Five Slashdot logons, three coffees at Tim Horton's, and twenty seven visits to cockgobblers.com
I know you're being facetious, but technically male turkeys (gobblers) are called toms, not cocks (that would be the correct term for chickens, peafowl, some other birds too). So it's probably tomgobblers.com he'd be visiting, not cockgobblers.com.
Just thought I'd clear that up as we get closer to the Thanksgiving holiday here in the US.
There is a difference between information delivery systems and education. Verbal instruction, demonstration, lectures, manuscripts, and books are all information delivery systems, and are subject to "commoditization" to some degree. Education is an individualized process.
For something to be a commodity, it must be fungible, and education, an individualized process, is inherently not fungible. One recorded lecture may work for some people, a different one for other people. For some people, a recorded lecture will not be enough for education. You can't simply swap recorded lectures and have them be equally effective... these are not widgets.
I think it's important to recognize this distinction between information presentation and education. I think it's important for traditional educators (and administrators) to recognize this distinction, and understand that their role must change. Educators need more than ever to be motivators -- this is the differentiation they need to be successful. Educational systems need to proportionately reward good motivators, rather than seniority.
As for your specific examples (book-learning, printing), these are all examples of an increase in people having access to information. I'm behind that 100%. But I don't think the economic impact is going to be tremendous. Access to information is but a piece of the educational process.
What is to stop them 3 years later from creating a paid class system?
Why would we want to prevent that?
Seriously... as long as there is no discrimination based on source (i.e., everyone gets the same pricing), what is the problem with tiered services?
To me, that's the crux of net neutrality, to have it similar to common-carrier status. Anyone can pay for different service levels, and the volume discount is formulaic, not negotiated.
But it does cover at least 80% of the reasons why having a girlfriend/wife increases your quality of life, with almost none of the drawbacks.
It covers the same percentage of reasons that I can cover with one hand (two if I'm feeling frisky).
But I think you mistake the utility of the girlfriend and wife modules. Sexual satisfaction is pretty damn low (but still important) on the list of positives that come with a good relationship, IMO.
2. Both sides of the relationship focused more on "what can I do for my partner" or "what can I contribute to the family unit" rather than "what can my partner do for me".
I agree that your first two alternatives are better than the third alternative. But I know quite a few unhappy people who have completely subsumed themselves in their relationship.
A good relationship with someone else starts with a good relationship with yourself. It's trite, but true.
and
4. Having a good income coming in. Serious money problems are one of the leading causes of marital arguments and divorce.
IMO, the money problems typically precipitate other, deeper, issues with the relationship. A good relationship overcomes problems, like money supply issues. But a relationship already struggling with communication issues, resentment, etc will often break under the added stress of financial problems.
Seems like your org need to reassess how it does user training... why aren't the trainees separated according to (1) their needs and (2) their competencies and then trained appropriately?
And why in the world is training being conducted in front of a room full of people? Might as well record a demo and distribute it. Training on software use should be done in small groups if you want it to be effective.
I don't think your experience is indicative of problems with MS Office (though those problems DO exist), but more with how businesses handle training.
99.9% of TB cases are treated as an out patient. When i got sick, I was put in a pressurized room for a few days while they confirmed the diagnosis. Once I started on the TB antibiotics I was allowed to be around other people. Having a dedicated hospital just for TB is unneeded.
The reason 99.9% of cases can be treated as outpatient is because the 0.1% are quarantined so their drug-resistant strain doesn't spread. Allowing these sufferers in the general hospital population is a big mistake... not just because of the contagion aspect, but also because it increases the chances for worse drug-resistant strains to develop.
Antibiotics on the other hand are directly toxic to bacteria or fungi.
Not all of them. Some are simply bacteriostatic (like tetracyclines and macrolide antibiotics) -- they don't kill the bacteria, they just keep them from reproducing.
Is that why all the jobs are moving here? Is that why we're getting all the business investment in new factories?Is that why Texas is the number one state in business growth? Is that why Apple just expanded in Texas? Is that why Airbus is building a factory to produce A319 airliners in Alabama? Is that why Austal is building Littoral Combat Ships there for the Navy? Or why Thyssenkrupp is building a steel plant there? Have you noticed all of the auto plant construction in the South in the past two decades? Ever been to the huge shipyards in Mississippi? The aircraft plants in Georgia? The South is racing towards "Third World Status"?
