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User: Avoiderman

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  1. It is cabling that really worries me on Python Joins Movement To Dump 'Offensive' Master, Slave Terms (theregister.co.uk) · · Score: 1

    Is anyone working out how on earth we are going to define cable connectors once we drop the traditional male-female only configurations and allow the full range of modern relationships?

  2. Re: Leading the way to a police state on Digital Economy Act: Illegal Kodi Streams Could Now Land Users In Prison For 10 Years (independent.co.uk) · · Score: 1

    Indeed. Simpler stated this should have remained civil not criminal law, where it is just about any economic damage. UK has allowed private company interests direct a whole police force in the City of London Police. Already a fascist police state.

  3. So the statement is true that several owned slaves. Your obsession with what colour (slavery is wrong whatever colour), and baseless insults on education and "worldview" appear irrelevant, and disappointing IMHO. I'll take the relative mod points as a sad lesson in how well worded nationalist diatribe has for a while beaten the logic that I hoped I saw rise to the top when first here.

  4. obvious on London Mayor Boris Johnson Condemns Random Uber Pick-Ups · · Score: 2

    Obvious shill story is obvious. Ill informed use of "random" in title on slashdot. Together enough to keep me away from Uber.

  5. Re: That's not going to make on London Regulator Says Uber Is Operating Legally · · Score: 1

    Google doesn't know anything. I've met her .... Being serious you totally lost credibility when you started anthropomorphising a network of computers. Be scientific, the test has been done repeatedly between satnavs and trained cabbies - cabbies still win.

  6. Re: Expect the Republicans... on London Regulator Says Uber Is Operating Legally · · Score: 2

    *cough* Bush

  7. Re: Expect the Republicans... on London Regulator Says Uber Is Operating Legally · · Score: 1

    Spending cuts targeting benefits that haven't cut the debt or deficit (go read the government stats) are politically motivated. And you sir, by name calling, have already lost the argument.

  8. Re:you wanted capitalism on Interview With TSA Screener Reveals 'Fatal Flaws' · · Score: 1

    As opposed to every other system whereby the most powerful are the government and have no need to "consolidate" power as they already have all of it and can readily siphon off government money for their own purposes. No amount of ideology about how some economic system is supposed to work will change humans from how they actually behave.

    There are more than two ways. that is all.

  9. Re:Firing in US on Interview With TSA Screener Reveals 'Fatal Flaws' · · Score: 1

    citation needed

  10. Re:Firing in US on Interview With TSA Screener Reveals 'Fatal Flaws' · · Score: 1

    This.

    The evolutionary fitness argument of markets is nice and all, but the reality is as above, and it impacts on many lives and wastes resources every day. Surely we can consider ways to improve this, perhaps by more democratic or crowd-sourced monitoring of key decisions. Egos can sometimes be dissolved by many eyes.

  11. Re:Firing in US on Interview With TSA Screener Reveals 'Fatal Flaws' · · Score: 1

    firstly, following the thread the argument was about a free job market, and the ability to fire at will. On your second point, I agree wholeheartedly - a great example that a "free market" is in fact a myth.

  12. Re:Firing in US on Interview With TSA Screener Reveals 'Fatal Flaws' · · Score: 1

    There have been more than two forms of government. Yours is not an argument for what we have, it is a resignation from improving society. surely we can do better?

  13. Re:Firing in US on Interview With TSA Screener Reveals 'Fatal Flaws' · · Score: 2

    So why in the real world are so many bad managers in business. Nice theory - doesn't relate in any way to my experience of businesses in US and Europe.

  14. Re:Firing in US on Interview With TSA Screener Reveals 'Fatal Flaws' · · Score: 1

    BTW, it appears that you don't understand the beauty of the free market... If Enterprise A screws up, you can go work for (or buy products from) enterprises B, C, D, et al. If the government screws up, you can... move to another country?

    I'll take the free market, thanks.

    Sadly your example only works in some fields not all. The myth here is that of universal access. Works for some industries (e.g. pc manufacturer), not others e.g. transport (I want to go to one place, not any place).

    Central provider has flaws too. Particularly where unmonitored (e.g. soviet style dictatorship). Can't we find a better way to manage finite resources that comes closer to democracy?

  15. Re:Firing in US on Interview With TSA Screener Reveals 'Fatal Flaws' · · Score: 1

    I worked for a company that paid me salary of about $100k a year.

    There's nothing wrong with that.

    You are in a minority, and with respect, yours is not the problem to which the thread refers. I'd agree you are not particularly exploited, and probably have some nice shoes too - this says nothing in itself about the best way to run society.

