Old crazy voters is the only excuse for Ronald Reagan.
He was arguably old and crazy, at least in his second term, but people of all ages came out in droves to vote for him. My opinion is that a lot of intelligent people saw through the sabotage and Reagan's isolationist/BS rhetoric and opted for Carter, but what did he get, like 50 electoral votes? Mondale was uninspiring, had no answers, and was predictably slaughtered. Reagan is way overrated, IMHO, as the benfactor of being in the right place at the right time during a stand-off with the Ruskies and at the end of a recession, but the guy was damn charismatic and trustworthy. I sure didn't dig his policies and politics, but I can't say he wasn't likable or a capable leader.
Random thought: Wouldn't it have been amazing to see Reagan and Clinton debate each other? On the same stage, there is no way Romney could dance around them, Gingrich wouldn't be able to use anger and hate to win, W. would look even sillier, Gore would be speechless against them, Santorum would quickly be marginalized, and even uber-smooth Obama would be in trouble. What if somebody who is smart, smooth & likable, not too polarlizing, AND an outsider were suddenly to take an interest in politics, like Michio Kaku or Neil deGrasse Tyson?
I never said we should limit people to one or two drinks, I was arguing against.32% BAC being a reasonable cutoff. The effect of one to two drinks on reaction time and decision making is measurable, though I wouldn't say a BAC of.02 or.04 or so is that much of a concern. Sleep deprivation is far worse, and something that can not easily be evaluated or regulated. And while revoking licenses at age 60 is utterly ridiculous, it wouldn't be a bad idea at all to require drivers to be retested at some point. My 89 year-old grandfather should not be driving regularly, though he is in amazingly good physical and mental health and I dare anyone to convince him to stop. If the laws were to change, and if he were to fail a relicensure test (he probably would), he would abide by the law, like most adults, especially seniors.
To pass a law requiring retesting you'd probably have to make it every ten years for everybody, or something. Having a hard upper age limit would probably not fly with senior voters, and having a certain age trigger testing might also be a tough sell. More often than that (or even that often) would be seen as to much of an inconvenience to younger drivers. And of course this would probably have to go state by state in the US, meaning no one state would want to be the first and making the whole idea less likely to succeed. We all know really old folks can't drive, even the ones that are pretty sharp, but taking away that freedom from our elders is a very touchy subject.
I can't think this is a good idea. At least in the US, where our BAC limits are 25% of what actually impairs driving.
What are you talking about? While I do drink and think.08% BAC is a little low, it is true that driving performance begins to deteriorate after as little 1 or 2 drinks. If you really think the legal limit should be.32, and that anyone below that level is okay to drive, you are absolutely nuts. By.20 you are obviously and inarguably drunk. The Frecnh drink a lot of wine, true, but I don't think most people in France condone drinking 3 bottles of wine before going for a drive.
If they have amassed too much money why doesn't Apple pay its employees? You know, the ones who built all of their products for wages well below the US minimum? They made all that money by way of exploitation - outsourcing jobs so they could pay workers less. Obviously that strategy worked very, very well.
I'm unsure of the alphabet soup jargon, but it would certainly be nice if devices built and sold for AT&T networks would work at full speed on T-Mobile's network. I've been a fairly happy TM customer for a few years but have been frustrated by the selection of phones, while most of the ones I want are AT&T only. This is especially true of second-hand phones. I would love to be able to find something nice to upgrade to (used) without paying an arm and a leg so I can switch to SimpleMobile (T-Mobile's network) to save a few bucks. Hard to find good used TM phones at a reasonable price, and I absolutely do not want to sign another 2-year contract. Maybe this will all change, but I sure don't want to wait another year+.
In the podcast they explain how North Korea is able to sell their fake currency, as well as the other shady things their government does to make money. It's worth a listen if you're interested in the North Korean regime.
I ain't interested in Nor Kakalaka, but if I can buy sum o dat fake money for cheap, an if its good, i want in!!! If its convincing I no lotsa places in AMERICA that will take it so's i can get rich!!!! My master plan might actually work this time:
1. Buy fake USD from DPRK
2. Exchange funny money for real money
3. Skip usual question marks and go to step 4
4. Profit!!!
It's kind of sad. Everyone wants to counterfeit your money, and they're good at it, but you're too sentimentally attached to its archaic design that you're completely unwilling to change it.
