Frank is of the opinion that adults should police themselves for excessive gambling, and the government should stay out of their way.
When I hear politicians saying the same thing about prostitution, drugs, and real world gambling outside of protected enclaves (Vegas, Atlantic City, Indians, etc.) and a host of other issues too long to list I'll believe we're making some sort of progress.
Right now I could get fired for having a $1 football pool at work because, if discovered, the state can prosecute my employer for sponsoring an illegal lottery.
Chomsky describes himself as a "a libertarian socialist", whatever that means.
He's one of those guys that heavily criticizes the USA, but still seems to admire it. Constructive criticism as opposed to the destructive type we usually get in the media.
As for free speech, he refuses to even take legal action when someone libels him, so I'd say he favors free speech.:)
I dunno. Even after being aware of him since my teens, sometimes I'm still not sure what to make of the guy.
And people who do this for a living have thought about it for far longer than a minute, and have arrived at the exact opposite conclusion as you.
A planet needs to be at a precise distance from a star based on its chemical makeup.
How precise? NASA folks think Mars might have once supported microbial life (maybe still does based on the methane readings). That's two planets in one solar system at a precise distance. They even theorize about life under Europa's ice. That's pretty loose precision. And don't get me started on extremophiles.
A planet needs a trigger in order for life to emerge.
The formation of the first protocells is a hotly debated topic. Who knows how often the "trigger" occurs or how amenable our universe's physics are to it's happening?
The Miller experiment in the 1950's showed you can get the basic organic molecules from the fundamental gasses and some lightning bolts. Organics have also been observed, via spectra, in comets and nebula. They're everywhere.
That life needs to be able to somehow sustain itself.
Isn't that one of the definitions of life?
That life has to be able to survive celestial events.
There some that feel that early Earth microbes surivied the massive collision that created the Moon. All subsequent cataclysims resulted in extinctions, but never a complete erasure of life. I think life has been proven empirically to be rather hardy.
Odds that such a planet exists anywhere is astronomical. Earth is really one of a kind place.
We have absolutely no idea what the probability is.
That reminds me. When the heck does "Spore" come out?:-)
...why not just use the existing version? Is there some hypercomplicated type of document the kids are making that required the new Office version? Seriously, I create detailed engineering reports on a regular basis, and I could probably do it in Word 5.1 for the Mac if my employer would let me. Or even Appleworks. Why not use that? It's free with the Macs.
So move out of this "Michigan" as you call it. Is that even a real place? Isn't that where dark elves live? I read that somewhere. At least move somewhere that has discovered fire.
Come to Southern California. I'm planning on training illegal aliens to install fiber. We'll deliver 20 Mbps for $5 a month, and your lawn gets mowed, too! Viva la Rasa!
Slashdot Mirror
Frank is of the opinion that adults should police themselves for excessive gambling, and the government should stay out of their way.
When I hear politicians saying the same thing about prostitution, drugs, and real world gambling outside of protected enclaves (Vegas, Atlantic City, Indians, etc.) and a host of other issues too long to list I'll believe we're making some sort of progress.
Right now I could get fired for having a $1 football pool at work because, if discovered, the state can prosecute my employer for sponsoring an illegal lottery.
Isn't this like kicking puppies or shooting the proverbial (ha!) fish in a barrel?
Slow tech news day?
Gimme fricken Spore already!
Spore! Spore! Spore! Spore! Spore!
Chenanigans? Wasn't that a Native American tribe in western Texas?
"God particle" is an affectionate term for the particle use by Actual Scientists. Stop whining about its.
Hard core pendantry can be really ugly, kids.
But if you must: the term was coined by Leon Lederman, who won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1988. That scientific enough for you?
Eh... everyone is just talking trash at this point.
This means the next Dissenters' March in Moscow might as well be met with real bullets...
So bring your own bullets. Hell, where do I need to ship some? I'll support ya.
Did I run over your dog or something?
Everyone's a snide little clever genius after the fact.
