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User: Theodrake

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  1. Re:Globalism is not a political movement on Globalization · · Score: 1
    This is a much better post then anything I have said, but it is what I was trying to say (since I've already posted to this thread I can't mod this up, so I'll respond). To often it is one person or group (oliarchy) that wants the old way because it means more power. Power based on birth or association not skill.

    In the US it is based more on merit then who you know, who your parents are, or what organization you belong too. Yes, those things help, but ability is more important to success and power.

    I believe some other anti-globalist are more anti-anything new. Or the more common term bigots. People who don't like people that don't behave or look like themselves. The change is bad mentality.

  2. Re:GLOBALIZATION IS ABOUT HAVE EXPLOITING HAVE-NOT on Globalization · · Score: 1
    Salaries in the US have increased because of globalization. Why because I can purchase things cheaper and therefore make my salary stretch farther.

    Look at the cost of toys. The cost of toys is very cheap in America because we import most of them from china (low wage). If you want expensive toys we have a tendency to import them from Germany (high wage). Most people want quantity over quality, but they are both available.

    Next why does a programmer in US or Europe get paid more than one in Venezuela or India. It is because my employer knows it will get paid well for the software it produces. A software company in either of these countries knows that their software will most likely be stolen. Further the level of graft is unpredictable and can be exhorbitant. Business doesn't mind paying graft, it just wants to know how much it will cost and that what they own/produce won't be confiscated by the government.

    This all comes down to the rule of law. The fact the in our Western civ culture we have a respect for law and property provides a security that is only matched by the number of children in the 3rd world. I depend on my retirement, 401k, and yes Social Security (all property) to provide sufficient funds to retire and live well. In 3rd world countries you depend on your children to provide in your old age.

    In our modern world our covenent is with corporations not God. I make a deal with my employer to provide a retirement account. I make a deal with my government to provide a social security check. I make a deal with my mutual fund managers to increase the value of my investments. I promise to work hard and increase the value of my employer. I promise to support the law and institutions of my government.

    When we all play by these rules we all do better. No longer do I depend on the whims of a god to provide for me and to protect me from my enemies.

  3. Re:Globalization - We didn't vote for it. on Globalization · · Score: 1

    I just read this after brewing a cup of starbucks French roast right here in my office. It's better then Foldgers and if I can find a good source I will try some other blends/brands from other countries. I love globalization. Without it I never would have had anything other then a cup of Foldgers.

  4. Re:Aliens on Globalization · · Score: 1

    Maybe. What if their belief system matched that of the Taliban?

  5. Re:Fundamentalism vs. moral relativism on Globalization · · Score: 1
    I've only been to a few countries, but in every single one the common person treated me with respect. They didn't care that I was an American. Some were upset with US policy, but didn't blame me and really had some respect for the US.

    The only people that seemed to really be upset where the educated people that blamed the US for the problems with their government. That the US didn't buy enough of their goods. Or the US didn't side with them in their border dispute. That the US was deliberately keeping the world oil prices too high. That the US was deliberately keeping the world oil prices low. That the US was making the dollar too strong. That the US was making the dollar too weak.

    To these peole no matter what we did it was making their life worse. It was all our fault.

  6. Re:Actually... on Globalization · · Score: 1
    I don't see a peacefull solution when their form of law is so different from ours. Look they captured someone and immediately execute them. We on the other hand would have given Osama bin Laden a chance in court to fight the accusation he was behind the WTC attacks. In their system once accused you are guilty and it is only the matter of punishment that can be mitigated. No appeals. Just summary judgment and execution of sentence.

    So our asking for Osama was a death sentence in their system.

  7. Re:Actually... on Globalization · · Score: 1
    Bullshit. Bullshit. Bullshit. Bullshit... This is like the old argument used in rape cases. She was asking for it. Bullshit. The USA is not to blame for the actions of others. This is not the results of anything we have deliberately done. But their act was a deliberate choice to use terror to kill and maim. This was a deliberate act of war on our way of life. They don't like us. Nothing we could have done short of buying into their religious beliefs would stop them from hating us.

    Bush has said this isn't a war on Islam. True, but also false. It is a war on a type of Islam that preaches it has all the answers and everybody else better believe that or we will kill you. Islam teaches that the only justified war is against a nation that won't let you practice Islam. The problem is their form of Islam can't be practiced in a modern world. So they have declared war on the modern world and they will use our way of life in their attempt to destroy it.

    Understand that. They will die attempting to destroy the modern world. They will gladly use the technology that the modern world creates, if it furthers their religious beliefs. You must understand that they see no hypocrisy in using tools that were created by the very thing they wish to destroy.

    We didn't come out of the dark ages in Europe until the church lost control of knowledge. When knowledge was set free, we started to innovate. This of course has led to the modern world we know. The world they would destroy.

  8. Re:Actually... on Globalization · · Score: 1

    What I've read about John "not Nicholas" Negroponte does not seem to indicate he is a "world-reknowned terrorist". The worse I read about him is 100 people dissappeared while he was ambassabor to Honduras. Horrible crimes that he claims he knew nothing about. Sounds fishy that he wouldn't know anything, but I've never seen any evidence that he ordered, sanctioned, or personally carried out the crimes. So how is he a "world-reknowned terrorist".

