(But Atari 2600? Ugh! You must have had one as a kid. All those games are horrible versions of the arcarde originals I loved as a kid. Couldn't, and can't, stand the 2600. Thank god the PC plays ROMs...)
Of course, what I failed to tell you lot, is that I hung around the local arcade hall, eventually dripping off on me as the local technician gave me the odd PCB with the original games when the idiot drunks smashed the arcade-game-machines. I connected the NTSC compatible RGB game PCB's to my SCART (multi format tv) and played the actual real arcade games in my very home.... hee hee....;)
I'm one of those kids who's prime was the 80's, I grew up with Atari 2600, Nintendo NES and Commodore 64. I used to program on the commodore 64 in assembly language because I wanted to make those games myself, and did...
However, now...much MUCH later, I still play console games. And I've noticed something over the years next to all my PC gear and consoles...is that consoles have a distinct advantage over the PC, I'll try to mention a few:
- Console games are just...you just start playing already, no need for all the driver-installation fuzz. Very practical. - The PC is much more forgiving when it comes to BUG fixes, PC versions tend to have more bugs and bug-patch releases, on consoles - you can't afford this so the games actually comes with less bugs in my experience. - Less cheating: One of my no#1 pet peeves when it comes to online gaming, are cheating bastards, they destroy the fun for everyone else, and they can literally WIPE out an entire planet of avid gamers with their stupid aimbots, wallhacks and frustrate the hell out of seriously good gamers. On consoles, it's not so easy to cheat that any wannabee script kiddie out there can add a patch, simply...it's too hard for them to do it. Less cheating, wonderful! - Games last longer: This might sound a bit odd, but I love to keep my games forever, and so I keep the consoles forever as well. I still have my Atari 2600, repaired the joystick a 100+ times, but enough OT. The games last longer because the games ages with the consoles. When you purchase NEW PC's or upgrade, you need endless patches and driver updates - buzz killington right there!
Nope, enough reasons above. The consoles will stay. (At least in my house);)
when AMD used to be the new kid on the block, super cheap processing power for all of us who wanted power without the money, I was a student back then. Amd could be overclocked out of this world, and Intel costing 3 times as much, and wasn't so overclockable.
It's always saddens me to see layoffs with the competitors because it only leads to more expensive products with the main stream, less innovations and everyone is going the safe way, saving, reducing costs, spending less on innovation and experimentation.
He probably refer to a real spectrum analyzer (these costs in the range of 10K towards 250K) which essentially can display a whole frequency spectrum in one go on the screen, represented as curves (not the garbled graphics dot hell your screen shot shows)
Here's a typical spectrum analyzer view: http://www.radaufunk.com/pictures/hp8569b/hp8569br.jpg The curve in the image COULD represent a signal found at ex 300 MHz, and the curves size could represent the bandwidth the signal is occupying (ex 6 MHz wide), and this signal is usually shown on the spectrum analyzer CRT as a real time signal, meaning it can show in a split second, if it vanishes, the curve is gone from the screen too.
Imagine you have a spectrum of 0.1 khz to 2 ghz, scanning at 20ms (the old HP 8590A does this), then you could effectively monitor any activity across the bands and immediately spot anyone transmitting in between the 0.1 kHz and 2 GHz and it will show up as a curve peaking in between start & stop of the scan (across the screen).
At least that's what I think he means. These instruments costs a fortune, but are quite useful. I have a HP 8590 myself.
In Norway, work hours are 34 hours a week. And yet Norway have some of the highest salaries in the world, some of the least unemployment and they are amongst the happiest people in the world as well.
Why? I'm pretty sure that is because they do reward efficiency rather than how many hours you put in. In Sweden it's the other way around, here they work 40-45 hours a week, and people sometimes feel miserable over the long working hours.
Of course, this is a problem that relates to the country you live in. Take a poor garbage man in a 3rd world country, he earns perhaps 4 dollars each day and his working hours are from 6 in the morning to 1 in the night, compared to him - we live a life of luxury. What makes us miserable though, is that we KNOW that life COULD be better, and we tend to envy those more fortunate than ourselves.
I'm a very efficient graphics artist, but that doesn't get me more pay, my boss only knows me for this speed, and if I slowed down I'd save on my already worn wrists, but he'd only focus on that then, I'd be out of the job - even if the other graphics artists are much slower.
