To put it simply, it's due to lack of knowledge and/or imagination. What we can imagine is defined by what we know. For examples, you can look to older Sci-F. Jules Verne's artillery shell moon trip, Sir Arthur Canon Doyle's 'Earth passing through vapours in it's orbit and killing people' story, Edgar Rice Burroughs' John Carter of Mars books, etc.
LOL! Valid point. You just can't win anymore. Since I was 'relieved' of my luggage three times in a row flying, had damaged property from luggage searches, etc., I have gotten in the habit of FedEx'ing my luggage. However, now that I fly with only a book to read, I have been flagged for more searches because I'm flying with no luggage.....SHEESH!
Someone who wants a giant "easy button" isn't a retard, but someone who has better things to do in their life.
Well then, I would suggest you should get on with your 'better tings to do in life', and quit wasting your time with WPS and the like.
"If something is worth doing, then it is worth doing right." Take a few minutes to learn a little about the tools you are using; if you don't have time to learn about them, then you don't have the time to be messing with them in the first place.
I also found 'Inherit the Stars' to be a good read.
For the curious, 'Inherit the Stars' is available for free at the Baen Free Library, and the rest of the series is available for purchase from Baen for $4-$6.00 USD for each book.
Also check out 'Mutineer's Moon' (Dahak series) for another interesting premise, also free at the Baen Free Library.
In their defense, the mask has a crappy description.
How it should have been described follows: 'Recommended requirement: The Stylish Horsehead Reality Synchronizing Mask will re-synchronize the faster than light data transmission to the real world timeframe. No more listening to an album and finding that your hearing is stuck in the future. The Stereo Synchrotron in each channel gently slow the sound down to normal speeds without that 'train-crash' abruptness of other solutions. No more therapy sessions to deal with hearing in the future mental issues....etc.'
The truly functional and beneficial nature of the Hosehead Mask have not been adequately stated...Marketing Fail!!!
I made the mistake of trying to read some of the reviews for that cable...still giggling. Here's a typical review:
1,688 of 1,714 people found the following review helpful: 2.0 out of 5 stars Great cable, but too fast., June 23, 2008 By Matthew Sidor "seadour" (Boulder, CO USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME) This review is from: Denon AKDL1 Dedicated Link Cable (Electronics) Transmission of music data at rates faster than the speed of light seemed convenient, until I realized I was hearing the music before I actually wanted to play it. Apparently Denon forgot how accustomed most of us are to unidirectional time and the general laws of physics. I tried to get used to this effect but hearing songs play before I even realized I was in the mood for them just really screwed up my preconceptions of choice and free will. I'm still having a major existential hangover.
*rolls up sleeves* Just wait until I log in. I'll pwn this little 13 year old galactic assclown so bad, he will be afraid to leave his mom's solar system for eons....
*mutters* Mel Brooks would be rollin' in his grave...in laughter.
Rather than spending time tracking down and digging up citations to bolster the TFS and 'parents' claim, I will point you to an easy to read sane argument put forth by a prominent Sci-Fi author from the Baen Books stable, Eric Flint:
Baen Books is now making available â" for free â" a number of its titles in electronic format. We're calling it the Baen Free Library. Anyone who wishes can read these titles online â" no conditions, no strings attached. (Later we may ask for an extremely simple, name & email only, registration. ) Or, if you prefer, you can download the books in one of several formats. Again, with no conditions or strings attached. (URLs to sites which offer the readers for these format are also listed. )
Why are we doing this? Well, for two reasons.
The first is what you might call a "matter of principle." This all started as a byproduct of an online "virtual brawl" I got into with a number of people, some of them professional SF authors, over the issue of online piracy of copyrighted works and what to do about it.
There was a school of thought, which seemed to be picking up steam, that the way to handle the problem was with handcuffs and brass knucks. Enforcement! Regulation! New regulations! Tighter regulations! All out for the campaign against piracy! No quarter! Build more prisons! Harsher sentences!
Alles in ordnung![...]
1. Online piracy â" while it is definitely illegal and immoral â" is, as a practical problem, nothing more than (at most) a nuisance. We're talking brats stealing chewing gum, here, not the Barbary Pirates.
2. Losses any author suffers from piracy are almost certainly offset by the additional publicity which, in practice, any kind of free copies of a book usually engender. Whatever the moral difference, which certainly exists, the practical effect of online piracy is no different from that of any existing method by which readers may obtain books for free or at reduced cost: public libraries, friends borrowing and loaning each other books, used book stores, promotional copies, etc.