Our currency is still working okay for us! If it weren't, your country wouldn't be holding so many US dollars. Yes, it could be better, and I wish it were, but it is still quite valuable. What can I say, we like our greenbacks. What is truly sad is how everyone likes to pile on Americans as being stupid (case in point above) yet still consumes American media, buys American currency, looks to American military might for support, and seeks American financial aide whenever a crisis arises. Have your cake, and eat it too, and we'll continue to help, because America is both wealthy and generous.
"Clearing at par" is why cash and checks still exist, and until electronic transactions are not only convenient and easy, but ALSO clear at par, there will still be a huge role for cash and checks.
That is not all. The convenience factor must not be underrated. Almost all transaction can be conducted with cash, meaning no third party clearinghouse is necessary, which is especially important for small, casual, and person-to-person transactions. Even if non-cash transactions cleared at par (which includes checks, which do clear at par), going through a processor would not always be convenient. There is also the anonymity factor, which is only available with cash or bitcoin. If we were to move to a fully cashless society, other anonymous means of transferring value/wealth would arise, to support a demand from a criminal underworld as well as legal but amoral, shameful and tabboo transactions. We're not just talking about drug dealers laundering money and hardcore tax evaders, we're talking about guys buying porn without their wives seeing it on checking statements, tipped workers who creatively report their earnings (i.e. every waiter or waitress ever), private gifts, people who simply don't want their private lives used for corporate data mining, and lots more scenarios.
Just like copying movies and music: NK haven't stolen anything. The US still has all the dollars it ever has. It isn't like stealing a car where that deprives the original owner of the car. It's more like *duplicating* the car while the original owner still has it.
So it's OK, according to Slashdot.
Hmm, this is funny, but there is truth in the joke. International law may ban counterfeiting of another country's currency, but if you don't allow yourself to be bound by international law, you can not be guilty of breaking it. National sovereignty in its essence means one country need not be held to legal standards established elsewhere, at the risk of being ostricized and effectively banished from the international community, of course.
Well, someone from Germany might tell you they sure don't speak German in Austria! At least they don't think it's Australian speakers.
Just as Brits snicker when it is said that Americans and Australians speak English. Yet many people in non English-speaking countries learn Americanized English. Accents, and dialects, but mutual intelligibility nonetheless. This is all a question of semantics. Diversity is good.
That's not as bad as people who think you can speak Mexican...
While "speaking Mexican" is not technically correct, many people who know that Mexicans generally speak Spanish do not understand that they do so with a distinct accent, and the differences between Mexican Spanish and the Spanish spoken in Spain nearly elevate the former to the level of a unique dialect. So no, it isn't called "Mexican," but it surely isn't the same as what Spaniards speak. I was taught Spanish by teachers who hailed from Madrid and Barcelona, each of whom was very adamant about differentiating between Mexican culture and language and that of Spain. Americans do tend to learn the Mexican form of Spanish, which many Americans speak as a first language. Americans learn to speak like Mexicans and Mexicans learn to speak like Americans, so Spanish and English be damned, the proper terminology is not essential (to many people).
Yeah! Just like all those absolute morons who think they speak Austrian in Austria.
Yeah, America is STUPID!!! Yet American media continues to be consumed wordwide. Hmm... so much crap, but so many buyers. Makes you wonder who is winning that battle of wits, no?
The ink is made by a Swiss, not a Swedish company. What the hell is it with Americans that they confuse these all the time.
What the hell is it with people that they have to generalize everyone who happens to be a citizen of a particular country? We are not all idiots, and I am sure you have plenty of idiots in your country too, though you chose not to mention which one it is. This happens to be a site with a high proportion of Americans, so it should not come as a surprise if an American says something idiotic here. You look just as bad when you promote stereotypes. I've never seen this particular problem before (Americans confusing the Swiss with the Swedish), ever.
Why not just change the name of this site to the "Apple Felcher's Worship Site" and get it over with?
Because only a small minority here are Apple felchers/worshipers. They are a vocal minority, which the rest of us generally equate with fanboys, fanatics, trolls and the brainwashed, which is why we generally don't get bent out of shape when they present their distorted views of what technology is or should be. Are you a Crackberry addict, or RIM-jobber? RIM is dying and desperate, which was the point. Congrats on feeding the trolls and Jobs-wannabes.
I got the latest WD TV Live streaming media player a few months ago, and it has been fantastic. It plays every format I have tried, streaming from Linux or Windows computers on my network, or from an external hard drive. The online services also work well. There is one flaw with Netflix that I am hoping a firmware update will fix, which is that I have to have to type in my login info every few days, but that is it. After researching all the competitors available for similar prices I was sure the WD TV was the right one for me, and I could not be happier with it.