I've had many jobs, in various countries, but it's always the same everywhere I go, my bosses has always looked into how many hours of work I put in, rather than the amount of work I actually get done.
It's like management like to focus on this as a sort of a "loyalty" test. They often work over hours themselves, especially owners of small businesses tend to work 80 hour weeks, and frown upon the worker that doesn't put in the extra hours, by giving you small hints like, - oh...going home so soon? Done already? Looking at you in a displeased disapproving way.
Many of them also discipline you by ignoring your comments and suggestions if you put less hours in, and appraise your every move if you do put overtime in without charging for it. And if you question that, then you'll get surprised looks of "oh, are you trying to think".... of course, you can't see their thoughts, because they're so focused on their beliefs and goals, that anything else is foreign to them. Deny deny deny!
I remember the time when I bought a HeNe Gas laser back in the 80's to make a spectacular laser show with, for the neighbors. I had no intentions on shining lights on airplanes or innocent people at all.
And I use lasers all the time in my electronics lab for experimentation.
Unfortunately, lasers have become so cheap, and super powerful laser-pointers (which has no real world use whatsoever) has become available to the street-kids, so we'll undoubtedly see these lasers become illegal for anyone to possess and own. Including innocent experimenters at home, thanks to the idiots in the streets who just find it fun to point 200mw lasers at anyone.
5mw is enough for anyone who wants to "play" with a laser pointer, it'll reach several hundred meters, enough to bedazzle the laymen out in the streets, and makes no difference from any 200mw+ laser whatsoever visibly, and furthermore...it won't blind anyone, not destroy pilots sights or policemen etc.
In fact...not even a 200mw laser will blind ANY pilot, as it is a physical impossibility to hold a 200mw laser beam of any significant distance steady by a human hand, it will shake - it will sway, it will swing...and the atmosphere will pollute and defocus the beam itself so it won't harm anyone.
There are two things that motivate me, and the one can't do without the other, both motivation condition must be met for me to thrive at work:
1) A good salary, so I can work and save towards my biggest dreams, I have to have something to chase.
2) An interesting assignment, an interesting project. This is what makes me WANT to go to work every day.
Here is what works, and what doesn't work: What doesn't work: Telling me that every job is interesting, and that I should be interested when I am not. Faking interest. Fake team spirit. (I'd like to work with MOTIVATED co-workers that actually take a great interest in their job, passion if you like!) Fake motivation. Don't even try, your employees can see through you like you're made of glass, the only reason they smile at your ideas are that you are directly responsible for their paychecks.
What DOES work: Honesty, above all. Always be 100% honest towards your employees, fail at this, and we will be sure to look elsewhere, and one day you'll fail severely because your ego blinds your eyes. So keep honest, always share everything, don't fake, lie or hide. People are more forgiving than you may think. Interesting projects. What's interesting to you may not be that interesting to me, sure - I am a professional, so I'll do the job regardless, but don't ask me to fake interest. Just trust me that I'll do a good job anyway, because I can and will...which brings us to the next level: Trust me, trust your employees. The single best thing you can do for your employees are to really trust them. If they deliver, they deliver, nothing magical about that. We're all in this boat called YOUR Company anyway, and no one of us have ANY interest in letting it sink, so why should we perform worse if you don't constantly nag, create reports and call into personal meetings? Don't believe that we'll sit there and surf the web because we really want to surf the web, this is something most of us can do at home, and if we do it at work, it is to relieve stress, and to keep up to date with an otherwise perhaps important network...yes...this could potentially be your next employee even. Many of us keep up to date with technology this way, we're paid professionals, just don't expect us to do that work at home too, we do it because it's our passion. Force is NOT the way.
Remember, a little understanding *and DO NOT TRY TO FAKE UNDERSTANDING* will go a really long way. Most IT workers are above average when it comes to intelligence (albeit, in some cases...one can really dispute and wonder about this). So when you try to explain to us why you have to cut back on bonuses, perks or whatever - tell the TRUTH, especially if you know the truth is going to sting a bit, if we discover that you lied, oh boy...mistake!
Portugal is also a very pretty country with lots of nature, and did I mention CHEAP housing with LOTS of land for pocket change? Plus low taxes, and even lower for the seniors.
Perfect retirement country, I may be heading there one day...who knows.
I've been living in Denmark for quite some time, and I can tell you - no one beats the Danes when it comes to cheap shitty beer.