3. Any cure which relies on tighter regulation of the market â" especially the kind of extreme measures being advocated by some people â" is far worse than the disease. As a widespread phenomenon rather than a nuisance, piracy occurs when artificial restrictions in the market jack up prices beyond what people think are reasonable. The "regulation-enforcement-more regulation" strategy is a bottomless pit which continually recreates (on a larger scale) the problem it supposedly solves. And that commercial effect is often compounded by the more general damage done to social and political freedom.
My own experience backs this up.
I have spent more on books since I heard about the Baen Free Library (here on/.) about 10-12 years ago, than I have since college days (about 25 years ago...49 books [USD $274] in the past 3 years). *Disclaimer: Baen Books deals with predominately Sc-Fi and Fantasy.* Anecdote....yes, but I've seen this same pattern displayed frequently in family, friends, acquaintances, and occasionally with random strangers.
Get them exposed/introduced to the artist's works, and if they find it interesting enough, they will pull out their wallets if the price is right, or close enough to the right price.
And the right price will vary between individuals. *[re: above anecdote]* You might think that I...: a)...paid a ridiculous price for that garbage. b)....paid about what it's worth. c)....received a bargain. d)....any point between any two of the above. * FINE PRINT: YMMV, depending on preferences/interests.*
I would suggest that you read all of Eric Flint's short essay (quoted excerpt above) for the POV of author/artist and publisher.
BTW, I can recommend Eric Flint's works, along with: Catherine Asaro, David Drak
I was informed of the Baen Books website about 9-10 years ago. [here on/., actually] The 'Baen_Library'[sub-folder' of my ''eBooks' folder] takes up around 15-16 GB's of my back-up drive.:-)
The Fifth Imperium website is about half of the aforementioned 15-16 GB's., the rest I've bought from the webscriptions site.[1]
As a side note, my 'eBooks' folder is about 21 GB's currently. It's size and contents change a lot. I am an insatiable reader. Really.
[1]Real easy, and they do not spam your inbox, or anything else. a. create account and log on info
(non intrusive) b. log in, set up your pref's and info c. browse and purchase, read the first part of the book as 'sample chapters', or what ever. d. The webscriptions site keeps track of the books you have purchased, so you can access those books to re-download from any PC you can log into the website from.
What's not to like?
My historic 'travel habits' were to pack my bags, go to the airport early, browse the bookstands, and buy a book or two fr the flight[s].
I now find myself looking exclusively for books by authors I have been exposed to from Baen Books. (but, I don't travel air anymore because of the TSA BS., but was true for the past 5-6 years)
I know that I may sound like a Baen shill, but I am not...I am just that much of a fanboy.:-)
Is there anything out there you can't install Linux on?!?!? Why, I've seen the protocol and procedure to install Linux on a Dead Badger. Imagining a Beowulf Cluster of Zombie Linux Badgers scared me tremendously. I'm still quaking and shaking, and that happened many years ago....sheesh! Not to mention what would happen with a Beowulf Cluster of Shelves Linux, holding Beowulf Clusters of Zombie Linux Dead Badgers!
Heh, I think I just set myself up for "Yo, Dawg, heard you like..." replies.
...but what I have learned is that for each time you think that life can't get any stranger...
You must be new here.:-)
Sorry, couldn't resist.
But I do agree with your comment, and have been bemused and befuddled by news of the very example you link to.
I can 'wrap my mind' around microscopic single-celled organisms, having viewed them through microscopes many times. Macroscopic single-celled organisms just boggle my mind. I have many questions....
...it's going to take 20-30-40 years to wean ourselves from fossil fuels. It's going to take that long just to replace all of that fossil fuel infrastructure. [...]The point is to get serious about it. (emphasis, mine)
While I basically agree with your comment, I do not make the assumption that we will do any of this until it is too late/insufficient to work.
"May you live long, and prosper.", could be misconstrued by a 'self proclaimed pessimist/cynic' as hopeless, 'feelgood',hippy, ideological BS, but it is a prophetic curse to the human species for those who realise the 'curse of the Human Species':
1. Murphy's Law Rules! 2. Humans are remarkably adaptable(+: It"s absolutely AMAZING what we have/can adapt to and thrive!) 3. Deplorable how adaptable humans have become. (see #2, above) 4. NEVER forget rule #1!