There is third party firmware available for some WD TV boxes but not yet for the latest incarnation of the Live SMP. So far it seems that WD updates firmware frequently enough.
Are they actually upset about this for the stated reason or are they claiming a health reason to justify opposing it for some reason?
They are sincere and really think they are doing the right thing, despite the fact that they are terribly misinformed and are making no sense. Lots of people read chain letters, conspiracies, and general bullshit on the internet and believe the outrageous claims that have no scientific backing whatsoever. Urban legends have gone online, and bad science and pseudoscience are more convincing than ever to the gullible.
They didn't also require AC receptacle plug covers installed so electricity doesn't leak out of the wall sockets and give everyone cancer.
On behalf of Ontario Catholic teachers, thank's for the heads-up, eh. That will make the list, right after the ban on rooves over all schools, as they have been known to collapse without warning and kill children.
Interesting that Frankenstein is arguably the first time that science fiction appears.
Sure it is, if you discount everything that came before it. I think the Torah and the Rigveda are a few years older, and one could consider them early science fiction.
Why should New Horizons get a stamp, and why not Cassini-Huygens, the Galileo probe, the Magellan orbiter, or MESENGER? The others all completed their missions and studied real planets, while New Horizons has not arrived at the minor planet Pluto yet. Get over it, Pluto fanboys, your boring little ice ball is not a planet!!!
The question asked by the story title: "did North Korea conduct secret nuclear tests?" has a simple answer. Yes. Of course they conducted secret nuclear tests. It's already public knowledge that they have a nuclear program. They also, like every nuclear power, keep the details hush hush. Therefore, secret nuclear tests.
Agreed. Of course they have done tests, have bombs, and have reactors, so radiation should not be unexpected in North Korea. But any mention of fusion related to this is absolutely absurd and unrelated (other than the Dear Leader's ridiculous claims, which he may not have understood anyway), so this story does not shed new light on anything and should never have been posted.
Slashdot Mirror
Old crazy voters is the only excuse for Ronald Reagan.
He was arguably old and crazy, at least in his second term, but people of all ages came out in droves to vote for him. My opinion is that a lot of intelligent people saw through the sabotage and Reagan's isolationist/BS rhetoric and opted for Carter, but what did he get, like 50 electoral votes? Mondale was uninspiring, had no answers, and was predictably slaughtered. Reagan is way overrated, IMHO, as the benfactor of being in the right place at the right time during a stand-off with the Ruskies and at the end of a recession, but the guy was damn charismatic and trustworthy. I sure didn't dig his policies and politics, but I can't say he wasn't likable or a capable leader.
Random thought: Wouldn't it have been amazing to see Reagan and Clinton debate each other? On the same stage, there is no way Romney could dance around them, Gingrich wouldn't be able to use anger and hate to win, W. would look even sillier, Gore would be speechless against them, Santorum would quickly be marginalized, and even uber-smooth Obama would be in trouble. What if somebody who is smart, smooth & likable, not too polarlizing, AND an outsider were suddenly to take an interest in politics, like Michio Kaku or Neil deGrasse Tyson?
I never said we should limit people to one or two drinks, I was arguing against .32% BAC being a reasonable cutoff. The effect of one to two drinks on reaction time and decision making is measurable, though I wouldn't say a BAC of .02 or .04 or so is that much of a concern. Sleep deprivation is far worse, and something that can not easily be evaluated or regulated. And while revoking licenses at age 60 is utterly ridiculous, it wouldn't be a bad idea at all to require drivers to be retested at some point. My 89 year-old grandfather should not be driving regularly, though he is in amazingly good physical and mental health and I dare anyone to convince him to stop. If the laws were to change, and if he were to fail a relicensure test (he probably would), he would abide by the law, like most adults, especially seniors.
To pass a law requiring retesting you'd probably have to make it every ten years for everybody, or something. Having a hard upper age limit would probably not fly with senior voters, and having a certain age trigger testing might also be a tough sell. More often than that (or even that often) would be seen as to much of an inconvenience to younger drivers. And of course this would probably have to go state by state in the US, meaning no one state would want to be the first and making the whole idea less likely to succeed. We all know really old folks can't drive, even the ones that are pretty sharp, but taking away that freedom from our elders is a very touchy subject.
I can't think this is a good idea. At least in the US, where our BAC limits are 25% of what actually impairs driving.
What are you talking about? While I do drink and think .08% BAC is a little low, it is true that driving performance begins to deteriorate after as little 1 or 2 drinks. If you really think the legal limit should be .32, and that anyone below that level is okay to drive, you are absolutely nuts. By .20 you are obviously and inarguably drunk.