You can purchase a SUPER strong 8% beer in Denmark (Called Harboe) for half a dollar, 33cl. And occasionally around Christmas, you can purchase a so called Christmas beer for 1 DKK (4-5 STRONG beers on ONE dollar), now tell me where in the world you can beat that.
I've been in USA a few months ago, your beer is tasty, but not super cheap. Drinking at the local bar in a SMALL town in Northern America set me back 8 USD per 50cl glass of beer, not exactly whoppingly cheap, it actually cost the same as drinking beer out in Copenhagen (which, is a relatively big city).
I bought a few brewskis at the gas-station near the motel I lived in the US, cost me 2-3 USD per bottle, not expensive, but still WAY more than even a luxury beer in Denmark.
Ignore that post (I seriously have to do some research before I post the first thing I see) duh!
It's supposed to be the 21 of December 2012 according to local kooks. But I found 21 of September by searching google, as some of the first results, duh. Oh well, I'm not one of those end time conspiracy nuts either, so...mod me down if you're one of them:)
It could be leds, fireballs, all kinds of flying devices people have made as a joke for this particular day. As some of you may recall, this is in fact the day predicted by the mayan calender that the world will end.
So I'm sort of guessing that it's a lot of pranksters all over the world, shooting up some fireworks to...well...get us all worked up!
I saw this over Sweden as well, exactly that time yesterday.
I thought it was party fireworks from our neighbors that had a party that night, so I didn't think about it until I thought it was a bit funny that there where no firework sounds, no explosions.
But that red ball that floated around was sure big and bright. I really honestly just thought it was your average red flare.
Nasa is the spearhead of innovation, if it wasn't for them, we'd not have a lot of the materials today that we make our innovations even more innovative with. Nasa isn't just all about space exploration, but what we can do with materials in near zero gravity, search for alternative energy sources that can literally save our lives, nanotechnology and beyond.
To see such an innovative organization being stripped down like that, rips my heart apart.
A lot of my friends are onto the 3D printing / CNC thing right now, personally I'm the "modelling" guy now, that does 3D models in software, so I'll just have to purchase the CNC from them:)
I never really dreamed of the day when I could pick anything I wanted without being a millionaire.
Well, these days I can. The only thing I have to be concerned of now, is my personal health and well being (physically, that is!).
Who's complaining? I only pity the kids who's only gripe on technology is an xbox and a smartphone, but they're not complaining either, they have no clue what we "the old dinosaurs of personal computing" grew up with, I pity them because they'll never have the in depth knowledge that we (40+ something) have.
I grew up with a Philips Electric Engineer 2003 electronics kit where I learned to follow schematics and make modifications (eg my own police radio) with these kits, later on I got a Commodore 64 in 1981/82, and since there where literally no software for it back then, I had to code my own, and BOY was that frustrating...and ultimately VERY much fun later on. It was like going exploring in an incredibly interesting new world, unseen and uncharted. I just only WISH kids could experience what I experienced back then, I know David Braben is trying to do this with his Raspberry PI, but it just seem to fetch the interest of old timers like me...he he...no wonder, btw. one can dream and hope, and of course...inspire.
I look at the world in a different way than kids do. Me? I live in a wifeless super-electronics-complex, totally mad science with 1000000's of components from the 50's to today, so many gadgets and computers you'd break into my house if you knew where I lived (and of course suffer the consequences of my analog gadgets that awaits such a culprit, oh straying off the subject here...). I have microcontrollers, I don't think about getting the latest smartphone if I feel like programming an APP, I actually make the darn thing from scratch with libraries, a few MCU's and sensors...and voila...new thingy that no one can explain, but most...enjoy.
The kids wonder if I am some kind of mad magician that can come up with stuff from gizmos (to them, totally unknown world...of components) laying around and just make it do cool stuff?
Thank god for the MAKER movement though, it IS slowly but steadily arising, and maybe once again, we'll get kids curious enough to dive into this basic, simple, from-scratch kind of DIY world that we once took for granted.
No, but I've heard that the pothead next door have some excellent pottery for sale.
I - however, like a million Chinese on eBay - can sell you any LED you'd ever want. Red led, white, pink, yellow, orange, blue, IR, UV, green...and did I mention we have a special on FLASHING leds? Just check out isle 4, and you'll find some reels of SMD RGB leds right there, the rainbow flash leds are on isle 8 on floor 7, area 7124...it's easy, just follow the white trail all the way, then take the transit system to HK dept. 7 and you'll be right there.