  9. Re:Real-time 100:1 compression? on Large-Scale Video Archiving? · · Score: 2, Funny

    How does real-time compression take longer then real-time?

  10. Re:1984 Anyone? on Microsoft Edits English · · Score: 2, Interesting
    Does being able to spell nugatory and know what it means make one a better person or educated. Does having the ability to look that word up and spell check it make one a dufuss.

    I can't remember the last time I had to craft a business letter. Anyway, used to be we had a pool of typists and wordsmythes. I just submitted my prose to them and they corrected my grammer and spelling. Typed it up and returned it for my approval. Turnaround was slower, but my output sure looked and sounded better. But my lament, my muse is a nugatory, trifling, inconsquential concern.

    I sure could use someone to tighten up this post and make me look educated.

  11. Re:Because those countries are irrelevant on The Hypermedia Hazard · · Score: 1
    The point being that those countries are currently not covered much, if at all, in the USA's major news outlets. One would have to go out of their way to find out what is happening in any specific country. For that matter, we don't really know what is happening daily in Russia, China, or England.

    But truthfully does it matter. What purpose is served if a housewife in Peoria knows where Sweden is on a map? How does that change her day? How does that knowledge improve her life? I believe it makes no difference to her or to 99% of Americans, or for 99% of the Earth's population.

    I happend to know the difference and could point out both countries on a map. So what. Doesn't make me better. Yes, there are a lot of ignorant Americans. Yes, we've put a fair number of them into public office. But over all the US has done alright with a bunch of ignorant men and women. Why? I don't know. Some say God (of course the Christian one) is on our side. Others just say we were lucky to have the natural resources and only Canada and Mexico for neighbors (no Huns to molest us). I think our democractic system has a tendency to work well for us poor morons. We ignorant, uncouth hicks, who don't even know which fork to use with fish have done well enough, thank-you, with most of us not being able to identify Sweden.

    So to all you educated Europeans that keep trying to tell us Americans how we've fucked up the world, well I'm sorry you feel that way, but we'll just keep on trying to do our best. We'll still look after our own best interest. We'll listen politely to you but we know that our own best interest is served by not trying to please everybody.

  12. Re:The journalists' role on The Hypermedia Hazard · · Score: 1
    Lets see the first guy to die worked for a sleeze news magazine. I for one have never considered them to be liberal or conservative.

    And for being stupid, it may be stupid for an al qeada terrorist but is it for a good ol home grown anti-Federal government terrorist. If I remember correctly, wasn't a guy arrested in the USA a few years ago attempting to aquire anthrax? Seems to me that one of our home grown terrorist would love to shut down DC.

  13. Re:Mass panic? on The Hypermedia Hazard · · Score: 1
    This is a good point. People are more cautious about mail, but I'm not seeing an over reaction. At my work we are still keeping our humor.

    I recently ordered several items and had them shipped to my work address. I followed procedure and informed, by email, the local security people to expect personal packages. Well, actually I choose the wrong email address and sent the notice to everyone in my building. I am now the brunt of lots of jokes about my shipments of Anthrax, etc. Some even wanted to put some baby powder on one of the packages. I would have understood and laughed along with them. Instead of over reacting to this fear we are having some fun with it.

    Funny thing is I watch TechTV for better coverage on Anthrax then the 24 hour news channels. I like them because they are still laking in the professional look of the others and hopefully they will stay that way.

  14. Re:does not apply.. on Microsoft: The Gatekeeper of the Internet · · Score: 1
    If I was designing a site I currently wouldn't care if Mozilla works or not. Not until its out of beta and is very stable. But it costs a web site developer almost nothing to test against several browsers on three different OSes. But of course that is their choice, I'll use their 800 number instead. If they don't have a toll free phone, I start looking for some place else to spend my money.

    Also I like to buy from a business that will still be around tomorrow, and if it doesn't work with my browser, I wonder if they will still be around in future. If they can't take the time to make a standard site that works with more than IE I wonder if they have good enough business model to treat me the way I want.

    Further I've run several browsers against Oracle's, O'reilly's, and other large businesses with no problems. It is the fly by nite shops that usually have problems for me.

  15. Re:does not apply.. on Microsoft: The Gatekeeper of the Internet · · Score: 1
    All depends on your market. In Southern California you'll do a lot better with some Spanish speaking staff.

    Online margins are so thin, turning away any customers is bad. So you better make sure you work with the top 3 or 4 browsers. At least have one simple, clean version of each page. Look I don't have to purchase software from any particular site. I will choose to go to the site that is easy for me to use. If it doesn't work with my browser, I just go to the next site.