The Frecnh drink a lot of wine, true, but I don't think most people in France condone drinking 3 bottles of wine before going for a drive.
If they have amassed too much money why doesn't Apple pay its employees? You know, the ones who built all of their products for wages well below the US minimum? They made all that money by way of exploitation - outsourcing jobs so they could pay workers less. Obviously that strategy worked very, very well.
I'm unsure of the alphabet soup jargon, but it would certainly be nice if devices built and sold for AT&T networks would work at full speed on T-Mobile's network. I've been a fairly happy TM customer for a few years but have been frustrated by the selection of phones, while most of the ones I want are AT&T only. This is especially true of second-hand phones. I would love to be able to find something nice to upgrade to (used) without paying an arm and a leg so I can switch to SimpleMobile (T-Mobile's network) to save a few bucks. Hard to find good used TM phones at a reasonable price, and I absolutely do not want to sign another 2-year contract. Maybe this will all change, but I sure don't want to wait another year+.
There's an excellent Planet Money podcast on North Korea's illegal economy.
In the podcast they explain how North Korea is able to sell their fake currency, as well as the other shady things their government does to make money. It's worth a listen if you're interested in the North Korean regime.
I ain't interested in Nor Kakalaka, but if I can buy sum o dat fake money for cheap, an if its good, i want in!!! If its convincing I no lotsa places in AMERICA that will take it so's i can get rich!!!! My master plan might actually work this time:
1. Buy fake USD from DPRK
2. Exchange funny money for real money
3. Skip usual question marks and go to step 4
4. Profit!!!
It's kind of sad. Everyone wants to counterfeit your money, and they're good at it, but you're too sentimentally attached to its archaic design that you're completely unwilling to change it.
Our currency is still working okay for us! If it weren't, your country wouldn't be holding so many US dollars. Yes, it could be better, and I wish it were, but it is still quite valuable. What can I say, we like our greenbacks. What is truly sad is how everyone likes to pile on Americans as being stupid (case in point above) yet still consumes American media, buys American currency, looks to American military might for support, and seeks American financial aide whenever a crisis arises. Have your cake, and eat it too, and we'll continue to help, because America is both wealthy and generous.
"Clearing at par" is why cash and checks still exist, and until electronic transactions are not only convenient and easy, but ALSO clear at par, there will still be a huge role for cash and checks.
That is not all. The convenience factor must not be underrated. Almost all transaction can be conducted with cash, meaning no third party clearinghouse is necessary, which is especially important for small, casual, and person-to-person transactions. Even if non-cash transactions cleared at par (which includes checks, which do clear at par), going through a processor would not always be convenient. There is also the anonymity factor, which is only available with cash or bitcoin. If we were to move to a fully cashless society, other anonymous means of transferring value/wealth would arise, to support a demand from a criminal underworld as well as legal but amoral, shameful and tabboo transactions. We're not just talking about drug dealers laundering money and hardcore tax evaders, we're talking about guys buying porn without their wives seeing it on checking statements, tipped workers who creatively report their earnings (i.e. every waiter or waitress ever), private gifts, people who simply don't want their private lives used for corporate data mining, and lots more scenarios.
Long live cash!
Just like copying movies and music: NK haven't stolen anything. The US still has all the dollars it ever has. It isn't like stealing a car where that deprives the original owner of the car. It's more like *duplicating* the car while the original owner still has it.
So it's OK, according to Slashdot.
Hmm, this is funny, but there is truth in the joke. International law may ban counterfeiting of another country's currency, but if you don't allow yourself to be bound by international law, you can not be guilty of breaking it. National sovereignty in its essence means one country need not be held to legal standards established elsewhere, at the risk of being ostricized and effectively banished from the international community, of course.
Well, someone from Germany might tell you they sure don't speak German in Austria! At least they don't think it's Australian speakers.
Just as Brits snicker when it is said that Americans and Australians speak English. Yet many people in non English-speaking countries learn Americanized English. Accents, and dialects, but mutual intelligibility nonetheless. This is all a question of semantics. Diversity is good.
That's not as bad as people who think you can speak Mexican...
