Propane burns fairly clean and ads little in terms of flavor, no matter how the heat is transferred to the meat. Charcoal ads that certain smokiness that some of us love. These "flame-less" grills burn the same tasteless propane as other grills, therefore they shouldn't add anything much to the flavor, nor lack anything that standard gas grills provide. I've tried all sorts of cooking methods, and I still REALLY like charcoal for a lot of things. The new infrared ones just make cooking evenly at a high temp a bit easier, which is supposed to keep meat from getting dried out. Hank Hill says they allow you to "Taste the meat, not the heat."
CharBroil is now selling consumer propane grills with technology licensed (or parts directly purchased?) from Thermal Engineer Corp, I understand. My restaurant used TEC commercial char broilers successfully for years, and they performed well. Recently, we tried switching to the infrared-style grills, and almost immediately purchased new grills made by another manufacturer. We were assured that the TEC infrared models would cook fast and evenly without flaring up. However, they caught fire in spectacular fashion on a regular basis. Utterly terrible.
To make matters worse, the glass plate that does the work precludes misting or dousing with water to extinguish small fires. Food particles, marinade, etc. fall on the glass and collect there, and are almost immediately ignited. I can't wait to see the complaints CharBroil gets after Joe Barbecue Wizard every shatters his glass plate trying to clean it or sets his house ablaze.
If you think this shouldn't be posted here, you are a loser. BBQing and grilling out = stuff that definitely matters!
Wait, you mean some computer users just want a computer to assist them in their daily business? They don't want to be computer experts, and they don't care about having the latest updates to every package simply because the previous version worked just fine for them? Not everyone enjoys tweaking their machines to get that last 1% out of it??? The horror!!! I bet these l0sers also don't modify their Honda Accord's exhaust system for an extra 2-3 horsepower and probably don't have any sort of home automation system to prevent them from having to reach for a light switch in the dark. Why the hell do these morons just use computers as tools rather than look at them as reasons to live?
What, didn't everyone spend countless hours configuring DOS and Slackware by trial and error? I can't fathom why they don't just spend days and years mastering command lines and updating what ain't broke, but I envy them.
I wasn't suggesting that anyone drop IE support, as it is certainly the dominant browser and to do so would be just plain dumb. My analogy was poor, since my intended point was that failing to take simple steps to support Firefox is almost as stupid because it locks-out some potential users. I was also implying that IE is backward and using it is silly, not that it is not commonly used.
The GP is absolutely correct most of the time: In the vast majority of cases there is no justifiable reason, and the only explanation is a lazy and/or dumb development team that couldn't be bothered to support another browser.
To me, this seems rather dumb if the website has anything to do with commerce. Only supporting IE is kind of like opening a pizza shop but only accepting phone-in orders in pig Latin. Yeah, most anyone can place an order that way if they want to, and some people might actually like the silliness, but if I were a new customer I'd probably hang up and not call that shop again. You'd think that anyone who wants to make a sale or keep existing customers would make some simple and almost trivial concessions, but I guess some folks just don't get it.
I was attempting something I usually refer to as a "joke", to draw a distinction between real AI in games and simple or lazy coding that some people mistake for AI just because it does something that is initially surprising. Obviously, I failed miserably.
Windows - Tweaks for about 4-6 hours and spending about $400 on extra applications
Linux - Change desktop background. Done.
That's about how I do it, though I must admit I sometimes forgo the part about spending the extra $400 for the Windows apps I install. (Sorry, it happens, especially on a temporary basis so I can make sure I'm not wasting $$$ on something that doesn't do what I need it to do. I even test drive multiple cars before I but one. Oh, the horror!!! Arrest me!)
1h 45m from install to having a working, up to date and configured system running http, https, php, java, tomcat, mysql, mail server, ftp server, remote X access
Connect a fresh Windows ME box to the net and you can get all that in 1 minute and 45 seconds.