Ahhh, Beer, Electronics, nerds on Slashdot...life is good.
I just bought an TI nSpire in a thrift shop in USA on my vacation, with the accompanying software and all....when I came home to start using it, the software told me that the registration no# had already been used, and isn't valid for use anymore. So no Updating my TI:(
1) No, it's not lawful then and not lawful now. And for good reasons it never will be, read my Original Post (the first one in this thread).
2) It's a known fact that pretty much anyone can please themselves, therefor on a pure technical and physical level you can get pleased by others as well. Denying this is just closing your eyes in pure irrational rage over emotions. When one discuss things on a scientific level, one must look at all the possibilities without emotions, but even I have emotions, albeit my person has nothing to do with this discussion other than my presence and my mind.
In today's (and yesterdays) society, such an act would and almost certainly could have disastrous consequences. If you read my original post, you'd already know I think so.
3) I did, for years. I loved my job as kids always keep an open mind, but we never really discussed sexuality, unfortunately - being a teacher, doesn't pay enough these days, the salary is lousy to say the least.
You needn't worry - I have never touched a child sexually - ever, and I have a perfectly clean police record in all countries I've lived. Most schools need documentations from the police today, that you've never been sentenced, or suspected of such acts, and this is good. Unfortunately it doesn't always hit home runs, as there are still abusive caretakers that never should have anything to do with kids.
You haven't read my original post, that's what makes you post that.
And yes, no one in their right mind would legalize touching little kids in their pants as you say. If you have sex with a child in todays society, you'd almost certainly ensure that kid a horrible tragic future.
If you read my OP, you would see that I do not dispute this at all.
But a typical sign of "I've run out of arguments" is to point fingers at the opposing participant and blame him/her for any crime discussed, very simple and too easy, but not very bright.
No. I don't think you have perpetrated the act - I doubt you would be bragging about it if you had. But the fact you think think this is a valid view to hold is dangerous enough - you appear to have no empathy. Are you autistic or psychopathic? Whether or not you disagree with with the current age of consent being as it it is the idea that you could sexually "please" a "child" is abhorrent. This has nothing to do with religion or misguided morality, it's about consent.
So, my person here is more important than what we are discussing? If you really want to know, I really love kids, I've been teaching kids for years in school, you don't know me - and you never will, therefor - me - as a person is irrelevant to you, unless of course - you are in some way trying to relate to me, witch is perfectly ok whether you disagree with me or agree - which again - is perfectly ok.
As for the "child pleasing", I can only speak from my own childhood experiences. I was never in any way abused, but I have most certainly been touched and be-fondled, in one of the cases I declined and was pretty darn angry at the "perp", and asked him to bugger off...which he did, no problems there. I was 8 at the time. Another time, I had fantasies about adults, but never truly acted upon it.
I always kept a sense of reality to my life, meaning - instead of adopting the "worlds views" or "accepted views" on how things ought to be, I always kept it real, and made things the way I wanted things to be, maybe I'm screwed up in your view, I know I'm pretty darn screwed up in a lot of peoples views, but you know what? I keep discussing these things with surprised individuals such as yourself, and I find it somewhat amusing. In fact - I like so much to test myself, I've undergone numerous test (on my own) on both psychopathy, autism and schizophrenia, as all experimenting humans, I like to delve into the unknown, to discover things about me and others I didn't know before.
Take a look at the world from outside the box, I'm not talking kids or religion right now, I'm talking life as a whole. Leave your learned beliefs alone for a while (return to them at will, be comfortable with yourself), and take a look...you'll be amazed of what you can discover. I discovered a land free of all the people fighting to get onto the top of the pyramid, they're fighting over a piece of land that someone found years before them...while all this beautiful land around them...is just laying there, for free. Catch my drift?
Slashdot Mirror
(But Atari 2600? Ugh! You must have had one as a kid. All those games are horrible versions of the arcarde originals I loved as a kid. Couldn't, and can't, stand the 2600. Thank god the PC plays ROMs...)
