I think the point of the statement "we are all created equal" really means that when a human being is born, anywhere in the world, it is equal to every other baby that is being born at that instant, all babies born in the past, and all yet to be born in the future. What it then implicitly means is that it is society which imposes equal or inequal rights for all different kinds of people. If you are lucky enough to live in a society (as I do) with a fair and accomodating social security system, and legislation in place to prevent all sorts of discrimination, then you must remember that not everbody does. Rousseau said "Man is free yet everywhere he is in chains", and that can mean many things from the legislative restraints placed on us by our society, or the atrocities such as the apartheid in south africa or slavery in the US in the 18th century. The point of the statement "we are all created equal" is to point out that although all the people in the world begin their lives as equals, we very quickly become subject to the influences and rules of the societies that we are born into. If you are lucky enough to live in the West then often the greatest inconvenience is having to drive at the speed limit or having to pay extra tax when you buy cigarettes. It isn't the same the world over, but it is something that we must hope will rectify it's self with time.
If you're interested in the subject, there are many good books to read, but the best are Animal Farm by George Orwell, and Sacred Hunger by Barry Unsworth. Both tackle the issues of the equalities and inequalties of the natural human state and those imposed on us by established societies.
I refuse to believe your tin-hat, bomb-shelter-in-the-back-garden approach to the government. Your U.S. government may behave in that way, but here in Britain we have laws and regulations to prevent the government behaving in the way that you describe. I am quite happy to work all my life and pay my taxes so that I and others less (and more) fortunate than myself can have free healthcare, a sizeable state pension, and a government that looks after me when my fortunes take a turn for the worse. Cos not everyone can afford to buy a house with ready cash, and i'm sure that works out great for you, but most people have to pay the rent, the mortgage, their tax and national insurance before they can enjoy the money they earn. And that doesn't bother me, cos at the end of the day, and my mortgage, i'm going to have a nice big house to pass down to my kiddies. My life is not about tax evasion and looking after number 1. I am quite happy to pay my dues because I know that my money goes to pay for another mother's chemotherapy, or a poor student's rent for a month.
I'm also pretty sure that the Bank of England's Base Rate has been stable for the last 4 or 5 quarters in order to keep inflation in check, but you know, that's just a minor little detail. Economic problems are mostly caused by the free market anyway, as anyone involved in the High Street Fashion business in Britain will tell you. People are just choosing to spend elsewhere. I can clearly see that we just have different approaches to life, and that is perfectly fine by me. It's been lovely debating with you.
I just disagree with you. That's just the way it is. Yes, I guess some companies would want to work together, but in reality i think that all the small individuals/companies would be trying to give themselves their own unique extension, and we would end up with a world of confusing, disparate and maybe even offensive urls. When you talk about the free market solution, you have to remember that the Internet is a unique being, and that you don't need to be a business to take part in the melee. Yes, in the real world, companies behave ethically or they will be charged with an offence or run out of the market becuase people won't use their product. But if you gave over domain registration to just anybody, then my next door neighbour could create one, or a murderer, or even a child. The Internet, by it's very nature, is a great leveller, but it is also very anonymous, and to be honest, I want to know that someone with a sense of responsability is making decisions as important as domain registration. If you don't think it's important, that's up to you.
For your information, the pensions crisis in Britain is by far and away going to be caused (for it hasn't happened yet) by all the Baby Boomers retiring at once, and every single one of them living an average of 8-10 years longer than their parents. And as Lord Turner so aptly pointed out, if you left it up to your average 26 year old, they wouldn't put any money away for the future. It is the government's responsibility to put away 4% more of our GDP into the pensions fund, and to raise the retirement age at that. I would not think that those sorts of solutions would be available to the free market, and personally, I want to know that something is being done, by someone with the right sort of power and responsibility, to ensure the financial security of myself and my children in old age. But this is really beside the point.
If you are quite happy to have just anyone creating domains, that's great. But i think that most people would appreciate a responsible body of people in the know considering the propriety of creating and redefining domain names. In my opinion, it is far better to have some rules, than open the field up to just anybody, because that can only result in chaos.
You bring up an interesting point, but it is one that is widely thought of as unacceptable in this case. ICANN would not exist if it had been deemed that the "free market" would come up with a suitable solution on its own. Domains cannot be influenced by the free market, as you would either have so many domains that you would have search google every time you wanted to find a website, or everyone would be so lazy that there would only be one. It is important that there are some rules determining what a domain can represent, and that there is a collection of people who are willing to debate propriety of creating or redefining a new domain.
