I started noticing this as I link my friends to things quite often, and its annoying. So, what do you do? Double-click the plain-text URL under the result, Ctrl+C and Ctrl+P - ta da! And if I'm not sharing links, I'm using Google to go to Wikipedia or look up code references. I certainly don't go to or xxxxxxxx.xxx from Google, I know those URLs by heart.
As much as I don't care for their data mining business, I don't care who knows that I'm fervently trying to find that Gizmodo article I read five days ago.
Well that depends on what personally identifiable means to you. Does your location count? If so, thats part of your personal information that can be used to judge regional trends. What about age? You can form demographics. E-mail address? While broad, it could be used to suggest that more people with GMail accounts are signing up, so maybe you want to partner with more Google-geared sites. Phone numbers can be used to determine location information as well as what carrier you are with. IP address again goes back to regional information and can also be used to know your ISP if that data is mined soon enough.
One piece at a time, this isn't really a big deal perhaps, but taken in aggregate and plotted to various marketing methods, this information forms the basis of what many companies do with their money.
For some reason, I can't mod you up. I couldn't mod another thread either, FF is acting up. I'll say I support your stance.
As much as I don't agree with it, the content still belongs to CBS. You can't expect me to give up something I own just because the copyright on it has run out if I still own it and have never opened it up for distribution before. If I sold someone a copy at some point, and the copyright expired, they could copy it and distribute it at will, but if I own the only copy and don't want to give it up, I don't - and shouldn't - have to.
CBS is still a bunch of dicks, this much is clear.
One question seems to be largely unanswered: of what value is months-old data
I don't think that's largely unanswered actually - you see, month-old data is "important" to higher-ups. Being able to see data and trends makes them understand what does and does not work from a marketing perspective, and drives their decision about where to go next. Do we keep these surveys? Do we change ad providers? How can we better reach our market? This information is invaluable, and coupled with the fact that it is readily FREE is incentive to mine it and try to discover trends and correlation that can lead to more people clicking a banner, following a link, signing up for an offer, etc.
Neat! I want to see what that cone looks like as it develops, in super-slow motion.
Offtopic: I can't reply to the Racist Facial thread - all the Reply buttons are missing in both Camino and Firefox, and obviously I can post this thread. What gives?
After hitting Preview, I'm not sure your argument holds up as well as I thought. I understand as a programmer that being able to quickly spot where certain keywords are shorter/longer than they should be is important, but viewing the above in proportional font makes it obvious that just about any font will show when you mistype, especially in a situation like that where you're using the same keyword (this) to start each line.
I'd pay, but I want the assurance that Big Content's hands stay off of my media, ESPECIALLY if I payed for the better quality. If I can't duplicate it, play it on my TV or stream it to a laptop/360/iWhatever/wireless projector/blahblahblah then I'm definitely going to pirate it. The biggest issue I have with DRM content is that the model for DRM hasn't gotten past the whole "You can have it, kinda, but its really still ours" mentality, and I'm not counting on codec-levels being the only "DRM" going on here.
On point E, in particular: I read up until this point because it rang so true I couldn't even bother reading the rest. SO, as a disclaimer, anything past OP's point "E", I did not take into account. That is okay. A friend recently suffered a staph infection on her face that started as a small pimple-like protrusion - dermatologist said "It's a pimple, meh." About two weeks later it is the size of a golfball. It was drained, patched (so-to-speak), and now another has come up. While doctors often know the right thing for the patient, she had an inclination that it could be more but trusted her DR. Nothing against you, but I advise ALL PATIENTS to seek a 2nd opinion - it might cost double the fees for two opinions, but its worth more than having multiple cysts on your forehead.
Troll? Word, use your mod points to push my observation of the truth to the bottom! Seriously, whoever modded me troll must be such a creature because IT IS TRUE: Step 1) make a movie with lots of time and money, based on an owned and registered franchise. 2) Put it out in the open and have it at film festivals. 3) Get shut down by the IP owner. 4) Story about it gets posted on/. where "Piracy is LEGAL!" nerds get their rocks off. 5)??? 6) Yell at person who is only regarding the legality as it stands in the matter and label said person troll aaaaand PROFIT!