The AI in the original Bases Loaded for the NES thought like many real humans do (at least in some situations). I remember that I'd often try to send a message to Fendy by pitching him inside and backing him off the plate, but sometimes I'd "miss" and bean him, which resulted in him charging the mound to beat the crap out of my pitcher. I've seen a few major leaguers do it just like that, and they're the best in the business, so I say that's good AI.
Okay, I love free speech and fair use and hate legislation that is widely abused, like the DMCA. But what is the real point of this all other than to piss-off the NFL? Sure, the NFL acted improperly by sending a second DMCA take-down notice. But wasn't Seltzer acting contrary to the law to begin with?
I'd love to see the DMCA go away, but violating it just to entice someone else to violate it further doesn't have any effect on the law itself. If I am missing something here, please tell me, since the NFL appears to have acted within the law initially. I know two wrongs don't make a right, but I don't think three do either (1. The DMCA, 2. Seltzer, 3. The NFL).
Whether or not the logistical nightmare of internet age verification is something that Myspace could deal with is one question, but this whole situation raises others. Most importantly, what will be the definition of a social networking site, besides Myspace? Facebook, certainly. Personals sites, like Yahoo Personals, or eHarmony? What about anything IM-related, which would include Google/Gmail? Craigslist, or even Angieslist? Slashdot?
Any site with any sort of a forum or bulletin board can act as a social networking venue, no? Does this mean that if I want to have a guestbook on my band's website I'll have to verify ages and get parental consent for minors who want to say "hi"? This doesn't look doable, and I doubt any such legislation would survive multiple courts once it was tested.
Fuzzy Zoeller and Tim Hardaway have every right to think whatever they want, and I will defend that right. But I will also rip them every chance I get, for using the media to promote their racist or bigoted agendas. My real problem with Fuzzy is that he got a lot of money to play golf, but felt it necessary to make racist comments about another golfer when he knew that the world was listening. I'm certainly no fan of Tiger, but what Fuzzy did was inexcusable, and I'll always associate him with that. The same for Hardaway: he can be who he wants, and I'll dislike him for being an idiot.
There's no "thought police" issue about any of this, and if there is it's that we all have the right to stand up and tell these degrading bullies that their belittlement will not keep anyone down. I'm not an African-American/Thai-American golfer, nor a gay African-American basketball player, but I'll tell anyone to stick it up their ass if they think calling anyone anything inflamatory like that will work in an attempt to belittle them. They can say whatever the hell they want, and they'll pay the consequences (lost sponsorships in Fuzzy's case) for sounding like prejudiced idiots.
I beg your pardon? What was wrong with my post? You are right, in one respect, that being that you clearly did not know where to begin. I will answer each of your replies, in sequence.
1. I totally agree. I do not ever use the "n" word, but I will also not challenge the right of of those who have been the target of it to attempt to "take it back" in order to defuse it. To say that if a black man calls his friend "nigga" it is necessarily an insult, merely means that you have a lot to learn about life in America. Sometimes it is, but sometimes it isn't depending on the exact context. Maybe it shouldn't be that way, and no one should use that word because it leads to confusion and further misuse, but some use it as a genuine term of endearment and friendship or to show understanding.
2. If insults never cause direct harm, there would be no harm in them, ever. Some of them are said in jest though, and some are comical in that they are not backed-up by anything historic. For example, you can call me a honkey all day, and I'll just think that the word itself sounds silly; if my sister calls me a Polack, she is referring to the stereotype of Poles (like us) being backward, which we both know I am not. People who are the targets of insults/stereotypes using such references in jest sometimes helps to neutralize the negative connotations to which they might otherwise be associated.
3. See your own reply number 2. Insults do not cause physical harm, so they are acceptcable? So the "n" word is acceptable, because it does not cause direct physical harm? But you assume that the people who heckled Michael Richards were trolls, and that they were wrong for doing so? Wow. I;ve been heckled before, but I didn't respond with the most inflamatory racial insults imaginable.
4. Don't pretend to know who is a troll, or what I was ranting about, since you obviously have no idea. Clearly, I have hit a nerve with you, over a conversation that should have no bearing on your life or mine, so from your reply I can easily tell what your own true feelings are.