There is more to my rant, but I will forgo that now.:-)
I'm probably what you would call one of "these global warming religion people."
Well, I don't consider myself part of/apart from your crowd...somewhere in the middle, maybe? I think we are having some effect on our environment, and need to 'factor that into the equation', I have questions on how much... IMHO, we need to get away from fossil fuels, and develop and switch over to sustainable, renewable, environmental-friendly, and practical solutions ASAP. *sigh* see rules #1 and #3, above...
Tomorrows headlines: "Next Quarter Profits: Can humans finally beat evolution?"
Those of us on the west coast see a 5.6 quake as an oatmeal stirrer, at best.
I would say that's being generous. This one might have stirred your coffee. Maybe. The spring and summer thunderstorms and tornadoes we get every year shake the house more than this quake did.
I live in Stillwater, OK, and was playing Fallout 3 when it occurred. I was at the point in the game where you accompany Liberty Prime on a mission to wipe out the Enclave at the Jefferson Memorial. (a lot of explosions in game) My first thought was, "Oh, I need to turn the sound down!", and paused the game. The rumbling continued.... I then went outside (the house was shaking enough to make walking tricky, but not difficult), expecting to see a bunch of big trucks moving through the neighborhood for some screwy reason....nothing.
I then figured I had finally 'felt' one of the many small quakes that they have always said we get all the time, and went back to my game.
Today I find out the one I noticed was the 5.6, I was oblivious the the smaller one proceeding it, and the ones that followed.
5.6, hmmm... I think experiencing a magnitude 7.x-8+ quake would cause me to soil my shorts, while this 5.6 had me blaming my sub-woofer and all the mini-nukes exploding in the game.:-)
I can see this now.... Stop here if you are weak of mind/sanity, reading this may cause brain damage and/or mental harm...welcome to my nightmare.(with apologies to Alice Cooper)
To continue...
Note: 1. materials required for this mental exercise:
a) 1 each hogshead of bleach. b) 1 each pump/transfer device to move working quantities of aforementioned bleach to smaller, handier 'work' container that is suitable for dipping bottle/test tube brushes into. c) minimum of 1,000 of aforementioned bottle/test tube brushes...100,000 recommended. d) [optional] bib, HAZMAT suit, or other bleach-resistant protective gear.
2. Instructions (read me file) a) transfer 'practical' volume of bleach to the 'handy 'working container" [recommended: 1 Qt. or liter, with the ability to repeatedly 'dunk' the brush into] b) grasp a brush, dip the bristles (fully) into the bleach 'working' container. c) insert brush fully(to the grasping fingers) into right ear, then plunge in and out, using 'full-length strokes', repeatedly, for 15 seconds. d) discard brush in an approved manor ["Biological Waste" is recommended in the USA], and grasp a new brush...repeat "c)" above, then d) [this step] at LEAST 1,000 repetitions. e) check results, repeat as necessary until desired results are achieved. [Disclaimer: "Danger, Will Robinson, danger!"]
The next 'hit' TV show in the USA:
*TV announcer voice* "Tonight on 'Dancing with the Laywers', we welcome our guest judges, Apple's legal team, and our host, [Smart]Alecks Saskatchewan" Audience: (suspiciously, all dressed in Black Turtlenecks) : wild applesauce Host: "Tonight, we have Apple's legal team judging the competition, and our first challenger, Johnny Appleseed!" Audience: *starts heating tar, and gathering feathers, as Johnny runs onto stage... pandemonium erupts*"Heretic!" "Blasphemer!" "Infidel!" "Un-believer!" "He's a witch!" Alecks: "Johnny Appleseed, is that REALLY your name?" Johnny: "Yeah, it kinda' runs in the family." Alecks: *looking bemused, hands Johnny a large jar of Vaseline* "Man, you are SOOOOOO fsck'ed! Good luck with that." *cut to commercial* Announcer: "And now, a word from our sponsors, 'Roto Rooter', the cutting edge of anal probes....wholeheartedly endorsed by the TSA, DHS, ICE, FBI, CIA, and numerous other 'No Such Agency' types, not to mention countless Alien Incursion groups, universe wide!" *gruesome alien anal probe/TSA security checkpoint commercial plays...scene fades away to the credits after watching Johnny getting ass-probed/sodomized by the judges for the next 18 minutes....stretched into 30 minute viewing slot...with numerous commercial breaks*
I seriously doubt that more than a REALLY SMALL segment of the population are in good enough physical condition to wield a single machete effectively for more than a couple of minutes, nevermind dual machetes.