I understand some things about our culture - enough to know that you don't have to rip off a trademark to make a movie. Honestly, I do feel a little bad for these people, but then they should have known that what they were getting into was something that Nintendo ultimately could (and apparently did) pull the plug on. My only reasoning was why not just do something original from the start? And original doesn't have to mean "Don't use story elements found other places" or "You shouldn't ever borrow from other industries or franchises," but when you make a full-length movie, based - extensively - on IP you don't own, don't be surprised when the bottom falls out and Nin says "No." Heck, they even had a good run of around a year or more before anyone stepped in, so I guess thats an accomplishment akin to an original work, right?
Exactly - oh bawwwww you spent 4 years and lots of time and money to make something based on a franchise you don't have rights to? I'm so sorry! Seriously, all of the effort could have been used in a much more productive way - they could have, you know, written their own set of characters, their own story (granted, I don't know how closely the movie follows Nintendo's lore), and done the work to create a really good, quality independent film. Or they could have donated it to better Zelda games in the future. Or fuck, taken up a new pass-time - such as crocheting.
but, I kinda like the idea. My friend and I were in the drivethru, probably a Micky D's one day, and I got to thinking: "What if the whole McDonald's was covered in ads!? Advertisements wrapping the building, obscuring windows, constantly changing? Whats that? My combo only cost $1? Why? Oh! Ads offset my meal!" Just like the internet - if a site supported by ads can survive, its not because the site can offer an ad that EVERY SINGLE VISITOR CLICKS, but instead they can ensure that ENOUGH visitors will click. Enough will buy. And, while that doesn't drive insane profits, it does keep the site/company moving, and the goal here is to bring the customers in - even with free* stuff. Once you have the client, then you can charge them more and create a CFL.
This is all well and fascinating (and it really is, sarcasm aside but still there), but why the focus on war in space? I mean, sure colonization has been done, alot, but so has war in space. What if, instead of worrying about how were going to shoot down other ships, we learned how to bargain, how to trade, how to you know, be space hippies?
I think that Nintedo should have preempted this. The best solution for them would have been to release their own PC version of the Wii which can run the legit games and use the official peripherals. The pressure for other people to write an emulator would have reduced.
Wait what? Let us start at "Nintendo should have preempted this." Nevermind. "PC version of the Wii" - I gather what you mean is "Software for computers capable of running Wii games." While not at all a bad idea, and one I've wanted for a long time to be official from Nintendo for things such as NES, SNES and 64 games, its not going to happen...probably. Considering that one of the Wii's competitors is owned by the company most known for having a stranglehold on the OS market, I don't know that Nintendo would like this. Suddenly, they lose profit on hardware in exchange for adding to their competitor's gaming market share? Nah, though MS would probably welcome the idea with open arms. You can sell a Wii for a lot more than you can software that emulates (and not always predictably accurate) said software, whats the point? You don't want to invest in a console rollout so that you can bleed out of every chopped off limb by running your software on PCs.
"The pressure for other people to write an emulator would have reduced." - Kind of backwards - its much easier to pirate something that already runs on your target system. Granted, piracy isn't emulation per se, you stand to lose way more by allowing your games to be run natively on systems you don't own, service, upgrade and control. Demand for emulation would obviously drop, but demand for piracy of games and software to run them would skyrocket.
I stopped buying games for my PC when copy protection got intrusive and sometimes destructive. These days, I don't trust any games that insists on running as administrator.
I'll be honest, I haven't gamed on a computer in a while - at least not on a PC and mostly OSS games. But, last time I can think of, not many games out there require Administrator rights to run. Maybe you have Windows Vista? And you're thinking of the installation process? And even then I don't know if I believe you. Games, more than most any other software on your computer, should have no issues running in userspace, and companies like MS probably see it in their interests to give average users access to DirectX-related hardware.
The nervous system operates on very low power, I know that much, so is there any sort of signal it could get and potentially interpret?
