (it's amazing we survived!)
Funny how when something happens, everyone claims it was the parent's fault. Yet when something that would help the parents do their job, like tracking devices, XXX domain names or age limits for video games, people here scream LIBERTY and talk about what a bad idea it is.
*Note, I am not endorsing tracking devices, XXX domain names or video game ratings. That's another discussion.
I'm just surprised he didn't get the death penalty!
It's a shame, isn't it. I felt he should have at least gotten a good neutering! Granted, some of the responsibility lies with girl's parents, but that doesn't lessen the crime at all.
The bill would limit these computers to what they are intended for.
which is what exactly?
Information and research. MySpace qualifies as entertainment and socialization.
The government should never be making these decisions, individuals should. It is called freedom, even if it is the freedom to waste an hour writing about how cute your poodle is and publishing it.
Should I demand a nVidia 8800 GTX be installed at the library so I can play World of Warcraft? It won't run with the crappy integrated video at my library's computers. Has the government limited my freedoms by not installing a good 3D card?
What about people who can't afford to have a computer at home? You've applied regressive censorship - only the poor are prevented from accessing certain information.
Are you saying that MySpace is a right? These are public machines. No one is saying that they can't be used. The bill would limit these computers to what they are intended for.
Well we wouldn't want anyone actually LEARNING but using the Internet, would we? I particularly find it offensive when non-porn, sexually-related material is blocked from the very people who could use that information the most.
What have you learned from MySpace that has any value in an educational environment? Besides, this is only for schools and libraries. The case could be made that there is no valid reason for someone to be accessing MySpace from a library other than wasting time.
However, I am assuming that by "schools", he is not including universities and colleges.
It's government's job to step in and tell the parents what their kids can or can't play.
No one is saying what kids can and can't play. What is being said is what kids can and can't buy. If parents want to purchase this game for their kids, great! But if a child wants to ride his bike to Walmart and spend the Christmas money he got from Grandma on this game without his parent's knowledge, that's a problem.
Please understand that I have nothing against violent or sex based video games. I think there should be more of them! Unfortunately, it's too risky for a game company to produce a game that shows "inappropriate" material when that game can legally be purchased by a 10-year-old. Putting restrictions on who can purchase these games liberates game makers to make whatever game their perverted little minds can dream up and allows perverts like me to purchase them... even for my kids if I so desire! At least then it's my choice what games my kids buy and not the manager of the toy department at Walmart.
I don't see how this is a problem. Not to mention that the game (GTA) was already rated M...
Rated M, what does that mean? Does it mean that you have to 18 yrs or older to buy the game? Nope. Does it mean you have to have your parents with you to buy the game? Nope. It means nothing at all. It's voluntarily rated M as a warning to parents who may be buying the game for their preacher's kid, nothing more. There is no legal binding behind it. All this guy wants to do is to place a standardized rating system on video games so that the technically illiterate can understand it.
And it's not just the outcry over the Hot Coffee thing, but GTA in general. The object of the game is to carjack as many people as possible. Bonus points for beating up whores and ripping them off!??! It's not just the Hot Coffee that is the problem, it's the whole damn game and games like it. Ever play Postal 2? You piss on people, cut their heads off with shovels, douse them with gasoline and throw lit matches on them... and so on. How about Duke Nukem 3D ("Shake it, Baby!")? These games need a rating so that any 5 year-old off the street can't just walk into any GameStop and pick up GTA New Orleans-Mardis Gras.
It's not that I think all games should be Disney approved, but a rating system can actually free programmers to make whatever game they want. The can make "Sam and Max go the Red Light District" because the second a parent complains, all they have to say is, "Hey lady, you have to be 18 or over to buy this game. You saw the rating, why did you buy it for your kid? Do you buy them Playboy too? Then why did you buy them a game that says in plain letters that it is an X-rated game, right there on the label?" Right now, Sam and Max--Red Light will not be made because they'd get too much heat. Allow an X rating and it's on!
If the FTC or whomever must review the ENTIRE content of a video game, does that mean every possible combination of levels/characters/interactions?
I doubt it. What I expect to see is the product manager and maybe a programmer or QA tech go to their ratings meeting with the FTC. These two sit in a room with a few FTC reps and they ask questions about the game. Then they say, "OK, show me everything". The QA tester or programmer runs through each of the levels and shows all the cut scenes. Of course, they should be smart enough to show any easter eggs (ala Hot Coffee) to the FTC as well. When they are done, they get their ratings.
What I don't see is the following for Starcraft:
Here is Zerg vs. Human
Here is Zerg vs. Protoss
Here is Zerg and Human against Protoss
Here is Zerg, another Zerg and a Human against a Protoss
Here is Zerg, teamed up with a Human against another Zerg, but the Zerg will turn on the human after the other Zerg is wiped out.
Here is Protoss vs. Human
Here is Protoss vs. Human and another Protoss...
OK, that's map one. Now lets look at Map two.
Here's Zerg vs. Human....
You get the idea.
I'm sure the Product Manger will merely have to point out the different combinations and maybe show the layout of each map. Every single possible combination would be asinine. Trust me, the FTC guys have lives too, even if it is TV Dinners and Lucy re-runs.
With all these improvements in processor and RAM speed, when can I expect a faster HDD? A solid state drive would be nice.
All chips wait at the same speed. Why not concentrate on the bottlenecks rather than what is already one of the fastest components in any system.
Can you make phone calls with it?
(Yo dog! Where you at?!!?)
Figures I'd get someone who trades in probably the most efficient SUV out there for an equally efficient minivan. Damn you, Toyota! ;-)
I was thinking more along the lines of a Dodge Durango, Ford Explorer, Chevrolet TrailBlazer style SUV vs most minivans. I shudder to think of the Lincoln Navigator types when they hit the pumps.
Well, if you want full disclosure, we traded in a Ford Explorer (V-8 w/ all time 4WD) to get the 4-Runner. It got between 15 and 20. I agree that the Excursion is a bit much for southern city driving.
Hehehe..that reminds me...I've always wanted to get one of those old '75-'76 Trans-Ams, the last years of the 455 engine. Hehehe..I always thought it kind of neat that they put a stationwagon engine in a normal sized car. Got about 10 gallons to the mile, but, man, that was fun.
Actually, my cousin took the 327 out of the station wagon mentioned above and dropped it into a Chevy Vega. My God that car would fly!
people in those areas got along just fine with normal cars before SUVs became popular, so they don't really NEED SUVs either.
Practice what you preach! People got along just fine with computers before the Internet became popular, so you don't really NEED to post on slashdot either!
Typical Slashdot bullshit. If they don't agree with me, they must be a troll. Well, troll, flamebait or my favorite... overrated.