Personally, I am very grateful that there are some people who have taken on this responsability for me, because when i create a new website, or surf the web, I know what kind of urls to use in each case, because the rules are simple and well-defined. If it was left up to the free market, the chances are that any rules that may be created would be haphazard or confusing, or we would be left with a chaotic mess without any rules at all. The influence of the free market works for stopping one coffee company from monopolising the market, or to ensure that every new business starts off from an even footing. There are many situations in which is not applicable. You cannot expect the free market to sort out the problems of the pensions crisis in Britain, or to regulate the monopoly of only-just-privatised companies like National Rail, Royal Mail or BT. ICANN is there for a reason, and that is to provide some sense and insight into the problem of domain name registration. If they don't regulate it, then who will? And who would enforce all of these newly determined free-market solutions? I certainly can't be bothered to spend my Sunday afternoons on the problem.
I wish I had mod points today. I haven't seen such an excellently argued and well-rounded point in a long long time. Well done, hopefully someone with the hallowed mod points will notice your comment and give you the recognition you deserve.
I don't know about you but all that matters to me is portability and access to information. PDAs are more portable than books, and the internet is a better model of distribution. These are facts and you cannot argue against it.
I disagree with you almost entirely. The book has, since the technology of the printing press was invented in the 15th century, has been the main cheap and efficient way of getting information to the masses. The invention of the printing press caused the literary revolution that spurred the uneducated population to learn to read, even if only to be able to understand the english-language King James Bible.
Certainly, computers and the Internet have their place in our modern society. They provide a vast source of entertainment and, if you are happy with questionable sources, a certain amount of information. However, I think that most people would agree that books provide you with a more credible and more reference-worthy source of information.
Personally, I find that books provide me with the sort of enjoyable reading experience I never want to become extinct. There are many people who agree with me, and it might be my perspective as a student, but I happen to think that book-lovers are in the majority. I don't know one person who reads everything online - and I have some very geeky friends.
You are entitled to your opinion, of course, but I think you'll find that a library contains a much more diversified (and certainly much more credible) source of information. I can't comment on whether libraries are a westernised way of handling information (though arguably, the Internet, having been invented by Americans, is rather westernised). However, in Britain certainly, there is one library which holds a copy of every book ever published, which is rather inventively named the British Library. It doesn't take long to get a Reader's Pass, and is most convenient. I would rather expect that there is a library somewhere in America that does the same thing.
Books always have been and will always remain an excellent way of providing information and entertainment to the masses. Without books, no-one would have had the knowledge to invent the Internet. Don't take them for granted.
I am not a doctor, but if you had actually read your own link, you would have noticed two things that show it to be irrelevant in this case. 1) The second sentence states that there is a "predilection" for "tubular long bones", and that 50% of cases occur around the knee, not in the skull.
2) The third sentence goes on to say (i'm paraphrasing in clearer english) that it is actually a cancer of connective tissue, and thus will only occur in joints, where such connective tissue is present, and that the lump in the bone is actually a secondary symptom of the disease.
I'm not saying that microwaves can't cause osteosarcoma, but i think it highly unlikely that said osteosarcoma would occur in the skull. However, I am not a doctor, and anyone who is should feel free to correct me.
I wish I had mod points right now. Well said, and I would like to second your point. I live in London, and I take the buses and the tubes all the time. This has hit me very close to home, and though everyone i know is alright, i really wish that everyone here would stop talking about the war on terror.
It's a very difficult time for everyone in London, and I hope sincerely that no more explosions happen, and that the death and injury count is as small as possible. I hope that the perpetrators know that we won't let them win. My greatest sympathies go out to the victims and their families.
WTF? Seriously, what's hard to understand here, you should buy the product that is the best value, not the product which is made by your favourite idiological organisation.
I'm afraid I don't understand your argument. It seems rather impossible to me that, in a democratic and free society, you feel that you can go around and tell people what they should and shouldn't do. Not everyone has money at the top of their priority tree, and I think you'll find that, for a lot of the population, ethical considerations are becoming much more important. I don't understand why it's so important that everyone saves an extra 57p/$1 when that money could save a little girl from working in a sweatshop all day. Or it could save a woman with nine kids from having to sew footballs together for pittance, and help her to get a much better job and even an education.