Why yes, as you stated (and as I believe because a) I'm lazy and b) I couldn't imagine the nervous system using any sort of "high" voltage signal)))/*Close those parens!*/ I would think that a feedback system wouldn't be hard to develop, at least on the hardware side. Making something that can be affected by resistance - say, a hand touching the fake arm - shouldn't be difficult at all. While not entirely familiar with the technologies, something akin to touchscreen tech, the holographic stickers on old old old school Transformers toys, etc should be easily measurable.
The real problem, imho aianadosoee (and I am not a doctor or scientist or electrical engineer, of course), would be software. Err wetware. Err brainware. Whathaveyou, the point I'm trying to make is that measuring "touch" or sensations on an artificial limb is likely the easy part, the hard part is figuring out where to send the signal. As much as we know about the brain and the nervous system, we really don't seem to know much, but even so I don't see why the wiring couldn't be connected to the nearest nerve endings, perhaps through some sort of dongle? Sure, position tracking and sensitivity would be issues, but nothing some testing couldn't fix.
Okay, but I think far more people would find value in a handcrafted ship-in-a-bottle, or a hot rod built by hunting down the parts needed, taking the time to learn the engineering, and applying that into a working restoration of a vehicle. On top of that, these things also tend to carry value both socially and monetarily, as well as a sense of accomplishment that actually carries on past the "fading" point likely to be felt with the WoW accomplishment. Doing things like building a car or a house or spending months perfecting a masterpiece of oil and canvas open people up to more social exposure than, say, having some friends over to check out your paladin. You can drive your hot rod, take it to shows, hell even be a guest speaker in an auto-mechanics class. A composition of music could be enjoyed for hundreds of years by audiences you never imagined. Your WoW account, however, will likely not be heralded as a feat of great accomplishment outside of a small community of others seeking to achieve in even the modest task which is their charge: level up.
So, I smoke in some bar/restaurants where it is still allowed here (not ready for next year's ban in NC...), and would the dishwashers not be allowed to wash the ash trays, or plates, or glasses or anything else my smoke touches? OSHA violations? I don't think so. Moreso to that point, if you opted for a career as a bartender I'm sure you knew beforehand that yes, people smoke at bars. Smoking and drinking go hand-in-hand, so when the ban takes effect they'll be safe from my smokey plates and I'll be at home, spending much less on drinking out.
On the Apple - I'm fortunate that I'll never be taking my iBook to them, as its far out of warranty and I've opened it numerous times to bring it back from the dead (currently, a piece of Red Stripe case keeps the GPU in place enough for it to run). I recently found new employment, and I was considering starting a savings fund for a new Mac, but I'm now torn between getting the extended warranty, which is soooo pricey, or not because they won't service a smokey Mac. Maybe I won't even buy one now, I like having protection and service options for my equipment, and I like smoking. I'm not gonna stop anytime soon, and that means I'm not gonna stop computing and smoking too. How would they know though aside from smell? If I have a wood-burning fireplace am I at risk? Are they going to get a piss-test from my Mac? Do their employees not ride in smokey cars ever? Do they sanitize subway seats - I'm sure smokers sit on the seats from time to time.
Once again, Apple disappoints by being terribly lame when they don't need to be. I love my Mac, but it may be the last one I ever own.
I actually like where you're going with this. I mean, could they do it? Would someone from the gov't of either America or Vietnam "stop" it from being released? Would retailers sell it? I hope so, this is America!
And I do mean that. As ugly as our history - as the world's history - may be, it is OUR history: you, me, people across the globe. We all come from generally violent, carelessness-for-life histories at some point or another, and to not show or discuss the atrocities before us, we're doomed to see them happen again and again.
This is what gets me about history books - I have friends who are teaching aids in elementary schools, and most of the history lessons are 1) embellished, 2) stretched or 3) down-right false. And then the kids go to middle and high school, where we learn a little about how things were different than what was printed. Then we go to college, where we learn that a lot of terrible things happened we didn't know about. Then we grow up, angry at lies and we DON'T lash out? No, we do. Old wounds don't heal for history by forgetting, but by remembering and learning and moving on with that knowledge, lest we invade some other country, end up with military and civilian casualties, and calmly look the other way as we rewrite history to suit ourselves while we commit horrid atrocities.
Actually, forget eBay, there are plenty of CRTs available at thrift stores (Goodwill, Salvation Army), presumably on Craigslist, and one of the best gaming CRTs I ever got came from a yard sale.