The answer to all your questions is a resounding YES. They are locating plants in those states because those states have lax labor laws, lax oversight of business, and cheap labor. Just like third-world countries. It's just more publicly palatable to source your labor in a third-world-like American South than it is to source your labor in the actual third world. Furthermore, political patronage is a major reason for some of the location of those plants (especially the Austral plant in Alabama). Just like a third-world country, the politicos and elites siphon off most of the cash by exploiting cheap labor.
On every single social issue in dispute today... abortion, homosexuality, drug laws, hostility to religion... you name it... Libertarians line up almost exactly with liberals
That begs a bit of a No True Scotsman fallacy, doesn't it? Plenty of self-proclaimed libertarians would protect the right of a state to establish restrictive abortion laws, or even to establish a state religion... which, by nature, precludes from being a true libertarian.
The founding fathers of the US didn't feel that way, and published their "Federalist Papers" under pseudonyms.
Actually, some of them did feel that way. Those that did published anonymously or under pseudonyms largely because they didn't have free speech; the recognized right to free speech under the US Constitution obviated the need for anonymity.
You did touch on the other reason for pseudonyms, which was to separate message from messenger -- and IMO this will always be required for exercise of potentially unpopular free speech.
An analogy would be if we said that since Pluto's orbit is 248 years, then we've probably only recorded it orbiting the sun a few times (arguably less than that if we only count modern record-keeping), and so therefore we haven't collected enough data to determine that orbital mechanics apply to Pluto.
This is a great analogy... particularly since Pluto wasn't even *discovered* until 1930. We have observed just under a third of Pluto's orbital cycle.
For all we know, Pluto's orbit may be highly eccentric... except for the models we have to predict the rest of its orbit.
Hah. I rode the train daily with Goldman Sachs guys who lived in houses I can barely *dream* of owning. The train was more convenient from Summit NJ to Manhattan than any other kind of transport, including helicopters (according to one of the guys, after his second paper-bag beer one Friday*). Apparently helicopter transport to NYC is a pain in the ass, because the helipads are not conveniently located -- either on the departing side or the arriving side.
*So every Friday, four GS guys who always sat in the same spot, would have beers on the train. One of the guys retired, and they need a fourth to occupy the seats -- they didn't want some random person sitting with them. They asked me to sit with them, it lasted about two months until circumstances made it better for me to commute by bus instead of train. These guys would pound a beer (or two) in Penn Station waiting for their train, then drink another one (or two) on the 40-minute train ride home... they jokingly said it was the ammunition they needed to deal with their wives for an entire weekend.
But I digress...
If you take the Morris & Essex express into Hoboken or NY, which skips all or almost all the stops in Essex county, you'd believe that it's only the *wealthy* who take trains.
No you weren't -- if you were than your intended point would have been the opposite of what you had written. You were lying. Don't try to weasel out of it.
No what I have is upside fixtures that trap the heat and kill the CFL electronics.
So you have a specifically excluded use case (can lights are *by definition* enclosed fixtures), and from that, you generalize that CFLs are always bad?
You're a liar, a bad one at that, with an axe to grind. Please stop being a dipshit, you're just making yourself (and by extension, the causes you support) look idiotic.
If you've actually switched your bulbs from incandescent to CFL, you're lying.
Replacing one 60-watt incandescent bulb with a CFL will save you a penny in less than three hours of use @ $0.10/kWH.
Frankly, this bullshit you've written further cements by belief that you're generally full of shit.
If you're replacing CFLs as often as you had been replacing incandescents, then you have a wiring problem in your house that is potentially very dangerous, you need to get an electrician out before your home goes up in flames.
No. Inflation is the increase in general prices in an economy over a period of time -- specifically, we're talking about price inflation. While there is a direct correlation between rising money supply and inflation under certain conditions, the two are not the same thing.
Stock markets are for investment, not speculation.
That's not true at all. Stock is for investment. Stock markets are for speculation on future value of stocks (sometimes including dividends). This is the fundamental purpose of stock markets.
Sure, I agree that HFT presents a problem, but not just because of the frequency of trades, but because the HFTs have different access to information in the market than other investors. It's the information asymmetry that allows HFTs to take a cut on almost every transaction -- and only the big boys with mountains of cash can afford the co-lo and setup to get the information advantage.
Sure. Have you any idea of what Chinese ethics consist of? Typically, it's "I got mine, screw you" and "how can I work this situation to my personal advantage?" I'm not saying all Chinese are like this, but it seems pretty common to me in their culture.
To many of the older Chinese, some of whom actually bought into the premise of communism, this is anathema -- and the youth culture in China is not the place to learn values that conflict with pure greed.
Just my thoughts on working with and being friends with many Chinese.
While I agree with almost everything in your post, this one stood out for me:
They care plain and simple about maximizing talent.