When just one person buys the more expensive product, 57p doesn't sound like a lot. But we're a world community, and if 10,000 people do it across the globe, which is a tiny proportion of the global population, then that's £5700 ($10,000). That's enough to start building a school. Or a few fresh water wells. So yeah, I know $1 of the purchase price going to charity doesn't sound like a lot. But if even a quarter of the population of the US buys that product, that's $73,933,533.50 (£42,069,440.81) raised for charity. That's an amazing amount, and at the moment, it's not being raised in full, because people can't be bothered to reach into their pockets and give an extra dollar/57p. Shame, really.
Hmmm, that's interesting. For as long as I can remember, I have been playing Monopoly on the board that my mother used as a child, and there was not one card that began "Take a walk on the broadwalk..." though there was an "Advance directly to Mayfair". There was also most definitely a "Go Back to Old Kent Road" because it used to annoy the hell out of me. And before you ask, I am British, and although my board is only 50 years old, I'm inclined to say that it has all the original features included in the game. How old is your board?
Well said. Quite frankly, I haven't heard a better argument for correct grammar use in a long time. A lot of people would tend to be patronising when making that argument, whereas you seem to realise that a lot of people do it through sheer laziness and that it is a choice, rather than a lack of education on the subject.
Personally I think that misspellings and incorrect grammar are often the results of rushing to finish, or just pure laziness, as most of the population reads enough to realise what good grammar and spelling should look like. For my money, I always know when something looks wrong, and it's only when i'm rushing to miss a deadline that I don't go back and change it. I sometimes don't have time to check spelling and grammar in exams either. However, I think that if you do have time and what you've written does look wrong, there's no excuse but to look it up and change it. There are plenty of good grammar books around these days.
That's a really good list, I love a good few of the ones on that list, craptastic, asshat and sexcapade being my favourites. I use them a surprising amount really! I'd like to add a couple to your list:
- Shoogle (meaning to shake gently)
- Freakazoid (meaning a big or unusual freak)
The first word was introduced to me by a friend, and the last one i introduced to a few of my friends, but i'm sure it's been around for many years. I love using unusual words that aren't in the dictionary, i think it makes language more colourful and interesting.
I think that the real issue here is having compassion for our fellow human beings. I'm sorry that you have to get up earlier than he does, but maybe he works a twelve hour shift 5 days a week, and so gets very tired. Maybe he's a uni student who has 5 9am lectures a week, but still gets up at the weekend to work on both the saturday and the sunday.
Maybe, just maybe, you should think about the situations that other people might be in to make it difficult for them to get up, rather than just sounding off and telling them to pull themselves together. A little consideration goes a long way.
I think that your thinking of Frustration, i'm sure that had a Pop-O-Matic. I can't believe that i managed to remember that, but i'm pretty sure that's the game. It came in a blue box, as I remember, and I think my sister still owns it!
My personal favourite game has got to be Coppit. Very english game involving capturing as many cones as possible, and very addictive. I think they stopped making it for a while, but I saw it in Hamleys the other day, so it must be fashionable again. Anyone else remember this game?
Re:When will they update the firmware for old iPod
on
Apple Updates iPod
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· Score: 1
I think you'll find that they did add that feature to the main menu during the last major firmware update for the iPod and iPod mini. If you've never updated the firmware on your iPod/iPod mini, then you can find the update here
and here.
If you have updated your firmware before, might be worth running through the process again, just in case some of the features didn't install properly.
A few hundred years ago, no-one knew what the atom looked like, or what gravity was, or if it was possible to make an object fly. However, a few brilliant people were able to look at the accepted view of the world and throw it out of the window. Without them would we not have computers or motorised transportation, or tv, or any of the many things that we take for granted in today's world. If all of those scientists had given up when their discoveries were rejected by their peers, then we would not be where we are today.
Now it looks like a few badly worded laws are going to stifle the innovation of today. There are so many wonderful projects and ideas that never get off the ground due to lack of funds, what are we to do if the ones that do get enough funding are stopped from reaching the public through these laws?
This list really highlights the fact that these laws touch a wide range of issues, including the innovation of new technology if it brushes up against copyright issues. It is a sad day that we need such a list, but I am pleased that the issues arising from the copyright laws are being raised for us all to see.
If you ask me, it is people like you who make Slashdot articles difficult to read. Yeah, so some guy posted a joke that was vaguely funny, and someone else modded him up, so what? it's hardly the end of the world, and yet that doesn't stop you from posting an insanely angry overreaction.