I know we're nerds, but we too can purchase old televisions at low prices, face-to-face with an actual person;)
And this is a problem. While the rest of us living out in the "real world" might see this kind of practice as nefarious indeed, the view on capitol hill is obviously skewed - a lot. Sure, I'm basing the views of everyone in our political mecca on one lobbyist's, but at the same time - our congresspeople are taking notes, lines and political ideas from this guy. Another sign that things NEED TO CHANGE, and another sign that they probably won't.
I'm not necessarily disagreeing with your statement that the vaccines are better than not having them, but I would also like point out (and sorry, I don't have source for this as I'm lazy, but it came from the mouth of a "medical professional") that there is an interesting trend that people who a) don't get vaccinated and b) don't get the flu, year after year, are more likely to suffer side-effects and have a weakened immune system when exposed to the flu vaccine. Of course, if they had hook worms, this wouldn't be an issue.
Look, I'm not a big fan of MS, and I know most of you aren't either...but, this whole browser shebang is stupid beyond all belief. Is it really that bad that Windows comes packaged with Internet Explorer? I mean, I know IE is TERRIBLE at being a browser, but is it that bad to bundle it with the OS from the company that makes it? Firefox comes standard on most Linux distros, Konqueror comes with KDE, Safari comes with EVERY mac out there, but no one is up in arms over this.
Oh, they offer a web page in IE to select your browser? OH NOS! Geez, you guys are lame. If you don't have a web browser, how do you get a new one???? I certainly don't keep a list of Mozilla's FTP addresses handy. And the security warnings? Well, I don't want to jump to conclusions, but isn't that how most browsers and OSes work? Granted, OS X brings up the security warning, not Safari, when opening downloaded applications, but its still there. This doesn't sound like IE is just targeting the browser choice and saying "HEY! You want to use something that isn't IE, so I'm gonna nag you about it." It sounds like IE/Windows is taking the same security steps that would be taken for any downloaded application.
Get off your fucking duffs and stop masturbating to hating Microsoft and be glad they give you a choice - I can say less for most other operating systems out there.
Slashdot Mirror
I started noticing this as I link my friends to things quite often, and its annoying. So, what do you do? Double-click the plain-text URL under the result, Ctrl+C and Ctrl+P - ta da! And if I'm not sharing links, I'm using Google to go to Wikipedia or look up code references. I certainly don't go to or xxxxxxxx.xxx from Google, I know those URLs by heart.
As much as I don't care for their data mining business, I don't care who knows that I'm fervently trying to find that Gizmodo article I read five days ago.
Well that depends on what personally identifiable means to you. Does your location count? If so, thats part of your personal information that can be used to judge regional trends. What about age? You can form demographics. E-mail address? While broad, it could be used to suggest that more people with GMail accounts are signing up, so maybe you want to partner with more Google-geared sites. Phone numbers can be used to determine location information as well as what carrier you are with. IP address again goes back to regional information and can also be used to know your ISP if that data is mined soon enough.
One piece at a time, this isn't really a big deal perhaps, but taken in aggregate and plotted to various marketing methods, this information forms the basis of what many companies do with their money.
For some reason, I can't mod you up. I couldn't mod another thread either, FF is acting up. I'll say I support your stance.
As much as I don't agree with it, the content still belongs to CBS. You can't expect me to give up something I own just because the copyright on it has run out if I still own it and have never opened it up for distribution before. If I sold someone a copy at some point, and the copyright expired, they could copy it and distribute it at will, but if I own the only copy and don't want to give it up, I don't - and shouldn't - have to.
CBS is still a bunch of dicks, this much is clear.
I don't think that's largely unanswered actually - you see, month-old data is "important" to higher-ups. Being able to see data and trends makes them understand what does and does not work from a marketing perspective, and drives their decision about where to go next. Do we keep these surveys? Do we change ad providers? How can we better reach our market? This information is invaluable, and coupled with the fact that it is readily FREE is incentive to mine it and try to discover trends and correlation that can lead to more people clicking a banner, following a link, signing up for an offer, etc.