Of course, what I failed to tell you lot, is that I hung around the local arcade hall, eventually dripping off on me as the local technician gave me the odd PCB with the original games when the idiot drunks smashed the arcade-game-machines. I connected the NTSC compatible RGB game PCB's to my SCART (multi format tv) and played the actual real arcade games in my very home .... hee hee.... ;)
Life was good - still is! ;)
I'm one of those kids who's prime was the 80's, I grew up with Atari 2600, Nintendo NES and Commodore 64. I used to program on the commodore 64 in assembly language because I wanted to make those games myself, and did...
However, now...much MUCH later, I still play console games. And I've noticed something over the years next to all my PC gear and consoles...is that consoles have a distinct advantage over the PC, I'll try to mention a few:
- Console games are just...you just start playing already, no need for all the driver-installation fuzz. Very practical.
- The PC is much more forgiving when it comes to BUG fixes, PC versions tend to have more bugs and bug-patch releases, on consoles - you can't afford this so the games actually comes with less bugs in my experience.
- Less cheating: One of my no#1 pet peeves when it comes to online gaming, are cheating bastards, they destroy the fun for everyone else, and they can literally WIPE out an entire planet of avid gamers with their stupid aimbots, wallhacks and frustrate the hell out of seriously good gamers. On consoles, it's not so easy to cheat that any wannabee script kiddie out there can add a patch, simply...it's too hard for them to do it. Less cheating, wonderful!
- Games last longer: This might sound a bit odd, but I love to keep my games forever, and so I keep the consoles forever as well. I still have my Atari 2600, repaired the joystick a 100+ times, but enough OT. The games last longer because the games ages with the consoles. When you purchase NEW PC's or upgrade, you need endless patches and driver updates - buzz killington right there!
Nope, enough reasons above. The consoles will stay. (At least in my house) ;)
when AMD used to be the new kid on the block, super cheap processing power for all of us who wanted power without the money, I was a student back then. Amd could be overclocked out of this world, and Intel costing 3 times as much, and wasn't so overclockable.
It's always saddens me to see layoffs with the competitors because it only leads to more expensive products with the main stream, less innovations and everyone is going the safe way, saving, reducing costs, spending less on innovation and experimentation.
We need the confidence back.
Uhm, I don't think that's what he means.
He probably refer to a real spectrum analyzer (these costs in the range of 10K towards 250K) which essentially can display a whole frequency spectrum in one go on the screen, represented as curves (not the garbled graphics dot hell your screen shot shows)
Here's a typical spectrum analyzer view: http://www.radaufunk.com/pictures/hp8569b/hp8569br.jpg
The curve in the image COULD represent a signal found at ex 300 MHz, and the curves size could represent the bandwidth the signal is occupying (ex 6 MHz wide), and this signal is usually shown on the spectrum analyzer CRT as a real time signal, meaning it can show in a split second, if it vanishes, the curve is gone from the screen too.
Imagine you have a spectrum of 0.1 khz to 2 ghz, scanning at 20ms (the old HP 8590A does this), then you could effectively monitor any activity across the bands and immediately spot anyone transmitting in between the 0.1 kHz and 2 GHz and it will show up as a curve peaking in between start & stop of the scan (across the screen).
At least that's what I think he means. These instruments costs a fortune, but are quite useful. I have a HP 8590 myself.
This is slashdot news because...?
In Norway, work hours are 34 hours a week. And yet Norway have some of the highest salaries in the world, some of the least unemployment and they are amongst the happiest people in the world as well.
Why? I'm pretty sure that is because they do reward efficiency rather than how many hours you put in.
In Sweden it's the other way around, here they work 40-45 hours a week, and people sometimes feel miserable over the long working hours.
Of course, this is a problem that relates to the country you live in. Take a poor garbage man in a 3rd world country, he earns perhaps 4 dollars each day and his working hours are from 6 in the morning to 1 in the night, compared to him - we live a life of luxury. What makes us miserable though, is that we KNOW that life COULD be better, and we tend to envy those more fortunate than ourselves.
I'm a very efficient graphics artist, but that doesn't get me more pay, my boss only knows me for this speed, and if I slowed down I'd save on my already worn wrists, but he'd only focus on that then, I'd be out of the job - even if the other graphics artists are much slower.
I've had many jobs, in various countries, but it's always the same everywhere I go, my bosses has always looked into how many hours of work I put in, rather than the amount of work I actually get done.