While "speaking Mexican" is not technically correct, many people who know that Mexicans generally speak Spanish do not understand that they do so with a distinct accent, and the differences between Mexican Spanish and the Spanish spoken in Spain nearly elevate the former to the level of a unique dialect. So no, it isn't called "Mexican," but it surely isn't the same as what Spaniards speak. I was taught Spanish by teachers who hailed from Madrid and Barcelona, each of whom was very adamant about differentiating between Mexican culture and language and that of Spain. Americans do tend to learn the Mexican form of Spanish, which many Americans speak as a first language. Americans learn to speak like Mexicans and Mexicans learn to speak like Americans, so Spanish and English be damned, the proper terminology is not essential (to many people).
Yeah! Just like all those absolute morons who think they speak Austrian in Austria.
Yeah, America is STUPID!!! Yet American media continues to be consumed wordwide. Hmm... so much crap, but so many buyers. Makes you wonder who is winning that battle of wits, no?
The ink is made by a Swiss, not a Swedish company. What the hell is it with Americans that they confuse these all the time.
What the hell is it with people that they have to generalize everyone who happens to be a citizen of a particular country? We are not all idiots, and I am sure you have plenty of idiots in your country too, though you chose not to mention which one it is. This happens to be a site with a high proportion of Americans, so it should not come as a surprise if an American says something idiotic here. You look just as bad when you promote stereotypes. I've never seen this particular problem before (Americans confusing the Swiss with the Swedish), ever.
Why not just change the name of this site to the "Apple Felcher's Worship Site" and get it over with?
Because only a small minority here are Apple felchers/worshipers. They are a vocal minority, which the rest of us generally equate with fanboys, fanatics, trolls and the brainwashed, which is why we generally don't get bent out of shape when they present their distorted views of what technology is or should be. Are you a Crackberry addict, or RIM-jobber? RIM is dying and desperate, which was the point. Congrats on feeding the trolls and Jobs-wannabes.
I got the latest WD TV Live streaming media player a few months ago, and it has been fantastic. It plays every format I have tried, streaming from Linux or Windows computers on my network, or from an external hard drive. The online services also work well. There is one flaw with Netflix that I am hoping a firmware update will fix, which is that I have to have to type in my login info every few days, but that is it. After researching all the competitors available for similar prices I was sure the WD TV was the right one for me, and I could not be happier with it.
There is third party firmware available for some WD TV boxes but not yet for the latest incarnation of the Live SMP. So far it seems that WD updates firmware frequently enough.
Crap, looks like I'm going to hvae to stop cutting corners and go back to digging my underground bomb shelter. Oh well.
If there is any justice, Rick will win the nomination...
I am a big fan of Justice! Sincerely, Barrack Obama
I'm not anti-science, YOU'RE anti-science. And you have a butt for a face! YEAH!!!
There is an important election coming up, so can the adults talk now?
Are they actually upset about this for the stated reason or are they claiming a health reason to justify opposing it for some reason?
They are sincere and really think they are doing the right thing, despite the fact that they are terribly misinformed and are making no sense. Lots of people read chain letters, conspiracies, and general bullshit on the internet and believe the outrageous claims that have no scientific backing whatsoever. Urban legends have gone online, and bad science and pseudoscience are more convincing than ever to the gullible.
They didn't also require AC receptacle plug covers installed so electricity doesn't leak out of the wall sockets and give everyone cancer.
On behalf of Ontario Catholic teachers, thank's for the heads-up, eh. That will make the list, right after the ban on rooves over all schools, as they have been known to collapse without warning and kill children.
I'm still waiting on my damn flying car, which science fiction from the 60s through the 80s said I'd surely have by now.
Interesting that Frankenstein is arguably the first time that science fiction appears.
Sure it is, if you discount everything that came before it. I think the Torah and the Rigveda are a few years older, and one could consider them early science fiction.
Excuse my haste, I meant to refer to 134340 Pluto, as the dwarf planet is known, not simply Pluto.
Why should New Horizons get a stamp, and why not Cassini-Huygens, the Galileo probe, the Magellan orbiter, or MESENGER? The others all completed their missions and studied real planets, while New Horizons has not arrived at the minor planet Pluto yet. Get over it, Pluto fanboys, your boring little ice ball is not a planet!!!
The question asked by the story title: "did North Korea conduct secret nuclear tests?" has a simple answer. Yes. Of course they conducted secret nuclear tests. It's already public knowledge that they have a nuclear program. They also, like every nuclear power, keep the details hush hush. Therefore, secret nuclear tests.
Agreed. Of course they have done tests, have bombs, and have reactors, so radiation should not be unexpected in North Korea. But any mention of fusion related to this is absolutely absurd and unrelated (other than the Dear Leader's ridiculous claims, which he may not have understood anyway), so this story does not shed new light on anything and should never have been posted.