Neat! I want to see what that cone looks like as it develops, in super-slow motion.
Offtopic: I can't reply to the Racist Facial thread - all the Reply buttons are missing in both Camino and Firefox, and obviously I can post this thread. What gives?
I just wanted to see for myself:
this->posx=0;
this->posy=0;
tis->ttl=40;
this->source="";
After hitting Preview, I'm not sure your argument holds up as well as I thought. I understand as a programmer that being able to quickly spot where certain keywords are shorter/longer than they should be is important, but viewing the above in proportional font makes it obvious that just about any font will show when you mistype, especially in a situation like that where you're using the same keyword (this) to start each line.
I'd pay, but I want the assurance that Big Content's hands stay off of my media, ESPECIALLY if I payed for the better quality. If I can't duplicate it, play it on my TV or stream it to a laptop/360/iWhatever/wireless projector/blahblahblah then I'm definitely going to pirate it. The biggest issue I have with DRM content is that the model for DRM hasn't gotten past the whole "You can have it, kinda, but its really still ours" mentality, and I'm not counting on codec-levels being the only "DRM" going on here.
On point E, in particular: I read up until this point because it rang so true I couldn't even bother reading the rest. SO, as a disclaimer, anything past OP's point "E", I did not take into account. That is okay. A friend recently suffered a staph infection on her face that started as a small pimple-like protrusion - dermatologist said "It's a pimple, meh." About two weeks later it is the size of a golfball. It was drained, patched (so-to-speak), and now another has come up. While doctors often know the right thing for the patient, she had an inclination that it could be more but trusted her DR. Nothing against you, but I advise ALL PATIENTS to seek a 2nd opinion - it might cost double the fees for two opinions, but its worth more than having multiple cysts on your forehead.
Troll? Word, use your mod points to push my observation of the truth to the bottom! Seriously, whoever modded me troll must be such a creature because IT IS TRUE: Step 1) make a movie with lots of time and money, based on an owned and registered franchise. 2) Put it out in the open and have it at film festivals. 3) Get shut down by the IP owner. 4) Story about it gets posted on /. where "Piracy is LEGAL!" nerds get their rocks off. 5)??? 6) Yell at person who is only regarding the legality as it stands in the matter and label said person troll aaaaand PROFIT!
I understand some things about our culture - enough to know that you don't have to rip off a trademark to make a movie. Honestly, I do feel a little bad for these people, but then they should have known that what they were getting into was something that Nintendo ultimately could (and apparently did) pull the plug on. My only reasoning was why not just do something original from the start? And original doesn't have to mean "Don't use story elements found other places" or "You shouldn't ever borrow from other industries or franchises," but when you make a full-length movie, based - extensively - on IP you don't own, don't be surprised when the bottom falls out and Nin says "No." Heck, they even had a good run of around a year or more before anyone stepped in, so I guess thats an accomplishment akin to an original work, right?
Exactly - oh bawwwww you spent 4 years and lots of time and money to make something based on a franchise you don't have rights to? I'm so sorry! Seriously, all of the effort could have been used in a much more productive way - they could have, you know, written their own set of characters, their own story (granted, I don't know how closely the movie follows Nintendo's lore), and done the work to create a really good, quality independent film. Or they could have donated it to better Zelda games in the future. Or fuck, taken up a new pass-time - such as crocheting.
but, I kinda like the idea. My friend and I were in the drivethru, probably a Micky D's one day, and I got to thinking: "What if the whole McDonald's was covered in ads!? Advertisements wrapping the building, obscuring windows, constantly changing? Whats that? My combo only cost $1? Why? Oh! Ads offset my meal!" Just like the internet - if a site supported by ads can survive, its not because the site can offer an ad that EVERY SINGLE VISITOR CLICKS, but instead they can ensure that ENOUGH visitors will click. Enough will buy. And, while that doesn't drive insane profits, it does keep the site/company moving, and the goal here is to bring the customers in - even with free* stuff. Once you have the client, then you can charge them more and create a CFL.
This is all well and fascinating (and it really is, sarcasm aside but still there), but why the focus on war in space? I mean, sure colonization has been done, alot, but so has war in space. What if, instead of worrying about how were going to shoot down other ships, we learned how to bargain, how to trade, how to you know, be space hippies?