It's like management like to focus on this as a sort of a "loyalty" test. They often work over hours themselves, especially owners of small businesses tend to work 80 hour weeks, and frown upon the worker that doesn't put in the extra hours, by giving you small hints like, - oh...going home so soon? Done already? Looking at you in a displeased disapproving way.
Many of them also discipline you by ignoring your comments and suggestions if you put less hours in, and appraise your every move if you do put overtime in without charging for it. And if you question that, then you'll get surprised looks of "oh, are you trying to think".... of course, you can't see their thoughts, because they're so focused on their beliefs and goals, that anything else is foreign to them. Deny deny deny!
I remember the time when I bought a HeNe Gas laser back in the 80's to make a spectacular laser show with, for the neighbors. I had no intentions on shining lights on airplanes or innocent people at all.
And I use lasers all the time in my electronics lab for experimentation.
Unfortunately, lasers have become so cheap, and super powerful laser-pointers (which has no real world use whatsoever) has become available to the street-kids, so we'll undoubtedly see these lasers become illegal for anyone to possess and own. Including innocent experimenters at home, thanks to the idiots in the streets who just find it fun to point 200mw lasers at anyone.
5mw is enough for anyone who wants to "play" with a laser pointer, it'll reach several hundred meters, enough to bedazzle the laymen out in the streets, and makes no difference from any 200mw+ laser whatsoever visibly, and furthermore...it won't blind anyone, not destroy pilots sights or policemen etc.
In fact...not even a 200mw laser will blind ANY pilot, as it is a physical impossibility to hold a 200mw laser beam of any significant distance steady by a human hand, it will shake - it will sway, it will swing...and the atmosphere will pollute and defocus the beam itself so it won't harm anyone.
Sad...just sad.
There are two things that motivate me, and the one can't do without the other, both motivation condition must be met for me to thrive at work:
1) A good salary, so I can work and save towards my biggest dreams, I have to have something to chase.
2) An interesting assignment, an interesting project. This is what makes me WANT to go to work every day.
Here is what works, and what doesn't work:
What doesn't work:
Telling me that every job is interesting, and that I should be interested when I am not.
Faking interest.
Fake team spirit. (I'd like to work with MOTIVATED co-workers that actually take a great interest in their job, passion if you like!)
Fake motivation. Don't even try, your employees can see through you like you're made of glass, the only reason they smile at your ideas are that you are directly responsible for their paychecks.
What DOES work:
Honesty, above all. Always be 100% honest towards your employees, fail at this, and we will be sure to look elsewhere, and one day you'll fail severely because your ego blinds your eyes. So keep honest, always share everything, don't fake, lie or hide. People are more forgiving than you may think.
Interesting projects. What's interesting to you may not be that interesting to me, sure - I am a professional, so I'll do the job regardless, but don't ask me to fake interest. Just trust me that I'll do a good job anyway, because I can and will...which brings us to the next level:
Trust me, trust your employees. The single best thing you can do for your employees are to really trust them. If they deliver, they deliver, nothing magical about that. We're all in this boat called YOUR Company anyway, and no one of us have ANY interest in letting it sink, so why should we perform worse if you don't constantly nag, create reports and call into personal meetings?
Don't believe that we'll sit there and surf the web because we really want to surf the web, this is something most of us can do at home, and if we do it at work, it is to relieve stress, and to keep up to date with an otherwise perhaps important network...yes...this could potentially be your next employee even. Many of us keep up to date with technology this way, we're paid professionals, just don't expect us to do that work at home too, we do it because it's our passion. Force is NOT the way.
Remember, a little understanding *and DO NOT TRY TO FAKE UNDERSTANDING* will go a really long way. Most IT workers are above average when it comes to intelligence (albeit, in some cases...one can really dispute and wonder about this). So when you try to explain to us why you have to cut back on bonuses, perks or whatever - tell the TRUTH, especially if you know the truth is going to sting a bit, if we discover that you lied, oh boy...mistake!
That's it really, some clean honesty.
Nice.
Portugal is also a very pretty country with lots of nature, and did I mention CHEAP housing with LOTS of land for pocket change? Plus low taxes, and even lower for the seniors.
Perfect retirement country, I may be heading there one day...who knows.
I've been living in Denmark for quite some time, and I can tell you - no one beats the Danes when it comes to cheap shitty beer.
You can purchase a SUPER strong 8% beer in Denmark (Called Harboe) for half a dollar, 33cl.