Try it yourself with some safe machete substitutes (bokken, perhaps) against a suitable practice dummy. (no, leave your little brother alone;-)
I used to study Kenjutsu, and then Kendo and competed in tournies when I was younger. If your not in good shape, you don't last very long!
I would personally recommend a truck-load of hand grenades and Claymore mines....they are both easily 'field improvised'.
Slashdot Mirror
To put it simply, it's due to lack of knowledge and/or imagination.
What we can imagine is defined by what we know.
For examples, you can look to older Sci-F.
Jules Verne's artillery shell moon trip, Sir Arthur Canon Doyle's 'Earth passing through vapours in it's orbit and killing people' story, Edgar Rice Burroughs' John Carter of Mars books, etc.
The more we know, the more we can imagine....
LOL! Valid point.
You just can't win anymore.
Since I was 'relieved' of my luggage three times in a row flying, had damaged property from luggage searches, etc., I have gotten in the habit of FedEx'ing my luggage.
However, now that I fly with only a book to read, I have been flagged for more searches because I'm flying with no luggage.....SHEESH!
Someone who wants a giant "easy button" isn't a retard, but someone who has better things to do in their life.
Well then, I would suggest you should get on with your 'better tings to do in life', and quit wasting your time with WPS and the like.
"If something is worth doing, then it is worth doing right."
Take a few minutes to learn a little about the tools you are using; if you don't have time to learn about them, then you don't have the time to be messing with them in the first place.
There is no free lunch....
I also found 'Inherit the Stars' to be a good read.
For the curious, 'Inherit the Stars' is available for free at the Baen Free Library, and the rest of the series is available for purchase from Baen for $4-$6.00 USD for each book.
Also check out 'Mutineer's Moon' (Dahak series) for another interesting premise, also free at the Baen Free Library.
In their defense, the mask has a crappy description.
How it should have been described follows:
'Recommended requirement: The Stylish Horsehead Reality Synchronizing Mask will re-synchronize the faster than light data transmission to the real world timeframe.
No more listening to an album and finding that your hearing is stuck in the future.
The Stereo Synchrotron in each channel gently slow the sound down to normal speeds without that 'train-crash' abruptness of other solutions.
No more therapy sessions to deal with hearing in the future mental issues....etc.'
The truly functional and beneficial nature of the Hosehead Mask have not been adequately stated...Marketing Fail!!!
I made the mistake of trying to read some of the reviews for that cable...still giggling.
Here's a typical review:
[emphasis mine]
Does this mean we've been teabagged by aliens?
*rolls up sleeves*
Just wait until I log in.
I'll pwn this little 13 year old galactic assclown so bad, he will be afraid to leave his mom's solar system for eons....
*mutters* Mel Brooks would be rollin' in his grave...in laughter.
Or that AT&T have employees listen in on all telephone conversations.
That's what AT&T bought the NSA for, silly! ;-)
Combine this with an ideological movement group, and twitter/facebook, and hilarity ensues...until it's banned.
Rather than spending time tracking down and digging up citations to bolster the TFS and 'parents' claim, I will point you to an easy to read sane argument put forth by a prominent Sci-Fi author from the Baen Books stable, Eric Flint:
My own experience backs this up.
I have spent more on books since I heard about the Baen Free Library (here on /.) about 10-12 years ago, than I have since college days (about 25 years ago...49 books [USD $274] in the past 3 years). *Disclaimer: Baen Books deals with predominately Sc-Fi and Fantasy.*
Anecdote....yes, but I've seen this same pattern displayed frequently in family, friends, acquaintances, and occasionally with random strangers.
Get them exposed/introduced to the artist's works, and if they find it interesting enough, they will pull out their wallets if the price is right, or close enough to the right price.
And the right price will vary between individuals. ...paid a ridiculous price for that garbage.
*[re: above anecdote]*
You might think that I...:
a)
b)....paid about what it's worth.
c)....received a bargain.
d)....any point between any two of the above.
* FINE PRINT: YMMV, depending on preferences/interests.*
I would suggest that you read all of Eric Flint's short essay (quoted excerpt above) for the POV of author/artist and publisher.
BTW, I can recommend Eric Flint's works, along with:
Catherine Asaro, David Drak
Whether you survive or not, I will still say hello to your wife....;-)
DON'T SHOOT, I was just kidding....I don't even know your wife!