As I see it, he's doing the right thing here. Mr. Zoeller's quarrel isn't with Wikipedia, its with the guy who edited his entry. That's the way that Mr. Zoeller is pursuing it. He's filing a "John Doe" lawsuit (the kind made famous by the RIAA) against the person associated with the IP address source of the edit.
I think the "right" thing to do here would be to say: "That guy is wrong, and an idiot, and that information is false." The RIAA's tactics are questionable at best, and Zoeller's critics are right as well. There is no need to make up shit about Fuzzy, since he's proven himself perfectly capable of inserting his foot far enough into his oral orifice to satisfy most anyone.
He did say the stuff about Tiger Woods, and he did apologize and withdraw from the US Open that year as a result. The rest was apparently made up by the vandal - some pretty vicious stuff about wife-beating, based on the copy that was linked. I don't blame him for suing.
BTW I remember his open apology to Woods which he read aloud at a press conference, and it was actually was very nicely done. 100 percent different from the half-hearted, ghostwritten-by-my-agent "apologies" we're accustomed to hearing from the likes of Tim Hardaway, Nick Saban, etc.
I also don't blame him for suing, as this is clearly a case of someone trying to defame him with false information. And yes, his apology to Tiger seemed sincere.
I had to comment because it should not be forgotten that what he initially said about Tiger was inexcusable. It's like when a white guy (like me) says the "n" word: you can't excuse that. I am white and do not say the "n" word, nor would I ever make comments about black people serving fried chicken, etc., because I don't think in terms of racial stereotypes. The mere fact that someone like Fuzzy says things like that clearly shows that he is at least somewhat racist. As with Michael Richards, Fuzzy stopped censoring himself for a moment and let his true feelings seep out, even though he knows what he said was hurtful. That would NEVER happen to someone who is not a racist, since we don't think like that to begin with. That might all be okay for a PGA golfer or a NASCAR driver, but I can't help but wonder what would happen to an NBA or NFL player, or even a politician or corporate CEO, if he talked like Fuzzy.
So if someone makes up defamatory things about Fuzzy, that person has opened himself up to punishment. However, I will never feel bad for Fuzzy if he is remembered as an idiot. Great golfer, interesting guy, and obviously a jerk.
Even if it takes a thousand years to build a ship to colonize our nearest star, hypothetical aliens may have had enough time to do that enough times to colonize the whole galaxy.
That's the Fermi paradox. If space travel is possible, then the time and scale of the universe is so huge that it would have been done millions of times by now. Hence, space travel is impossible or no aliens exist but us.
Another possibility: aliens have visited us but have not revealed themselves to us. If their technology is so far superior to ours that it allows for space travel over great distances, it is also possible that they have managed to evade our attempts at detecting them. I won't speculate as to why they would or would not want us to know about them, but I doubt stealth technology is beyond the abilities of anyone capable of traveling in space for years at relativistic speeds.
I'm also not sure that the time frame for the paradox might not be misleading. We are talking about so many, many years that maybe some race did colonize the galaxy but has died out in our neighborhood, or perhaps we are their descendants. We haven't been observing the galaxy for very long or in any great detail from Earth.
Having less configurability isn't so bad, as long as the default behaviour is good.
What happens when the default behaviour (no matter how "good" it is) isn't what I want?
If that is the case, you've probably already switched to KDE, or perhaps you soon will. I like gnome, and it works, which means it it is a great environment for new linux users, though I personally prefer a few aspects of KDE (even though I'm far from a linux expert). Gnome has its niche, that being for those users who want simplicity with good general usability, and I can't fault it for that. It just isn't for everyone.
Responding to Torvalds' recent claim that GNOME 'seems to be developed by interface Nazis' and that its developers believe their 'users are idiots,'
Interesting fight. Linus wants configurability and flexibility to reign, which is a hallmark of linux. However, the dominance of Windows (and the success of Mac OS, OS X etc.), as well as the preponderance of "idiot's guides", should clearly lead us to believe that the majority of PC users are, in fact, idiots. Certainly there are many geeks and power users, and not all linux users are geeks, but the typical PC owner doesn't care about minor tweaks; most people just want their system to run and be usable.