And occasionally around Christmas, you can purchase a so called Christmas beer for 1 DKK (4-5 STRONG beers on ONE dollar), now tell me where in the world you can beat that.
I've been in USA a few months ago, your beer is tasty, but not super cheap. Drinking at the local bar in a SMALL town in Northern America set me back 8 USD per 50cl glass of beer, not exactly whoppingly cheap, it actually cost the same as drinking beer out in Copenhagen (which, is a relatively big city).
I bought a few brewskis at the gas-station near the motel I lived in the US, cost me 2-3 USD per bottle, not expensive, but still WAY more than even a luxury beer in Denmark.
Ignore that post (I seriously have to do some research before I post the first thing I see) duh!
It's supposed to be the 21 of December 2012 according to local kooks. But I found 21 of September by searching google, as some of the first results, duh. Oh well, I'm not one of those end time conspiracy nuts either, so...mod me down if you're one of them :)
Came to think about the fireworks theory.
It could be leds, fireballs, all kinds of flying devices people have made as a joke for this particular day.
As some of you may recall, this is in fact the day predicted by the mayan calender that the world will end.
So I'm sort of guessing that it's a lot of pranksters all over the world, shooting up some fireworks to...well...get us all worked up!
Hey - it worked for a few minutes :)
I saw this over Sweden as well, exactly that time yesterday.
I thought it was party fireworks from our neighbors that had a party that night, so I didn't think about it until I thought it was a bit funny that there where no firework sounds, no explosions.
But that red ball that floated around was sure big and bright. I really honestly just thought it was your average red flare.
Nasa is the spearhead of innovation, if it wasn't for them, we'd not have a lot of the materials today that we make our innovations even more innovative with. Nasa isn't just all about space exploration, but what we can do with materials in near zero gravity, search for alternative energy sources that can literally save our lives, nanotechnology and beyond.
To see such an innovative organization being stripped down like that, rips my heart apart.
I agree!
A lot of my friends are onto the 3D printing / CNC thing right now, personally I'm the "modelling" guy now, that does 3D models in software, so I'll just have to purchase the CNC from them :)
And I'd never work for an employer that think spending more time with the company is more important than being more innovative.
I never really dreamed of the day when I could pick anything I wanted without being a millionaire.
Well, these days I can. The only thing I have to be concerned of now, is my personal health and well being (physically, that is!).
Who's complaining? I only pity the kids who's only gripe on technology is an xbox and a smartphone, but they're not complaining either, they have no clue what we "the old dinosaurs of personal computing" grew up with, I pity them because they'll never have the in depth knowledge that we (40+ something) have.
I grew up with a Philips Electric Engineer 2003 electronics kit where I learned to follow schematics and make modifications (eg my own police radio) with these kits, later on I got a Commodore 64 in 1981/82, and since there where literally no software for it back then, I had to code my own, and BOY was that frustrating...and ultimately VERY much fun later on. It was like going exploring in an incredibly interesting new world, unseen and uncharted. I just only WISH kids could experience what I experienced back then, I know David Braben is trying to do this with his Raspberry PI, but it just seem to fetch the interest of old timers like me...he he...no wonder, btw. one can dream and hope, and of course...inspire.
I look at the world in a different way than kids do. Me? I live in a wifeless super-electronics-complex, totally mad science with 1000000's of components from the 50's to today, so many gadgets and computers you'd break into my house if you knew where I lived (and of course suffer the consequences of my analog gadgets that awaits such a culprit, oh straying off the subject here...). I have microcontrollers, I don't think about getting the latest smartphone if I feel like programming an APP, I actually make the darn thing from scratch with libraries, a few MCU's and sensors...and voila...new thingy that no one can explain, but most ...enjoy.
The kids wonder if I am some kind of mad magician that can come up with stuff from gizmos (to them, totally unknown world...of components) laying around and just make it do cool stuff?
Thank god for the MAKER movement though, it IS slowly but steadily arising, and maybe once again, we'll get kids curious enough to dive into this basic, simple, from-scratch kind of DIY world that we once took for granted.
Can I buy some pot from you?
No, but I've heard that the pothead next door have some excellent pottery for sale.