*runs away*
Heh! Heh! ;-)
What? I thought the Shadow knew.
On a serious note, I have no clue without further research.
I just remember listening to the show in the early 1960's as a kid.
Chicken Man was EVERYWHERE, and only the SHADOW KNEW back then, IIRC.
A quick check, The Shadow comes from 1930's. It seems the comic proceeded the radio show by several years. :-)
A lot of the books are duped in the cd's.
I am lazy and haven't weeded out the dupes.
I love the Baen Books and 5th Imperium web sites.
I have made many purchases from from Baen due to exposure from the Baen Free Library.
"The SHADOW knows...."
I remember that radio show. ;-)
I was informed of the Baen Books website about 9-10 years ago. [here on /., actually] :-)
The 'Baen_Library'[sub-folder' of my ''eBooks' folder] takes up around 15-16 GB's of my back-up drive.
The Fifth Imperium website is about half of the aforementioned 15-16 GB's., the rest I've bought from the webscriptions site.[1]
As a side note, my 'eBooks' folder is about 21 GB's currently. It's size and contents change a lot.
I am an insatiable reader. Really.
[1]Real easy, and they do not spam your inbox, or anything else.
a. create account and log on info
(non intrusive)
b. log in, set up your pref's and info
c. browse and purchase, read the first part of the book as 'sample chapters', or what ever.
d. The webscriptions site keeps track of the books you have purchased, so you can access those books to re-download from any PC you can log into the website from.
What's not to like?
My historic 'travel habits' were to pack my bags, go to the airport early, browse the bookstands, and buy a book or two fr the flight[s].
I now find myself looking exclusively for books by authors I have been exposed to from Baen Books.
(but, I don't travel air anymore because of the TSA BS., but was true for the past 5-6 years)
I know that I may sound like a Baen shill, but I am not...I am just that much of a fanboy. :-)
*credits to 'Guspaz (556486)' who started this thread.*
Well done, 's4m7'.
I tip my hat to you!
Is there anything out there you can't install Linux on?!?!?
Why, I've seen the protocol and procedure to install Linux on a Dead Badger.
Imagining a Beowulf Cluster of Zombie Linux Badgers scared me tremendously. I'm still quaking and shaking, and that happened many years ago....sheesh!
Not to mention what would happen with a Beowulf Cluster of Shelves Linux, holding Beowulf Clusters of Zombie Linux Dead Badgers!
Heh, I think I just set myself up for "Yo, Dawg, heard you like..." replies.
Yep, that says it all.
You must be new here. :-)
Sorry, couldn't resist.
But I do agree with your comment, and have been bemused and befuddled by news of the very example you link to.
I can 'wrap my mind' around microscopic single-celled organisms, having viewed them through microscopes many times.
Macroscopic single-celled organisms just boggle my mind. I have many questions....
Stuck to your car keys. It's been there all along. ;-)
Can't you see it?
...it's going to take 20-30-40 years to wean ourselves from fossil fuels. It's going to take that long just to replace all of that fossil fuel infrastructure. [...]The point is to get serious about it. (emphasis, mine)
While I basically agree with your comment, I do not make the assumption that we will do any of this until it is too late/insufficient to work.
"May you live long, and prosper.", could be misconstrued by a 'self proclaimed pessimist/cynic' as hopeless, 'feelgood',hippy, ideological BS, but it is a prophetic curse to the human species for those who realise the 'curse of the Human Species':
1. Murphy's Law Rules!
2. Humans are remarkably adaptable(+: It"s absolutely AMAZING what we have/can adapt to and thrive!)
3. Deplorable how adaptable humans have become. (see #2, above)
4. NEVER forget rule #1!
There is more to my rant, but I will forgo that now. :-)
I'm probably what you would call one of "these global warming religion people."
Well, I don't consider myself part of/apart from your crowd...somewhere in the middle, maybe?
I think we are having some effect on our environment, and need to 'factor that into the equation', I have questions on how much...
IMHO, we need to get away from fossil fuels, and develop and switch over to sustainable, renewable, environmental-friendly, and practical solutions ASAP.
*sigh* see rules #1 and #3, above...
Tomorrows headlines: "Next Quarter Profits: Can humans finally beat evolution?"
Those of us on the west coast see a 5.6 quake as an oatmeal stirrer, at best.
I would say that's being generous. This one might have stirred your coffee. Maybe.