Oftentimes, they care about maximizing endowment potential as much as they care about talent. And those new wealth Chinese families have cash to burn, and many of them enjoy seeing (and showing off) their name near the top of donor lists.
I got a substantial one time-only discount when I mentioned that I was not using insurance and unemployed, but would be paying for the items in full out of pocket, the process ended up being $900.00 for the root canal, instead of $1400.00 and $500.00 for the crown instead of 750.00.
Insurance companies negotiate discounted rates. I have yet to see my insurance provider pay more than 40% of the billed cost of any procedure I, my wife, or my kids have had done.
Usually the statement from the healthcare provider looks something like this:
And you might not realize you're getting soaked, it's because your discount is less than that given to insurance companies. The providers increase their client base by accepting the insurance in exchange for giving a steep discount.
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I know you're being facetious, but technically male turkeys (gobblers) are called toms, not cocks (that would be the correct term for chickens, peafowl, some other birds too). So it's probably tomgobblers.com he'd be visiting, not cockgobblers.com.
Just thought I'd clear that up as we get closer to the Thanksgiving holiday here in the US.
There is a difference between information delivery systems and education. Verbal instruction, demonstration, lectures, manuscripts, and books are all information delivery systems, and are subject to "commoditization" to some degree. Education is an individualized process.
For something to be a commodity, it must be fungible, and education, an individualized process, is inherently not fungible. One recorded lecture may work for some people, a different one for other people. For some people, a recorded lecture will not be enough for education. You can't simply swap recorded lectures and have them be equally effective... these are not widgets.
I think it's important to recognize this distinction between information presentation and education. I think it's important for traditional educators (and administrators) to recognize this distinction, and understand that their role must change. Educators need more than ever to be motivators -- this is the differentiation they need to be successful. Educational systems need to proportionately reward good motivators, rather than seniority.
As for your specific examples (book-learning, printing), these are all examples of an increase in people having access to information. I'm behind that 100%. But I don't think the economic impact is going to be tremendous. Access to information is but a piece of the educational process.
Why would we want to prevent that?
Seriously... as long as there is no discrimination based on source (i.e., everyone gets the same pricing), what is the problem with tiered services?
To me, that's the crux of net neutrality, to have it similar to common-carrier status. Anyone can pay for different service levels, and the volume discount is formulaic, not negotiated.
It covers the same percentage of reasons that I can cover with one hand (two if I'm feeling frisky).
But I think you mistake the utility of the girlfriend and wife modules. Sexual satisfaction is pretty damn low (but still important) on the list of positives that come with a good relationship, IMO.
No stretching of anything is required for those endowed like me.
YMMV.
I agree that your first two alternatives are better than the third alternative. But I know quite a few unhappy people who have completely subsumed themselves in their relationship.
A good relationship with someone else starts with a good relationship with yourself. It's trite, but true.
and
IMO, the money problems typically precipitate other, deeper, issues with the relationship. A good relationship overcomes problems, like money supply issues. But a relationship already struggling with communication issues, resentment, etc will often break under the added stress of financial problems.
Seems like your org need to reassess how it does user training... why aren't the trainees separated according to (1) their needs and (2) their competencies and then trained appropriately?
And why in the world is training being conducted in front of a room full of people? Might as well record a demo and distribute it. Training on software use should be done in small groups if you want it to be effective.
I don't think your experience is indicative of problems with MS Office (though those problems DO exist), but more with how businesses handle training.
I disagree 100%. Natural monopolies exist. Oligarchic situations would also require net neutrality legislation to provide freedom of communication.
The reason 99.9% of cases can be treated as outpatient is because the 0.1% are quarantined so their drug-resistant strain doesn't spread. Allowing these sufferers in the general hospital population is a big mistake... not just because of the contagion aspect, but also because it increases the chances for worse drug-resistant strains to develop.
Not all of them. Some are simply bacteriostatic (like tetracyclines and macrolide antibiotics) -- they don't kill the bacteria, they just keep them from reproducing.
The answer to all your questions is a resounding YES. They are locating plants in those states because those states have lax labor laws, lax oversight of business, and cheap labor. Just like third-world countries. It's just more publicly palatable to source your labor in a third-world-like American South than it is to source your labor in the actual third world. Furthermore, political patronage is a major reason for some of the location of those plants (especially the Austral plant in Alabama). Just like a third-world country, the politicos and elites siphon off most of the cash by exploiting cheap labor.
That begs a bit of a No True Scotsman fallacy, doesn't it? Plenty of self-proclaimed libertarians would protect the right of a state to establish restrictive abortion laws, or even to establish a state religion... which, by nature, precludes from being a true libertarian.