  16. Re:Firing in US on Interview With TSA Screener Reveals 'Fatal Flaws' · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Totally agree the specific case isn't free market. But interested in the wider debate. My experience is that the theory you state (and as I was taught), just doesn't appear to happen. From my working life, which I don't have any reason to believe has brought me in to contact with a particularly bad subset of people, poor performing people are often promoted, and massively inefficient business regularly carry on. Don't get me wrong I like the implied use of evolutionary theory, but I do not believe in the limited real world that it is the major factor. Many businesses work in isolated or limited gene pools, if i may abuse the metphor. Nor do I believe we should abbrogate responsibility for management of finite resources , or have the time (millions of generations) to allow such a crude tool to work.

  17. Re:Firing in US on Interview With TSA Screener Reveals 'Fatal Flaws' · · Score: 1

    *Yawn* - anyone capable of engagine in political debate? The last bit didn't really work. BTW the US, where the case happened, isn't currently socialist.

    I wasn't particularly calling for socialism, by pointing out some flaws in the "free market". I'd hoped we'd all moved on from a previous generations' stupid "only two possible ways to run the world, and one is evil" idea - it really didn't go well and it killed people, a lot.

  18. Re:Firing in US on Interview With TSA Screener Reveals 'Fatal Flaws' · · Score: 1

    And BTW, I really used to think that would happen. But in my experience sadly they often get promoted, government or company.

  19. Re:Firing in US on Interview With TSA Screener Reveals 'Fatal Flaws' · · Score: 1

    maybe rather than either example - "free market" or run by closed governments, we could try a third way. perhaps adults could manage their resources, and allow oversite of functioning to the review of the public, in a democratic way. our communications systems could now be that good.

  20. Re:Firing in US on Interview With TSA Screener Reveals 'Fatal Flaws' · · Score: 1

    Your definition of an economy appears to me to centre around what can fail 9in various ways). i'd rather not have that. Rather than play such vulnerable games as a proxy for management of (finite) resources, could we not be a little more adult, and just manage the resources? We have the ability to collate and manage them, and to understand the needs they fill. We also have improving means to communicate, and hence the Athenian dream of democracy finally has a chance to be considered.

  21. Re:Standard security on Interview With TSA Screener Reveals 'Fatal Flaws' · · Score: 1

    You'll find that's true of pretty much any job that combines low pay with repetitive or tedious work. If there's no incentive to do a good job, then most people won't bother. This was one of the big issues with communism.

    Nope - US isn't communist. This is the big hidden problem with Capitalism. In more socialised governments caring for each other is an incentive for some (admittedly not all, but more than where profit is the sole concern).

  22. Re:Firing in US on Interview With TSA Screener Reveals 'Fatal Flaws' · · Score: 1

    how about the fact that from the top down, there is no accountability for anything until shit meets fan? I'm in a similiar position in a government job where I routinely point out flaws in our SOP and demonstrate exactly how shit will meet fan unless we make simple changes. Those changes never happen, because it would cause the top to work. I usually get the response, "it's not broke, so we won't fix it". Would I go so far as to publicly document the flaws?? hells no. That's suicidal.

    How many lives depend? Not documenting the flaws could be long term damaging to your freedom, should anything go wrong in a public way. Entirely depends on your line of work and odds of public impact.

  23. Re:Firing in US on Interview With TSA Screener Reveals 'Fatal Flaws' · · Score: 1

    The US is really no better or worse than Europe

    You know this? How? Have you lived in both places? I have. Ten years living and working in the US. It has plenty flaws for sure. When it comes to the treatment of individuals they pale in comparison to Europe though. The EU, as an example, is the biggest threat to democracy this side of 1933.

    Seriously - you've heard of North Korea. I mean I'd like to see improvement of the EEC and EU institutions, but overblown retoric loses you more support than it gains ... and as for the analogy - unfortunate choice - you do realise the rest of the EU saw and reacted to the "1933 threat" you allude to in 1939, significantly before the US?

  24. Re:Firing in US on Interview With TSA Screener Reveals 'Fatal Flaws' · · Score: 1

    Not in UK at least - all in education are discounted from such figures whether in full or part time education.

  25. Re:Firing in US on Interview With TSA Screener Reveals 'Fatal Flaws' · · Score: 1

    Let me guess... they were roundly castigated for being heartless bastards? In the pocket of "big business?" When unemployment ultimately goes down because hiring new employees has become less risky, I somehow doubt that many people (besides maybe professional economists) will remember and give them credit for it.

    Unemployment went up. Sorry, but reality doesn't match your delusions. Should we have reality fired?