Personally, I dualboot XP and Kubuntu, and I've used many other distros, but some people need the universal acceptance of XP apps and file formats, the ease/reliability of a Mac, or at least the simplicity of Gnome. I take pride in being able to take care of my daily business without employing MS software or other monopolistic products, but most pepole just want to do what they need to do without any hassle, and Gnome is a step in that direction, with a linux base. It works, and though I wouldn't try to make it a basic linux standard, I am glad it exists, as it surely leads to wider linux adoption.
movie industry looking for "perfect DRM" should aim for the printed book model (people still buy books even though they can read them for free at Barnes & Noble). They argue
Yes, you can read a book at some stores rather than purchasing it and taking it home, which is not true of DVD movies. But you can get a book at the library and take it home and read it, for free. And now, MANY, MANY libraries also lend DVDs, meaning you can take movies home and watch them, for free. The biggest library system in NE Ohio, at least, is usually pretty good about getting new releases (there may be a little bit of lag time) and has a fairly large catalog, though you may have to wait in line. So how long will it be until the big-money movie folks start really looking at some of our greatest national resources as their enemies? Will they include licensing restrictions that somehow prevent libraries from buying their products?
No, really, they'll use snakes to make oil. Get it? Got it? Good.
Which means instead of dino juice fueling air travel, we may have snakes on a plane. I'm not sure of the source now but something I saw recently makes me think this may not be such a great idea, to have snakes on a plane. (Maybe it's just me, as I don't trust reptiles in any form, since that one pretty good book, anyway.)
When I lived in Phoenix, I rode my bike everywhere. Now that I live in Houston (one of the most sprawled cities in existance) I have gained massive amounts of weight, and regularly commuted 3+ hours a day.
I certainly agree that civic design (proper sidewalks, running trails, bike lanes, etc.) is an important and inexpensive part of any city. I also agree that Houston is a huge city, by any standard. However, it is not the ideal example of urban sprawl, as Houston basically just encompasses what would be suburbs elsewhere; it is a huge city, geographically speaking, but it is not all intensely industrial or of high population/commercial/whatever density as urban sprawl theory would dictate. What I mean is that, although Houston is huge, it is not all inner city/CBD/industrial, and is not expanding these areas at any great rate. (Not trying to incite anything here, I just don't think urban sprawl is as much of a problem or excuse as some people might think.)
So, I propose the following.. From now on we require that all towns be constructed with many sidewalks that needlessly go up and down in elevation of at least 15 ft waves. (30 ft from high point to low point, getting off the sidewalk when it hits ground level.
Hmm, I think I've found a solution to our landfill problems: use our garbage to build artificial hills under all sidewalks in urban areas to force exercise on the masses! This would work, if people really in need of exercise weren't already so inclined to drive and pay for parking, take taxis, or use public transportation to get anywhere, even if the trip is only a few blocks.
I'll start with an apology or disclaimer: I don't remember the exact sources I am referring to, though they appeared to be statistically relevant and thoroughly conducted. That said, I have to point out that the results of at least a couple of studies have questioned whether "urban sprawl" really even exists. You see, it may be obvious that suburban development may indeed be moving into what were previously rural areas. However, it is also apparent that urban areas of high population density and intense industrial development have not been expanding their geographic coverage (at least in the US).
Certainly it would be fair to say that urban areas are constantly reorganizing themselves, but notions of truly urban areas sprawling out to encompass suburban and rural areas seem unsupported. Again, perhaps "suburban sprawl" would be a more realistic topic, thought that is a different beast entirely.
You're here, so I take it means you have nothing better to fill your boring life with.
And, I bet that you're not called "uvajed_ekil" in real life either, so there goes the fake identity bit as well.