Most of the people who read Slashdot every day are just trying to learn a few things and impart their wisdom on other people. You are obviously here to complain and create problems.
I just wish you would go and do it somewhere else, and stop wasting everyone's time.
He may have been nagging, but to be honest he was making a decent point. I download movies and music just like the next person, but i draw the line at stealing software when there are plenty of good free alternatives around. I personally use AVG on my laptop, and I have never had a problem. It's fast, efficient, checks my mail, and updates on a regular basis.
He may have been nagging, but his point is still valid. With a little research, it's amazing what you can download legally and for free online.
I think that whomever modded you a troll for your previous comment was really right. I currently own a 4 year old laptop running win2k, and i never ever have any problems with the IP addresses, network cards or connecting to the internet in any way. It just seems to me that you seem to not be able to care for your computers properly. I also have a 6 year old desktop running win98, and you know what? it still works just fine.
If you want my opinion, the grandparent to this comment is right. If we gave you a computer all set up with win2k and prevented you from altering it, it would still work just fine in 3 years time.
As I said previously, I was just trying to present a different view of uni students to the parent comment of my original post. I'm glad that i caused so much controversy with what i said about movies and downloads, and you are entitled to think what you like about me.
Having said that, I don't think that downloading movies or music makes me a bad person, particularly when i don't have the money to go to the cinema, go to gigs, or buy said movies or music. And you might say that i should go without or that i take it for granted even. But i am only 20 years old, and therefore movies and music are high on my list of interests and influences.
It is rather ironic that you think that i am one of the people who cause a lot of the problems in this world. I believe it is people who resort to petty name calling in an otherwise civilised debate who cause the biggest problems of all.
I'm a student as well, and i often find that I cannot spend money on movies and music because I can't make ends meet. I completely understand why you download things, and i often download music and movies and tv programs myself. But i did just want to present a slightly different view of uni students.
I feel guilty that i download things. And, in general, i only use it as a stopgap while i earn more money, and as a trial to see if it is worth spending my hard-earned cash on the dvd or cd or whatever. I do not think that i should be deemed a bad person because i do this, and i most certainly should not be deemed lazy.
You may think what you like about me, but i know that my downloading of things is only because i can't afford the legal alternative. and yes, you may say to me that i should go without, but have you tried living for 6 months without seeing a new movie?
so the guy above may not care about paying money to see a movie, but i do. there just isn't much i can do about it, until i fall upon happier times.
Personally, I think people should stop worrying so much about whether they'll get modded up or down for a comment, and just say what they really believe. A little honesty would go a long way around here, and perhaps we wouldn't get so many off-topic discussions about modding during otherwise interesting and lively debates.
It is such a shame to waste time wondering what other people think of us, when the only thing that really matters is what we think of ourselves.
It's not the GB of space that makes it innovative. I agree with you there. But it is the other touches that makes it innovative, because no other webmail provider has them.
It organises messages with the same subject line into "conversations", which gives an easy access to all of the emails on a certain topic. You can search your inbox, so that you can find something quickly in the vast plethora of messages you may have. It's spam filters are better than any i've come across, seeing as i haven't had one spam message in the 6 months i've had the account. It uses labels instead of folders, so that you can put your messages into more than one category at a time, should you so desire.
You can critise Gmail all you want, but it really just shows that you don't appreciate the finer points of its coding, and their efforts to improve the webmail experience for its users. IMO, it's not the space that makes it innovative, but the details, just as with anything in this life. Films, architechture, novels - your experience of them is better if you can appreciate the details.
There hasn't been any innovation at Google in a long time.
I don't understand how you can say that. Have you heard about Gmail? I know it's only in beta at the moment, but it's the most innovative webmail i've ever come across. When it comes out of beta, hotmail and the like will be left eating Gmail's dust. And what about Froogle? or the updates on the main search facility and the image search facility? There are plenty of innovations happening at Google, all the time, and your statement shows a lack of research and appreciation for their work.
That's one of the things I love most about Firefox; you can set up keywords for your bookmarks, it makes browsing my favourite sites so much quicker. At the end of the day, a user's preference for Mozilla or Firefox is totally personal, but I think that more and more people are being won over by Firefox's many charms. It already has 5% of the market share, which has eaten directly into IE's market share.
No-one has to agree with me, but i think that Firefox has everything i need from a browser, so i'm happy.