You win comment of the week. :) My God, if that isn't *the* thing that's infecting (and destroying) topical debate these days...
Chomsky describes himself as a "a libertarian socialist", whatever that means.
:)
He's one of those guys that heavily criticizes the USA, but still seems to admire it. Constructive criticism as opposed to the destructive type we usually get in the media.
As for free speech, he refuses to even take legal action when someone libels him, so I'd say he favors free speech.
I dunno. Even after being aware of him since my teens, sometimes I'm still not sure what to make of the guy.
My favorite is Steven Baxter's Squeem. They were essentailly intelligent turbluence patterns in fluid.
Personally I'm skeptical about any sort of life outside carbon based and *maybe* silicon, but I do enjoy an original SF alien design.
Next thing you know, daily chocolate and wine will be good for you!
Psychologically speaking, it is.
Especially if shared and it leads to sex.
and then propose a bullshit natural treatment.
Never underestimate the power of a good chant! :)
Especially with an Enya song playing in the background.
Oh, and candles. Preferably Wiccan.
OK, so now cell phones can *cure* cancer! :-)
think about it for a minute:
A whole minute? Might make brain hurt!
And people who do this for a living have thought about it for far longer than a minute, and have arrived at the exact opposite conclusion as you.
A planet needs to be at a precise distance from a star based on its chemical makeup.
How precise? NASA folks think Mars might have once supported microbial life (maybe still does based on the methane readings). That's two planets in one solar system at a precise distance. They even theorize about life under Europa's ice. That's pretty loose precision. And don't get me started on extremophiles.
A planet needs a trigger in order for life to emerge.
The formation of the first protocells is a hotly debated topic. Who knows how often the "trigger" occurs or how amenable our universe's physics are to it's happening?
The Miller experiment in the 1950's showed you can get the basic organic molecules from the fundamental gasses and some lightning bolts. Organics have also been observed, via spectra, in comets and nebula. They're everywhere.
That life needs to be able to somehow sustain itself.
Isn't that one of the definitions of life?
That life has to be able to survive celestial events.
There some that feel that early Earth microbes surivied the massive collision that created the Moon. All subsequent cataclysims resulted in extinctions, but never a complete erasure of life. I think life has been proven empirically to be rather hardy.
Odds that such a planet exists anywhere is astronomical. Earth is really one of a kind place.
We have absolutely no idea what the probability is.
That reminds me. When the heck does "Spore" come out? :-)
I fancy me a new planet to call my own.
Elwood: Slashdot Godwins.
Jake: I hate Slashdot Godwins.
Which would make you want to commit violence more, playing a video game or not getting a welfare check?
Someone spending a welfare check on a video game.
what can the west do about the situation before it's too late?
Put the robber on their most productive hex, and surround them with roads?
Sorry. I was playing Catan on XBox Live, like, all weekend.
...why not just use the existing version? Is there some hypercomplicated type of document the kids are making that required the new Office version? Seriously, I create detailed engineering reports on a regular basis, and I could probably do it in Word 5.1 for the Mac if my employer would let me. Or even Appleworks. Why not use that? It's free with the Macs.
...but they just didn't have the polygon counts back then. Computer Aided Design on the early von Neumann machines was not fun.
A pilot would easily find it even without a map.
Uh, yeah. I think that actually happened. Heard about it on the news or something.
So move out of this "Michigan" as you call it. Is that even a real place? Isn't that where dark elves live? I read that somewhere. At least move somewhere that has discovered fire.
Come to Southern California. I'm planning on training illegal aliens to install fiber. We'll deliver 20 Mbps for $5 a month, and your lawn gets mowed, too! Viva la Rasa!
Cable penetration is almost nil here, in 2007.
Wow. Not even the Cinemax fakey penetration?
Seriously, what did ATT pay for this article^H^H^H^H^H^H ad?
He GAVE it to us
I may have only been 12, but I distinctly recall paying $6 for it.
When in doubt, follow the money.
... or toss out a cliche.