Again, I spend probably about an hour a week on Slashdot, so it is not a Second Life to me. (Maybe if you REALLY live life in the Fast Lane you could condense real time down to 1/168th of its actual duration, though that would require a REALLY empty life or amazing mastery of physics.) And, strangely enough, my real name was already taken here when I signed up, so I was forced to make something up if I wanted to login and set preferences, etc., and one fake name is as good as another, no?
Slashdot Mirror
Propane burns fairly clean and ads little in terms of flavor, no matter how the heat is transferred to the meat. Charcoal ads that certain smokiness that some of us love. These "flame-less" grills burn the same tasteless propane as other grills, therefore they shouldn't add anything much to the flavor, nor lack anything that standard gas grills provide. I've tried all sorts of cooking methods, and I still REALLY like charcoal for a lot of things. The new infrared ones just make cooking evenly at a high temp a bit easier, which is supposed to keep meat from getting dried out. Hank Hill says they allow you to "Taste the meat, not the heat."
To make matters worse, the glass plate that does the work precludes misting or dousing with water to extinguish small fires. Food particles, marinade, etc. fall on the glass and collect there, and are almost immediately ignited. I can't wait to see the complaints CharBroil gets after Joe Barbecue Wizard every shatters his glass plate trying to clean it or sets his house ablaze.
If you think this shouldn't be posted here, you are a loser. BBQing and grilling out = stuff that definitely matters!
What, didn't everyone spend countless hours configuring DOS and Slackware by trial and error? I can't fathom why they don't just spend days and years mastering command lines and updating what ain't broke, but I envy them.
I wasn't suggesting that anyone drop IE support, as it is certainly the dominant browser and to do so would be just plain dumb. My analogy was poor, since my intended point was that failing to take simple steps to support Firefox is almost as stupid because it locks-out some potential users. I was also implying that IE is backward and using it is silly, not that it is not commonly used.
To me, this seems rather dumb if the website has anything to do with commerce. Only supporting IE is kind of like opening a pizza shop but only accepting phone-in orders in pig Latin. Yeah, most anyone can place an order that way if they want to, and some people might actually like the silliness, but if I were a new customer I'd probably hang up and not call that shop again. You'd think that anyone who wants to make a sale or keep existing customers would make some simple and almost trivial concessions, but I guess some folks just don't get it.
I was attempting something I usually refer to as a "joke", to draw a distinction between real AI in games and simple or lazy coding that some people mistake for AI just because it does something that is initially surprising. Obviously, I failed miserably.
Linux - Change desktop background. Done.
That's about how I do it, though I must admit I sometimes forgo the part about spending the extra $400 for the Windows apps I install. (Sorry, it happens, especially on a temporary basis so I can make sure I'm not wasting $$$ on something that doesn't do what I need it to do. I even test drive multiple cars before I but one. Oh, the horror!!! Arrest me!)
Connect a fresh Windows ME box to the net and you can get all that in 1 minute and 45 seconds.
The AI in the original Bases Loaded for the NES thought like many real humans do (at least in some situations). I remember that I'd often try to send a message to Fendy by pitching him inside and backing him off the plate, but sometimes I'd "miss" and bean him, which resulted in him charging the mound to beat the crap out of my pitcher. I've seen a few major leaguers do it just like that, and they're the best in the business, so I say that's good AI.
I'd love to see the DMCA go away, but violating it just to entice someone else to violate it further doesn't have any effect on the law itself. If I am missing something here, please tell me, since the NFL appears to have acted within the law initially. I know two wrongs don't make a right, but I don't think three do either (1. The DMCA, 2. Seltzer, 3. The NFL).
Whether or not the logistical nightmare of internet age verification is something that Myspace could deal with is one question, but this whole situation raises others. Most importantly, what will be the definition of a social networking site, besides Myspace? Facebook, certainly. Personals sites, like Yahoo Personals, or eHarmony? What about anything IM-related, which would include Google/Gmail? Craigslist, or even Angieslist? Slashdot? Any site with any sort of a forum or bulletin board can act as a social networking venue, no? Does this mean that if I want to have a guestbook on my band's website I'll have to verify ages and get parental consent for minors who want to say "hi"? This doesn't look doable, and I doubt any such legislation would survive multiple courts once it was tested.