Slashdot Mirror
I think the point of the statement "we are all created equal" really means that when a human being is born, anywhere in the world, it is equal to every other baby that is being born at that instant, all babies born in the past, and all yet to be born in the future. What it then implicitly means is that it is society which imposes equal or inequal rights for all different kinds of people. If you are lucky enough to live in a society (as I do) with a fair and accomodating social security system, and legislation in place to prevent all sorts of discrimination, then you must remember that not everbody does. Rousseau said "Man is free yet everywhere he is in chains", and that can mean many things from the legislative restraints placed on us by our society, or the atrocities such as the apartheid in south africa or slavery in the US in the 18th century. The point of the statement "we are all created equal" is to point out that although all the people in the world begin their lives as equals, we very quickly become subject to the influences and rules of the societies that we are born into. If you are lucky enough to live in the West then often the greatest inconvenience is having to drive at the speed limit or having to pay extra tax when you buy cigarettes. It isn't the same the world over, but it is something that we must hope will rectify it's self with time.
If you're interested in the subject, there are many good books to read, but the best are Animal Farm by George Orwell, and Sacred Hunger by Barry Unsworth. Both tackle the issues of the equalities and inequalties of the natural human state and those imposed on us by established societies.
I refuse to believe your tin-hat, bomb-shelter-in-the-back-garden approach to the government. Your U.S. government may behave in that way, but here in Britain we have laws and regulations to prevent the government behaving in the way that you describe. I am quite happy to work all my life and pay my taxes so that I and others less (and more) fortunate than myself can have free healthcare, a sizeable state pension, and a government that looks after me when my fortunes take a turn for the worse. Cos not everyone can afford to buy a house with ready cash, and i'm sure that works out great for you, but most people have to pay the rent, the mortgage, their tax and national insurance before they can enjoy the money they earn. And that doesn't bother me, cos at the end of the day, and my mortgage, i'm going to have a nice big house to pass down to my kiddies. My life is not about tax evasion and looking after number 1. I am quite happy to pay my dues because I know that my money goes to pay for another mother's chemotherapy, or a poor student's rent for a month.
I'm also pretty sure that the Bank of England's Base Rate has been stable for the last 4 or 5 quarters in order to keep inflation in check, but you know, that's just a minor little detail. Economic problems are mostly caused by the free market anyway, as anyone involved in the High Street Fashion business in Britain will tell you. People are just choosing to spend elsewhere. I can clearly see that we just have different approaches to life, and that is perfectly fine by me. It's been lovely debating with you.
I just disagree with you. That's just the way it is. Yes, I guess some companies would want to work together, but in reality i think that all the small individuals/companies would be trying to give themselves their own unique extension, and we would end up with a world of confusing, disparate and maybe even offensive urls. When you talk about the free market solution, you have to remember that the Internet is a unique being, and that you don't need to be a business to take part in the melee. Yes, in the real world, companies behave ethically or they will be charged with an offence or run out of the market becuase people won't use their product. But if you gave over domain registration to just anybody, then my next door neighbour could create one, or a murderer, or even a child. The Internet, by it's very nature, is a great leveller, but it is also very anonymous, and to be honest, I want to know that someone with a sense of responsability is making decisions as important as domain registration. If you don't think it's important, that's up to you.
For your information, the pensions crisis in Britain is by far and away going to be caused (for it hasn't happened yet) by all the Baby Boomers retiring at once, and every single one of them living an average of 8-10 years longer than their parents. And as Lord Turner so aptly pointed out, if you left it up to your average 26 year old, they wouldn't put any money away for the future. It is the government's responsibility to put away 4% more of our GDP into the pensions fund, and to raise the retirement age at that. I would not think that those sorts of solutions would be available to the free market, and personally, I want to know that something is being done, by someone with the right sort of power and responsibility, to ensure the financial security of myself and my children in old age. But this is really beside the point.
If you are quite happy to have just anyone creating domains, that's great. But i think that most people would appreciate a responsible body of people in the know considering the propriety of creating and redefining domain names. In my opinion, it is far better to have some rules, than open the field up to just anybody, because that can only result in chaos.
You bring up an interesting point, but it is one that is widely thought of as unacceptable in this case. ICANN would not exist if it had been deemed that the "free market" would come up with a suitable solution on its own. Domains cannot be influenced by the free market, as you would either have so many domains that you would have search google every time you wanted to find a website, or everyone would be so lazy that there would only be one. It is important that there are some rules determining what a domain can represent, and that there is a collection of people who are willing to debate propriety of creating or redefining a new domain.