Horseshit. Ron Paul would hand us all over to corporations, in the name their freedom. Just look at his stance on net neutrality legislation.
If Ron Paul got his way, corporations wouldn't need to control government... government would be powerless to stop them.
Actually, some of them did feel that way. Those that did published anonymously or under pseudonyms largely because they didn't have free speech; the recognized right to free speech under the US Constitution obviated the need for anonymity.
You did touch on the other reason for pseudonyms, which was to separate message from messenger -- and IMO this will always be required for exercise of potentially unpopular free speech.
This is a great analogy... particularly since Pluto wasn't even *discovered* until 1930. We have observed just under a third of Pluto's orbital cycle.
For all we know, Pluto's orbit may be highly eccentric... except for the models we have to predict the rest of its orbit.
Hah. I rode the train daily with Goldman Sachs guys who lived in houses I can barely *dream* of owning. The train was more convenient from Summit NJ to Manhattan than any other kind of transport, including helicopters (according to one of the guys, after his second paper-bag beer one Friday*). Apparently helicopter transport to NYC is a pain in the ass, because the helipads are not conveniently located -- either on the departing side or the arriving side.
*So every Friday, four GS guys who always sat in the same spot, would have beers on the train. One of the guys retired, and they need a fourth to occupy the seats -- they didn't want some random person sitting with them. They asked me to sit with them, it lasted about two months until circumstances made it better for me to commute by bus instead of train. These guys would pound a beer (or two) in Penn Station waiting for their train, then drink another one (or two) on the 40-minute train ride home... they jokingly said it was the ammunition they needed to deal with their wives for an entire weekend.
But I digress...
If you take the Morris & Essex express into Hoboken or NY, which skips all or almost all the stops in Essex county, you'd believe that it's only the *wealthy* who take trains.
No you weren't -- if you were than your intended point would have been the opposite of what you had written. You were lying. Don't try to weasel out of it.
So you have a specifically excluded use case (can lights are *by definition* enclosed fixtures), and from that, you generalize that CFLs are always bad?
You're a liar, a bad one at that, with an axe to grind. Please stop being a dipshit, you're just making yourself (and by extension, the causes you support) look idiotic.
If you've actually switched your bulbs from incandescent to CFL, you're lying.
Replacing one 60-watt incandescent bulb with a CFL will save you a penny in less than three hours of use @ $0.10/kWH.
Frankly, this bullshit you've written further cements by belief that you're generally full of shit.
If you're replacing CFLs as often as you had been replacing incandescents, then you have a wiring problem in your house that is potentially very dangerous, you need to get an electrician out before your home goes up in flames.
Sure he can. But why should we, at the pump, subsidize his living there?
No. Inflation is the increase in general prices in an economy over a period of time -- specifically, we're talking about price inflation. While there is a direct correlation between rising money supply and inflation under certain conditions, the two are not the same thing.
That's not true at all. Stock is for investment. Stock markets are for speculation on future value of stocks (sometimes including dividends). This is the fundamental purpose of stock markets.
Sure, I agree that HFT presents a problem, but not just because of the frequency of trades, but because the HFTs have different access to information in the market than other investors. It's the information asymmetry that allows HFTs to take a cut on almost every transaction -- and only the big boys with mountains of cash can afford the co-lo and setup to get the information advantage.
Sure. Have you any idea of what Chinese ethics consist of? Typically, it's "I got mine, screw you" and "how can I work this situation to my personal advantage?" I'm not saying all Chinese are like this, but it seems pretty common to me in their culture.
To many of the older Chinese, some of whom actually bought into the premise of communism, this is anathema -- and the youth culture in China is not the place to learn values that conflict with pure greed.
Just my thoughts on working with and being friends with many Chinese.
Oftentimes, they care about maximizing endowment potential as much as they care about talent. And those new wealth Chinese families have cash to burn, and many of them enjoy seeing (and showing off) their name near the top of donor lists.
My fear is that you may be underestimating the ignorance of the typical American mob.
Insurance companies negotiate discounted rates. I have yet to see my insurance provider pay more than 40% of the billed cost of any procedure I, my wife, or my kids have had done.
Usually the statement from the healthcare provider looks something like this:
Procedure X $350.00
Negotiated discount (255.00)
Insurance paid (75.00)
Copay paid (20.00)
Balance Due: 0.00
And you might not realize you're getting soaked, it's because your discount is less than that given to insurance companies. The providers increase their client base by accepting the insurance in exchange for giving a steep discount.