There's no "thought police" issue about any of this, and if there is it's that we all have the right to stand up and tell these degrading bullies that their belittlement will not keep anyone down. I'm not an African-American/Thai-American golfer, nor a gay African-American basketball player, but I'll tell anyone to stick it up their ass if they think calling anyone anything inflamatory like that will work in an attempt to belittle them. They can say whatever the hell they want, and they'll pay the consequences (lost sponsorships in Fuzzy's case) for sounding like prejudiced idiots.
1. I totally agree. I do not ever use the "n" word, but I will also not challenge the right of of those who have been the target of it to attempt to "take it back" in order to defuse it. To say that if a black man calls his friend "nigga" it is necessarily an insult, merely means that you have a lot to learn about life in America. Sometimes it is, but sometimes it isn't depending on the exact context. Maybe it shouldn't be that way, and no one should use that word because it leads to confusion and further misuse, but some use it as a genuine term of endearment and friendship or to show understanding.
2. If insults never cause direct harm, there would be no harm in them, ever. Some of them are said in jest though, and some are comical in that they are not backed-up by anything historic. For example, you can call me a honkey all day, and I'll just think that the word itself sounds silly; if my sister calls me a Polack, she is referring to the stereotype of Poles (like us) being backward, which we both know I am not. People who are the targets of insults/stereotypes using such references in jest sometimes helps to neutralize the negative connotations to which they might otherwise be associated.
3. See your own reply number 2. Insults do not cause physical harm, so they are acceptcable? So the "n" word is acceptable, because it does not cause direct physical harm? But you assume that the people who heckled Michael Richards were trolls, and that they were wrong for doing so? Wow. I;ve been heckled before, but I didn't respond with the most inflamatory racial insults imaginable.
4. Don't pretend to know who is a troll, or what I was ranting about, since you obviously have no idea. Clearly, I have hit a nerve with you, over a conversation that should have no bearing on your life or mine, so from your reply I can easily tell what your own true feelings are.
Just my opinion.
Such allegations!!! Next you'll be saying that he's a pro bowler. Oh, the horror!
:)
I think the "right" thing to do here would be to say: "That guy is wrong, and an idiot, and that information is false." The RIAA's tactics are questionable at best, and Zoeller's critics are right as well. There is no need to make up shit about Fuzzy, since he's proven himself perfectly capable of inserting his foot far enough into his oral orifice to satisfy most anyone.
I also don't blame him for suing, as this is clearly a case of someone trying to defame him with false information. And yes, his apology to Tiger seemed sincere.
I had to comment because it should not be forgotten that what he initially said about Tiger was inexcusable. It's like when a white guy (like me) says the "n" word: you can't excuse that. I am white and do not say the "n" word, nor would I ever make comments about black people serving fried chicken, etc., because I don't think in terms of racial stereotypes. The mere fact that someone like Fuzzy says things like that clearly shows that he is at least somewhat racist. As with Michael Richards, Fuzzy stopped censoring himself for a moment and let his true feelings seep out, even though he knows what he said was hurtful. That would NEVER happen to someone who is not a racist, since we don't think like that to begin with. That might all be okay for a PGA golfer or a NASCAR driver, but I can't help but wonder what would happen to an NBA or NFL player, or even a politician or corporate CEO, if he talked like Fuzzy.
So if someone makes up defamatory things about Fuzzy, that person has opened himself up to punishment. However, I will never feel bad for Fuzzy if he is remembered as an idiot. Great golfer, interesting guy, and obviously a jerk.
That's the Fermi paradox. If space travel is possible, then the time and scale of the universe is so huge that it would have been done millions of times by now. Hence, space travel is impossible or no aliens exist but us.
Another possibility: aliens have visited us but have not revealed themselves to us. If their technology is so far superior to ours that it allows for space travel over great distances, it is also possible that they have managed to evade our attempts at detecting them. I won't speculate as to why they would or would not want us to know about them, but I doubt stealth technology is beyond the abilities of anyone capable of traveling in space for years at relativistic speeds.