I - however, like a million Chinese on eBay - can sell you any LED you'd ever want. Red led, white, pink, yellow, orange, blue, IR, UV, green...and did I mention we have a special on FLASHING leds? Just check out isle 4, and you'll find some reels of SMD RGB leds right there, the rainbow flash leds are on isle 8 on floor 7, area 7124...it's easy, just follow the white trail all the way, then take the transit system to HK dept. 7 and you'll be right there.
Ahhh, Beer, Electronics, nerds on Slashdot...life is good.
Imagine being an light dependent alien, coming to visit you with all your blinking communications leds all over your house.
Wow...what a mind job that would be.
I just bought an TI nSpire in a thrift shop in USA on my vacation, with the accompanying software and all. ...when I came home to start using it, the software told me that the registration no# had already been used, and isn't valid for use anymore. So no Updating my TI :(
"Activision Blizzard Secretly Watermarking World of Warcraft Users"
Cool man!
That explains why I've seen all these people on the streets with that appears to be a photoshopped watermark on them.
An what do I want to act on others?
1) No, it's not lawful then and not lawful now. And for good reasons it never will be, read my Original Post (the first one in this thread).
2) It's a known fact that pretty much anyone can please themselves, therefor on a pure technical and physical level you can get pleased by others as well. Denying this is just closing your eyes in pure irrational rage over emotions. When one discuss things on a scientific level, one must look at all the possibilities without emotions, but even I have emotions, albeit my person has nothing to do with this discussion other than my presence and my mind.
In today's (and yesterdays) society, such an act would and almost certainly could have disastrous consequences. If you read my original post, you'd already know I think so.
3) I did, for years. I loved my job as kids always keep an open mind, but we never really discussed sexuality, unfortunately - being a teacher, doesn't pay enough these days, the salary is lousy to say the least.
You needn't worry - I have never touched a child sexually - ever, and I have a perfectly clean police record in all countries I've lived. Most schools need documentations from the police today, that you've never been sentenced, or suspected of such acts, and this is good. Unfortunately it doesn't always hit home runs, as there are still abusive caretakers that never should have anything to do with kids.
You haven't read my original post, that's what makes you post that.
And yes, no one in their right mind would legalize touching little kids in their pants as you say.
If you have sex with a child in todays society, you'd almost certainly ensure that kid a horrible tragic future.
If you read my OP, you would see that I do not dispute this at all.
But a typical sign of "I've run out of arguments" is to point fingers at the opposing participant and blame him/her for any crime discussed, very simple and too easy, but not very bright.
No. I don't think you have perpetrated the act - I doubt you would be bragging about it if you had. But the fact you think think this is a valid view to hold is dangerous enough - you appear to have no empathy. Are you autistic or psychopathic? Whether or not you disagree with with the current age of consent being as it it is the idea that you could sexually "please" a "child" is abhorrent. This has nothing to do with religion or misguided morality, it's about consent.
So, my person here is more important than what we are discussing? If you really want to know, I really love kids, I've been teaching kids for years in school, you don't know me - and you never will, therefor - me - as a person is irrelevant to you, unless of course - you are in some way trying to relate to me, witch is perfectly ok whether you disagree with me or agree - which again - is perfectly ok.
As for the "child pleasing", I can only speak from my own childhood experiences. I was never in any way abused, but I have most certainly been touched and be-fondled, in one of the cases I declined and was pretty darn angry at the "perp", and asked him to bugger off...which he did, no problems there. I was 8 at the time. Another time, I had fantasies about adults, but never truly acted upon it.
I always kept a sense of reality to my life, meaning - instead of adopting the "worlds views" or "accepted views" on how things ought to be, I always kept it real, and made things the way I wanted things to be, maybe I'm screwed up in your view, I know I'm pretty darn screwed up in a lot of peoples views, but you know what? I keep discussing these things with surprised individuals such as yourself, and I find it somewhat amusing. In fact - I like so much to test myself, I've undergone numerous test (on my own) on both psychopathy, autism and schizophrenia, as all experimenting humans, I like to delve into the unknown, to discover things about me and others I didn't know before.
Take a look at the world from outside the box, I'm not talking kids or religion right now, I'm talking life as a whole. Leave your learned beliefs alone for a while (return to them at will, be comfortable with yourself), and take a look...you'll be amazed of what you can discover. I discovered a land free of all the people fighting to get onto the top of the pyramid, they're fighting over a piece of land that someone found years before them...while all this beautiful land around them ...is just laying there, for free. Catch my drift?