Man?
And in other news, older cars have more mileage than newer cars - update at 11!
Wait what? Let us start at "Nintendo should have preempted this." Nevermind. "PC version of the Wii" - I gather what you mean is "Software for computers capable of running Wii games." While not at all a bad idea, and one I've wanted for a long time to be official from Nintendo for things such as NES, SNES and 64 games, its not going to happen...probably. Considering that one of the Wii's competitors is owned by the company most known for having a stranglehold on the OS market, I don't know that Nintendo would like this. Suddenly, they lose profit on hardware in exchange for adding to their competitor's gaming market share? Nah, though MS would probably welcome the idea with open arms. You can sell a Wii for a lot more than you can software that emulates (and not always predictably accurate) said software, whats the point? You don't want to invest in a console rollout so that you can bleed out of every chopped off limb by running your software on PCs.
"The pressure for other people to write an emulator would have reduced." - Kind of backwards - its much easier to pirate something that already runs on your target system. Granted, piracy isn't emulation per se, you stand to lose way more by allowing your games to be run natively on systems you don't own, service, upgrade and control. Demand for emulation would obviously drop, but demand for piracy of games and software to run them would skyrocket.
I'll be honest, I haven't gamed on a computer in a while - at least not on a PC and mostly OSS games. But, last time I can think of, not many games out there require Administrator rights to run. Maybe you have Windows Vista? And you're thinking of the installation process? And even then I don't know if I believe you. Games, more than most any other software on your computer, should have no issues running in userspace, and companies like MS probably see it in their interests to give average users access to DirectX-related hardware.
Why yes, as you stated (and as I believe because a) I'm lazy and b) I couldn't imagine the nervous system using any sort of "high" voltage signal)))/*Close those parens!*/ I would think that a feedback system wouldn't be hard to develop, at least on the hardware side. Making something that can be affected by resistance - say, a hand touching the fake arm - shouldn't be difficult at all. While not entirely familiar with the technologies, something akin to touchscreen tech, the holographic stickers on old old old school Transformers toys, etc should be easily measurable.
The real problem, imho aianadosoee (and I am not a doctor or scientist or electrical engineer, of course), would be software. Err wetware. Err brainware. Whathaveyou, the point I'm trying to make is that measuring "touch" or sensations on an artificial limb is likely the easy part, the hard part is figuring out where to send the signal. As much as we know about the brain and the nervous system, we really don't seem to know much, but even so I don't see why the wiring couldn't be connected to the nearest nerve endings, perhaps through some sort of dongle? Sure, position tracking and sensitivity would be issues, but nothing some testing couldn't fix.
Okay, but I think far more people would find value in a handcrafted ship-in-a-bottle, or a hot rod built by hunting down the parts needed, taking the time to learn the engineering, and applying that into a working restoration of a vehicle. On top of that, these things also tend to carry value both socially and monetarily, as well as a sense of accomplishment that actually carries on past the "fading" point likely to be felt with the WoW accomplishment. Doing things like building a car or a house or spending months perfecting a masterpiece of oil and canvas open people up to more social exposure than, say, having some friends over to check out your paladin. You can drive your hot rod, take it to shows, hell even be a guest speaker in an auto-mechanics class. A composition of music could be enjoyed for hundreds of years by audiences you never imagined. Your WoW account, however, will likely not be heralded as a feat of great accomplishment outside of a small community of others seeking to achieve in even the modest task which is their charge: level up.
You're right! After reading your statement I feel some of my brain cells dying - maybe I can work at Google now!
So, I smoke in some bar/restaurants where it is still allowed here (not ready for next year's ban in NC...), and would the dishwashers not be allowed to wash the ash trays, or plates, or glasses or anything else my smoke touches? OSHA violations? I don't think so. Moreso to that point, if you opted for a career as a bartender I'm sure you knew beforehand that yes, people smoke at bars. Smoking and drinking go hand-in-hand, so when the ban takes effect they'll be safe from my smokey plates and I'll be at home, spending much less on drinking out.