Personally, I am very grateful that there are some people who have taken on this responsability for me, because when i create a new website, or surf the web, I know what kind of urls to use in each case, because the rules are simple and well-defined. If it was left up to the free market, the chances are that any rules that may be created would be haphazard or confusing, or we would be left with a chaotic mess without any rules at all. The influence of the free market works for stopping one coffee company from monopolising the market, or to ensure that every new business starts off from an even footing. There are many situations in which is not applicable. You cannot expect the free market to sort out the problems of the pensions crisis in Britain, or to regulate the monopoly of only-just-privatised companies like National Rail, Royal Mail or BT. ICANN is there for a reason, and that is to provide some sense and insight into the problem of domain name registration. If they don't regulate it, then who will? And who would enforce all of these newly determined free-market solutions? I certainly can't be bothered to spend my Sunday afternoons on the problem.
I wish I had mod points today. I haven't seen such an excellently argued and well-rounded point in a long long time. Well done, hopefully someone with the hallowed mod points will notice your comment and give you the recognition you deserve.
I don't know about you but all that matters to me is portability and access to information. PDAs are more portable than books, and the internet is a better model of distribution. These are facts and you cannot argue against it.
I disagree with you almost entirely. The book has, since the technology of the printing press was invented in the 15th century, has been the main cheap and efficient way of getting information to the masses. The invention of the printing press caused the literary revolution that spurred the uneducated population to learn to read, even if only to be able to understand the english-language King James Bible.
Certainly, computers and the Internet have their place in our modern society. They provide a vast source of entertainment and, if you are happy with questionable sources, a certain amount of information. However, I think that most people would agree that books provide you with a more credible and more reference-worthy source of information.
Personally, I find that books provide me with the sort of enjoyable reading experience I never want to become extinct. There are many people who agree with me, and it might be my perspective as a student, but I happen to think that book-lovers are in the majority. I don't know one person who reads everything online - and I have some very geeky friends.
You are entitled to your opinion, of course, but I think you'll find that a library contains a much more diversified (and certainly much more credible) source of information. I can't comment on whether libraries are a westernised way of handling information (though arguably, the Internet, having been invented by Americans, is rather westernised). However, in Britain certainly, there is one library which holds a copy of every book ever published, which is rather inventively named the British Library. It doesn't take long to get a Reader's Pass, and is most convenient. I would rather expect that there is a library somewhere in America that does the same thing.
Books always have been and will always remain an excellent way of providing information and entertainment to the masses. Without books, no-one would have had the knowledge to invent the Internet. Don't take them for granted.
Heard about Osteosarcoma ?
I am not a doctor, but if you had actually read your own link, you would have noticed two things that show it to be irrelevant in this case. 1) The second sentence states that there is a "predilection" for "tubular long bones", and that 50% of cases occur around the knee, not in the skull.
2) The third sentence goes on to say (i'm paraphrasing in clearer english) that it is actually a cancer of connective tissue, and thus will only occur in joints, where such connective tissue is present, and that the lump in the bone is actually a secondary symptom of the disease.
I'm not saying that microwaves can't cause osteosarcoma, but i think it highly unlikely that said osteosarcoma would occur in the skull. However, I am not a doctor, and anyone who is should feel free to correct me.
I wish I had mod points right now. Well said, and I would like to second your point. I live in London, and I take the buses and the tubes all the time. This has hit me very close to home, and though everyone i know is alright, i really wish that everyone here would stop talking about the war on terror.
It's a very difficult time for everyone in London, and I hope sincerely that no more explosions happen, and that the death and injury count is as small as possible. I hope that the perpetrators know that we won't let them win. My greatest sympathies go out to the victims and their families.
WTF? Seriously, what's hard to understand here, you should buy the product that is the best value, not the product which is made by your favourite idiological organisation.
I'm afraid I don't understand your argument. It seems rather impossible to me that, in a democratic and free society, you feel that you can go around and tell people what they should and shouldn't do. Not everyone has money at the top of their priority tree, and I think you'll find that, for a lot of the population, ethical considerations are becoming much more important. I don't understand why it's so important that everyone saves an extra 57p/$1 when that money could save a little girl from working in a sweatshop all day. Or it could save a woman with nine kids from having to sew footballs together for pittance, and help her to get a much better job and even an education.