The spring and summer thunderstorms and tornadoes we get every year shake the house more than this quake did.
I live in Stillwater, OK, and was playing Fallout 3 when it occurred. I was at the point in the game where you accompany Liberty Prime on a mission to wipe out the Enclave at the Jefferson Memorial. (a lot of explosions in game)
My first thought was, "Oh, I need to turn the sound down!", and paused the game.
The rumbling continued....
I then went outside (the house was shaking enough to make walking tricky, but not difficult), expecting to see a bunch of big trucks moving through the neighborhood for some screwy reason....nothing.
I then figured I had finally 'felt' one of the many small quakes that they have always said we get all the time, and went back to my game.
Today I find out the one I noticed was the 5.6, I was oblivious the the smaller one proceeding it, and the ones that followed.
5.6, hmmm... I think experiencing a magnitude 7.x-8+ quake would cause me to soil my shorts, while this 5.6 had me blaming my sub-woofer and all the mini-nukes exploding in the game. :-)
I can see this now....
Stop here if you are weak of mind/sanity, reading this may cause brain damage and/or mental harm...welcome to my nightmare.(with apologies to Alice Cooper)
To continue...
Note:
1. materials required for this mental exercise:
a) 1 each hogshead of bleach.
b) 1 each pump/transfer device to move working quantities of aforementioned bleach to smaller, handier 'work' container that is suitable for dipping bottle/test tube brushes into.
c) minimum of 1,000 of aforementioned bottle/test tube brushes...100,000 recommended.
d) [optional] bib, HAZMAT suit, or other bleach-resistant protective gear.
2. Instructions (read me file)
a) transfer 'practical' volume of bleach to the 'handy 'working container" [recommended: 1 Qt. or liter, with the ability to repeatedly 'dunk' the brush into]
b) grasp a brush, dip the bristles (fully) into the bleach 'working' container.
c) insert brush fully(to the grasping fingers) into right ear, then plunge in and out, using 'full-length strokes', repeatedly, for 15 seconds.
d) discard brush in an approved manor ["Biological Waste" is recommended in the USA], and grasp a new brush...repeat "c)" above, then d) [this step] at LEAST 1,000 repetitions.
e) check results, repeat as necessary until desired results are achieved.
[Disclaimer: "Danger, Will Robinson, danger!"]
The next 'hit' TV show in the USA:
*TV announcer voice* "Tonight on 'Dancing with the Laywers', we welcome our guest judges, Apple's legal team, and our host, [Smart]Alecks Saskatchewan"
Audience: (suspiciously, all dressed in Black Turtlenecks) : wild applesauce
Host: "Tonight, we have Apple's legal team judging the competition, and our first challenger, Johnny Appleseed!"
Audience: *starts heating tar, and gathering feathers, as Johnny runs onto stage... pandemonium erupts*"Heretic!" "Blasphemer!" "Infidel!" "Un-believer!" "He's a witch!"
Alecks: "Johnny Appleseed, is that REALLY your name?"
Johnny: "Yeah, it kinda' runs in the family."
Alecks: *looking bemused, hands Johnny a large jar of Vaseline* "Man, you are SOOOOOO fsck'ed! Good luck with that."
*cut to commercial*
Announcer: "And now, a word from our sponsors, 'Roto Rooter', the cutting edge of anal probes....wholeheartedly endorsed by the TSA, DHS, ICE, FBI, CIA, and numerous other 'No Such Agency' types, not to mention countless Alien Incursion groups, universe wide!" *gruesome alien anal probe/TSA security checkpoint commercial plays...scene fades away to the credits after watching Johnny getting ass-probed/sodomized by the judges for the next 18 minutes....stretched into 30 minute viewing slot...with numerous commercial breaks*
You were warned!
Oh, and also, dogs can't look up.
What? Where did this gem come from?
How do you explain coon dogs, and other dogs that habitually 'tree' their game?
Inquiring minds want to know.
I seriously doubt that more than a REALLY SMALL segment of the population are in good enough physical condition to wield a single machete effectively for more than a couple of minutes, nevermind dual machetes.
Try it yourself with some safe machete substitutes (bokken, perhaps) against a suitable practice dummy. (no, leave your little brother alone;-)
I used to study Kenjutsu, and then Kendo and competed in tournies when I was younger.
If your not in good shape, you don't last very long!
I would personally recommend a truck-load of hand grenades and Claymore mines....they are both easily 'field improvised'.