  16. Re:minus signs on Carbon Magnets At Room Temperature · · Score: 1
    Ok here's the abstract from Nature magazine:
    The discovery of nanostructured forms of molecular carbon has led to renewed interest in the varied properties of this element. Both graphite and C60 can be electron-doped by alkali metals to become superconducting; transition temperatures of up to 52 K have been attained by field-induced hole-doping of C60 (ref. 2). Recent experiments and theoretical studies have suggested that electronic instabilities in pure graphite may give rise to superconducting and ferromagnetic properties, even at room temperature. Here we report the serendipitous discovery of strong magnetic signals in rhombohedral C60. Our intention was to search for superconductivity in polymerized C60 ; however, it appears that our high-pressure, high-temperature polymerization process results in a magnetically ordered state. The material exhibits features typical of ferromagnets: saturation magnetization, large hysteresis and attachment to a magnet at room temperature. The temperature dependences of the saturation and remanent magnetization indicate a Curie temperature near 500 K
  17. Re:no suprise that Govt is looking at linux on German Parliament Considers Linux · · Score: 1

    The reason they don't change their code is they don't know how. The lead programmer/designer was 40 years old in 1960, he never documented anything and is now most likely dead.

  18. Re:fearing espionage / some states alread switched on German Parliament Considers Linux · · Score: 1
    Rumors sure, there are always rumors, but "proved facts", that I would like to see. Any sources for this.

    The US government has denied it does economic espionage for US business, that doesn't mean they are telling the truth. I'm sure that the US spys on the German government and keeps track of German businesses, just as Germany still spys on the US. All governments do it to some level or another. Even allies, but I would really like to have access to this alleged proof, as we say here, proof positive, actual evidence. Rumors, I already have a shit load of rumors.

  19. Re:We bitch about civil liberties on /. on Senate Trashes Civil Liberties; House to Vote Today · · Score: 1

    It is true that we often fail to distinguish between a privilege and a right. Of course you sometimes have to be a lawyer to know the difference. But the problem with government is it wants more power and we the people need to be very careful in extending that power, because it can be very difficult to take it back, regardless of SUNSET clauses.

    For us US citizens remember the RICO was to be used to break up organized crime. It was used by the Clinton administration to break up abortion protestor groups.

    Overall I believe the checks and balances of my goverment will work. It might take some time. I or others might suffer, but overall it will work as intended.

  20. Re:Lets not get ahead of ourselves... on War: What Can Technology Do For Us? · · Score: 1

    When did a 767 become a low-tech item. I, for one, consider it a very high-tech item.

  21. Re:Not Vietnam or Kuwait on War: What Can Technology Do For Us? · · Score: 1
    True, the USA can't defeat terrorism on its own. Just as a terrorist group can not function without money. But the USA with the support of the majority of countries can mitigate the risk of terrorism.

    But groups that use terror to force others to give them something they want, can be defeated if we make the cost high enough. If we never give a terrorist what they want and if we don't lose our freedom in the process we can defeat the use of terrorism. The ugly truth is some of us will be killed by these terrorists. Suicide bombers will still run into crowds and blow themselves up killing many innocent people. But terrorism can be defeated if we all refuse to give into it.

    Do any of you think, bin Laden and his group will get what they want. Have they caused the US government and its citizens to demand that US Troops leave Saudia Arabia. Has the US softened its resolve against Hamas and the like. No. If anything Americans that were turning against the Isreali use of force against Palestinians, have firmly said, fuck them. Let Isreal squash those Palestian terrorists. If anything they have set back the cause of the Palestians many years (of course Arafat never misses an opportunity to miss an opportunity all by himself).

    Many Americans, now understand the fear many Isreali's face every day. Many of us, have started experiencing life where there are soldiers in our airports, guarding our bridges, etc. All bin Laden has accomplished is to awaken America to the fact that we must do something. Well we usually don't join the side that attacked us.

  22. Re:Killing Machines on War: What Can Technology Do For Us? · · Score: 1

    Then why are there more people alive today then yesterday? We can kill more people today, because there are more people to kill. Thats because our preventive medicine is better today then yesterday. Our ability to provide enough sustenance that population growth in India and China keeps increasing. So as technology increases we will see more life.

  23. Re:Give me a break. on File Extensions And Monopolies · · Score: 1
    I believe I know what I'm doing with computers. I still wind up associating .txt files with WordPad or Notepad, even though I prefer gvim. Today I learned about the shift-right click option, but this is not something I could ever teach my mother or would want to. She would sooner or later wind up associating all her mp3 files with MSWord and call me asking why she can't play all those songs I gave her.

    But this isn't that big of a deal. Most software when installed will take over a bunch of file extensions for you. So once you install RealPlayer or Winamp they always ask if they should make themselves the default player.

  24. Re:This is not a "right" on Music Industry Forcing WMA standard? · · Score: 1
    In a way I believe they are the same thing. Keep taking away our rights. At least those of us living in a common law country. Keep making more and more laws that give power to corporations, without thought to the individual. Yes ripping a CD is nothing compared to a person being held indefinitely. But both register about the same level of concern with most people.

    Most people won't care that they can't listen to music under Linux. As long as it works on their system, they're happy. Similiarly, most people, will not be affected by someone being detained indefinitely. As long as a law hurts less then 1% of the population, it is noise, easily ignored.

  25. Re:Software is licensed, not sold on Software Transferability? (or the lack of it) · · Score: 2, Informative

    Because the contract/license you agreed to prohibits it.