When just one person buys the more expensive product, 57p doesn't sound like a lot. But we're a world community, and if 10,000 people do it across the globe, which is a tiny proportion of the global population, then that's £5700 ($10,000). That's enough to start building a school. Or a few fresh water wells. So yeah, I know $1 of the purchase price going to charity doesn't sound like a lot. But if even a quarter of the population of the US buys that product, that's $73,933,533.50 (£42,069,440.81) raised for charity. That's an amazing amount, and at the moment, it's not being raised in full, because people can't be bothered to reach into their pockets and give an extra dollar/57p. Shame, really.
Hmmm, that's interesting. For as long as I can remember, I have been playing Monopoly on the board that my mother used as a child, and there was not one card that began "Take a walk on the broadwalk..." though there was an "Advance directly to Mayfair". There was also most definitely a "Go Back to Old Kent Road" because it used to annoy the hell out of me. And before you ask, I am British, and although my board is only 50 years old, I'm inclined to say that it has all the original features included in the game. How old is your board?
Well said. Quite frankly, I haven't heard a better argument for correct grammar use in a long time. A lot of people would tend to be patronising when making that argument, whereas you seem to realise that a lot of people do it through sheer laziness and that it is a choice, rather than a lack of education on the subject.
Personally I think that misspellings and incorrect grammar are often the results of rushing to finish, or just pure laziness, as most of the population reads enough to realise what good grammar and spelling should look like. For my money, I always know when something looks wrong, and it's only when i'm rushing to miss a deadline that I don't go back and change it. I sometimes don't have time to check spelling and grammar in exams either. However, I think that if you do have time and what you've written does look wrong, there's no excuse but to look it up and change it. There are plenty of good grammar books around these days.
That's a really good list, I love a good few of the ones on that list, craptastic, asshat and sexcapade being my favourites. I use them a surprising amount really! I'd like to add a couple to your list:
- Shoogle (meaning to shake gently) - Freakazoid (meaning a big or unusual freak)
The first word was introduced to me by a friend, and the last one i introduced to a few of my friends, but i'm sure it's been around for many years. I love using unusual words that aren't in the dictionary, i think it makes language more colourful and interesting.
I think that the real issue here is having compassion for our fellow human beings. I'm sorry that you have to get up earlier than he does, but maybe he works a twelve hour shift 5 days a week, and so gets very tired. Maybe he's a uni student who has 5 9am lectures a week, but still gets up at the weekend to work on both the saturday and the sunday.
Maybe, just maybe, you should think about the situations that other people might be in to make it difficult for them to get up, rather than just sounding off and telling them to pull themselves together. A little consideration goes a long way.
I think that your thinking of Frustration, i'm sure that had a Pop-O-Matic. I can't believe that i managed to remember that, but i'm pretty sure that's the game. It came in a blue box, as I remember, and I think my sister still owns it!
My personal favourite game has got to be Coppit. Very english game involving capturing as many cones as possible, and very addictive. I think they stopped making it for a while, but I saw it in Hamleys the other day, so it must be fashionable again. Anyone else remember this game?
I think you'll find that they did add that feature to the main menu during the last major firmware update for the iPod and iPod mini. If you've never updated the firmware on your iPod/iPod mini, then you can find the update here and here.
If you have updated your firmware before, might be worth running through the process again, just in case some of the features didn't install properly.
A few hundred years ago, no-one knew what the atom looked like, or what gravity was, or if it was possible to make an object fly. However, a few brilliant people were able to look at the accepted view of the world and throw it out of the window. Without them would we not have computers or motorised transportation, or tv, or any of the many things that we take for granted in today's world. If all of those scientists had given up when their discoveries were rejected by their peers, then we would not be where we are today.
Now it looks like a few badly worded laws are going to stifle the innovation of today. There are so many wonderful projects and ideas that never get off the ground due to lack of funds, what are we to do if the ones that do get enough funding are stopped from reaching the public through these laws?
This list really highlights the fact that these laws touch a wide range of issues, including the innovation of new technology if it brushes up against copyright issues. It is a sad day that we need such a list, but I am pleased that the issues arising from the copyright laws are being raised for us all to see.
If you ask me, it is people like you who make Slashdot articles difficult to read. Yeah, so some guy posted a joke that was vaguely funny, and someone else modded him up, so what? it's hardly the end of the world, and yet that doesn't stop you from posting an insanely angry overreaction.