On the Apple - I'm fortunate that I'll never be taking my iBook to them, as its far out of warranty and I've opened it numerous times to bring it back from the dead (currently, a piece of Red Stripe case keeps the GPU in place enough for it to run). I recently found new employment, and I was considering starting a savings fund for a new Mac, but I'm now torn between getting the extended warranty, which is soooo pricey, or not because they won't service a smokey Mac. Maybe I won't even buy one now, I like having protection and service options for my equipment, and I like smoking. I'm not gonna stop anytime soon, and that means I'm not gonna stop computing and smoking too. How would they know though aside from smell? If I have a wood-burning fireplace am I at risk? Are they going to get a piss-test from my Mac? Do their employees not ride in smokey cars ever? Do they sanitize subway seats - I'm sure smokers sit on the seats from time to time.
Once again, Apple disappoints by being terribly lame when they don't need to be. I love my Mac, but it may be the last one I ever own.
I actually like where you're going with this. I mean, could they do it? Would someone from the gov't of either America or Vietnam "stop" it from being released? Would retailers sell it? I hope so, this is America!
And I do mean that. As ugly as our history - as the world's history - may be, it is OUR history: you, me, people across the globe. We all come from generally violent, carelessness-for-life histories at some point or another, and to not show or discuss the atrocities before us, we're doomed to see them happen again and again.
This is what gets me about history books - I have friends who are teaching aids in elementary schools, and most of the history lessons are 1) embellished, 2) stretched or 3) down-right false. And then the kids go to middle and high school, where we learn a little about how things were different than what was printed. Then we go to college, where we learn that a lot of terrible things happened we didn't know about. Then we grow up, angry at lies and we DON'T lash out? No, we do. Old wounds don't heal for history by forgetting, but by remembering and learning and moving on with that knowledge, lest we invade some other country, end up with military and civilian casualties, and calmly look the other way as we rewrite history to suit ourselves while we commit horrid atrocities.
Actually, forget eBay, there are plenty of CRTs available at thrift stores (Goodwill, Salvation Army), presumably on Craigslist, and one of the best gaming CRTs I ever got came from a yard sale.
I know we're nerds, but we too can purchase old televisions at low prices, face-to-face with an actual person ;)
Why isn't there a +1 So True?
And this is a problem. While the rest of us living out in the "real world" might see this kind of practice as nefarious indeed, the view on capitol hill is obviously skewed - a lot. Sure, I'm basing the views of everyone in our political mecca on one lobbyist's, but at the same time - our congresspeople are taking notes, lines and political ideas from this guy. Another sign that things NEED TO CHANGE, and another sign that they probably won't.
I'm not necessarily disagreeing with your statement that the vaccines are better than not having them, but I would also like point out (and sorry, I don't have source for this as I'm lazy, but it came from the mouth of a "medical professional") that there is an interesting trend that people who a) don't get vaccinated and b) don't get the flu, year after year, are more likely to suffer side-effects and have a weakened immune system when exposed to the flu vaccine. Of course, if they had hook worms, this wouldn't be an issue.
Look, I'm not a big fan of MS, and I know most of you aren't either...but, this whole browser shebang is stupid beyond all belief. Is it really that bad that Windows comes packaged with Internet Explorer? I mean, I know IE is TERRIBLE at being a browser, but is it that bad to bundle it with the OS from the company that makes it? Firefox comes standard on most Linux distros, Konqueror comes with KDE, Safari comes with EVERY mac out there, but no one is up in arms over this.
Oh, they offer a web page in IE to select your browser? OH NOS! Geez, you guys are lame. If you don't have a web browser, how do you get a new one???? I certainly don't keep a list of Mozilla's FTP addresses handy. And the security warnings? Well, I don't want to jump to conclusions, but isn't that how most browsers and OSes work? Granted, OS X brings up the security warning, not Safari, when opening downloaded applications, but its still there. This doesn't sound like IE is just targeting the browser choice and saying "HEY! You want to use something that isn't IE, so I'm gonna nag you about it." It sounds like IE/Windows is taking the same security steps that would be taken for any downloaded application.
Get off your fucking duffs and stop masturbating to hating Microsoft and be glad they give you a choice - I can say less for most other operating systems out there.