I'm also not sure that the time frame for the paradox might not be misleading. We are talking about so many, many years that maybe some race did colonize the galaxy but has died out in our neighborhood, or perhaps we are their descendants. We haven't been observing the galaxy for very long or in any great detail from Earth.
If that is the case, you've probably already switched to KDE, or perhaps you soon will. I like gnome, and it works, which means it it is a great environment for new linux users, though I personally prefer a few aspects of KDE (even though I'm far from a linux expert). Gnome has its niche, that being for those users who want simplicity with good general usability, and I can't fault it for that. It just isn't for everyone.
Interesting fight. Linus wants configurability and flexibility to reign, which is a hallmark of linux. However, the dominance of Windows (and the success of Mac OS, OS X etc.), as well as the preponderance of "idiot's guides", should clearly lead us to believe that the majority of PC users are, in fact, idiots. Certainly there are many geeks and power users, and not all linux users are geeks, but the typical PC owner doesn't care about minor tweaks; most people just want their system to run and be usable.
Personally, I dualboot XP and Kubuntu, and I've used many other distros, but some people need the universal acceptance of XP apps and file formats, the ease/reliability of a Mac, or at least the simplicity of Gnome. I take pride in being able to take care of my daily business without employing MS software or other monopolistic products, but most pepole just want to do what they need to do without any hassle, and Gnome is a step in that direction, with a linux base. It works, and though I wouldn't try to make it a basic linux standard, I am glad it exists, as it surely leads to wider linux adoption.
Yes, you can read a book at some stores rather than purchasing it and taking it home, which is not true of DVD movies. But you can get a book at the library and take it home and read it, for free. And now, MANY, MANY libraries also lend DVDs, meaning you can take movies home and watch them, for free. The biggest library system in NE Ohio, at least, is usually pretty good about getting new releases (there may be a little bit of lag time) and has a fairly large catalog, though you may have to wait in line. So how long will it be until the big-money movie folks start really looking at some of our greatest national resources as their enemies? Will they include licensing restrictions that somehow prevent libraries from buying their products?
Which means instead of dino juice fueling air travel, we may have snakes on a plane. I'm not sure of the source now but something I saw recently makes me think this may not be such a great idea, to have snakes on a plane. (Maybe it's just me, as I don't trust reptiles in any form, since that one pretty good book, anyway.)
I certainly agree that civic design (proper sidewalks, running trails, bike lanes, etc.) is an important and inexpensive part of any city. I also agree that Houston is a huge city, by any standard. However, it is not the ideal example of urban sprawl, as Houston basically just encompasses what would be suburbs elsewhere; it is a huge city, geographically speaking, but it is not all intensely industrial or of high population/commercial/whatever density as urban sprawl theory would dictate. What I mean is that, although Houston is huge, it is not all inner city/CBD/industrial, and is not expanding these areas at any great rate. (Not trying to incite anything here, I just don't think urban sprawl is as much of a problem or excuse as some people might think.)
Hmm, I think I've found a solution to our landfill problems: use our garbage to build artificial hills under all sidewalks in urban areas to force exercise on the masses! This would work, if people really in need of exercise weren't already so inclined to drive and pay for parking, take taxis, or use public transportation to get anywhere, even if the trip is only a few blocks.
Certainly it would be fair to say that urban areas are constantly reorganizing themselves, but notions of truly urban areas sprawling out to encompass suburban and rural areas seem unsupported. Again, perhaps "suburban sprawl" would be a more realistic topic, thought that is a different beast entirely.
Again, I spend probably about an hour a week on Slashdot, so it is not a Second Life to me. (Maybe if you REALLY live life in the Fast Lane you could condense real time down to 1/168th of its actual duration, though that would require a REALLY empty life or amazing mastery of physics.) And, strangely enough, my real name was already taken here when I signed up, so I was forced to make something up if I wanted to login and set preferences, etc., and one fake name is as good as another, no?