Most of the people who read Slashdot every day are just trying to learn a few things and impart their wisdom on other people. You are obviously here to complain and create problems.
I just wish you would go and do it somewhere else, and stop wasting everyone's time.
He may have been nagging, but to be honest he was making a decent point. I download movies and music just like the next person, but i draw the line at stealing software when there are plenty of good free alternatives around. I personally use AVG on my laptop, and I have never had a problem. It's fast, efficient, checks my mail, and updates on a regular basis.
He may have been nagging, but his point is still valid. With a little research, it's amazing what you can download legally and for free online.
I think that whomever modded you a troll for your previous comment was really right. I currently own a 4 year old laptop running win2k, and i never ever have any problems with the IP addresses, network cards or connecting to the internet in any way. It just seems to me that you seem to not be able to care for your computers properly. I also have a 6 year old desktop running win98, and you know what? it still works just fine.
If you want my opinion, the grandparent to this comment is right. If we gave you a computer all set up with win2k and prevented you from altering it, it would still work just fine in 3 years time.
As I said previously, I was just trying to present a different view of uni students to the parent comment of my original post. I'm glad that i caused so much controversy with what i said about movies and downloads, and you are entitled to think what you like about me.
Having said that, I don't think that downloading movies or music makes me a bad person, particularly when i don't have the money to go to the cinema, go to gigs, or buy said movies or music. And you might say that i should go without or that i take it for granted even. But i am only 20 years old, and therefore movies and music are high on my list of interests and influences.
It is rather ironic that you think that i am one of the people who cause a lot of the problems in this world. I believe it is people who resort to petty name calling in an otherwise civilised debate who cause the biggest problems of all.
I'm a student as well, and i often find that I cannot spend money on movies and music because I can't make ends meet. I completely understand why you download things, and i often download music and movies and tv programs myself. But i did just want to present a slightly different view of uni students.
I feel guilty that i download things. And, in general, i only use it as a stopgap while i earn more money, and as a trial to see if it is worth spending my hard-earned cash on the dvd or cd or whatever. I do not think that i should be deemed a bad person because i do this, and i most certainly should not be deemed lazy.
You may think what you like about me, but i know that my downloading of things is only because i can't afford the legal alternative. and yes, you may say to me that i should go without, but have you tried living for 6 months without seeing a new movie?
so the guy above may not care about paying money to see a movie, but i do. there just isn't much i can do about it, until i fall upon happier times.
Personally, I think people should stop worrying so much about whether they'll get modded up or down for a comment, and just say what they really believe. A little honesty would go a long way around here, and perhaps we wouldn't get so many off-topic discussions about modding during otherwise interesting and lively debates.
It is such a shame to waste time wondering what other people think of us, when the only thing that really matters is what we think of ourselves.
It's not the GB of space that makes it innovative. I agree with you there. But it is the other touches that makes it innovative, because no other webmail provider has them.
It organises messages with the same subject line into "conversations", which gives an easy access to all of the emails on a certain topic. You can search your inbox, so that you can find something quickly in the vast plethora of messages you may have. It's spam filters are better than any i've come across, seeing as i haven't had one spam message in the 6 months i've had the account. It uses labels instead of folders, so that you can put your messages into more than one category at a time, should you so desire.
You can critise Gmail all you want, but it really just shows that you don't appreciate the finer points of its coding, and their efforts to improve the webmail experience for its users. IMO, it's not the space that makes it innovative, but the details, just as with anything in this life. Films, architechture, novels - your experience of them is better if you can appreciate the details.
There hasn't been any innovation at Google in a long time.
I don't understand how you can say that. Have you heard about Gmail? I know it's only in beta at the moment, but it's the most innovative webmail i've ever come across. When it comes out of beta, hotmail and the like will be left eating Gmail's dust. And what about Froogle? or the updates on the main search facility and the image search facility? There are plenty of innovations happening at Google, all the time, and your statement shows a lack of research and appreciation for their work.
That's one of the things I love most about Firefox; you can set up keywords for your bookmarks, it makes browsing my favourite sites so much quicker. At the end of the day, a user's preference for Mozilla or Firefox is totally personal, but I think that more and more people are being won over by Firefox's many charms. It already has 5% of the market share, which has eaten directly into IE's market share.
No-one has to agree with me, but i think that Firefox has everything i need from a browser, so i'm happy.