To be honest, I think that the biggest problem that the government needs to overcome in regards to traffic is convincing the assheaded commuters that they aren't going to catch the plague if they use public transportation..
AND - and it -must- be an AND, because it won't work without it - busses, which are a necessity for mass transpotation in a city - must be -faster- than sitting in traffic.
I use the carpool lane (because I carpool, duh.) - but if given half a chance, I'd take the VRE/Metro/bus - if it didn't take LONGER than my normal commute.
As it stands, 45-60 min for carpool vs 60-75 min for WMATA is a no-brainer.
I swear though, I see more people in non-enviromentally friendly cars using the HOV illegally every day. Its enough to make me want to break out the YT-style stickers. (Only, that would be a little difficult to do at 70 MPH from my car.)
When traffic is such a problem that people are willing to risk the 50-100 dollar ticket because it saves them 30-45 minutes - something needs to be done.
Batman/Bruce Wayne doesn't drink. He's a billionare, and Dick Greyson was not adopted in the comic book until about 3 months ago, and he's in no way a "boy" anymore, being a grown man in his early 20's.
Yes, language evolve. Yes, slang is an accepted part of casual English. Blah, blah, yakkity, smackitty, bring me a nice, big glass of OJ.
However, in a formal setting - and by formal, I mean the workplace, any education setting (As a teacher, or as a student), or the media (newspaper, magazines, etc.), a standard basic form of the language is necessary so that the average person can understand what is being said or written.
This means leaving out slang that specific to an activity, ethnic group or region. (IE: Netspeak, ebonics, or southern "American"). It also includes spelling, grammer and basic editing for clarity of thought.
-Notes-
*Slashdot is -not- a formal setting, so put that red pen away now and stop correcting my spelling. I don't care enough to hit the spellchecker.
*AVERAGE person. Not "Drooling moron", not "Ignormus who never bothered to pay attention in school.", and not "Non-speaker of the language."
Actually, there are a number of ways to tell the difference.
In most of the coasters built to appear rickity, the wood is aged through paint or stain, rather than actual weathering - in addition, while there is a full support structure, the designers add additional useless 'supports'.
These additional false supports are further aged to look far older than the rest of the wood, and are placed so to create the illusion that they are the actual supports.
In addition - on a well-maintained ride, while it may have the false apperance of weak supports, if you look closely at the rails, lift or breaking equipement, you'll see no rust and clean, well maintainced chains and breaks.
An employee's home life in SOME way -has- to be a manager's concern. Why?
Because if your DBA suddenly loses her husband, and you aren't sympathetic, you lose a DBA. If your NOC monkey's car goes poof, and he's 10-15 minutes late - then you either have to bitch at him, or fire him, and you lose a NOC Monkey.
No, its not a manager's duty to make sure that an employee's home life is peachy keen, but it IS part of his or her job to remember that serious homelife problems can affect an employee's performance drastically - and cutting them, just to preserve your bottom line will likely result in other employee's jumping ship just because they percieve an unsympathetic management staff.
Yeah, fire the slackers. But giving shit to hard workers who have something happen that isn't their fault is -really- poor management practice.
(Not assuming that's what you do, just commenting that you cannot just look at the bottom line - you have to look at the bigger long-term picture as well as the immediate short term goals)
Ah, but you don't -have- to volunteer for jury duty - OR Get a credit card.
At least in my current state of residence, and the two others I'm well aware of -- in addition to anecdotal evidence (yes, yes, I KNOW the plural of anecdote is not DATA, but I have no reason to suspect that these people are wrong) --
To be considered for jury duty, you have to register to vote - registering to vote is not legally required. (In the United States, that is.)
In -addition-, I am confiedent that if you went down to the courthouse and went to the clerk and said "Hey, I have $Reallygoodreason and I can't use a phone (My best guess -- mute or deafmute -- although I suppose you'd sign it, or have someone translate for you, or write it down) that they'd find a way for you to do it on paper.
Where does it say "We're definitly going to do this?"
Uhhhh... it DOESN'T!
Yes, it should be something to be -watched- for. It doesn't deserve the degree of screaming "OH MY -GOD-, the goverment and Microsoft are going to use Passport to give us National ID'S!" that I saw when I made my post.
When's the last time someone told you that you ABSOLUTLY HAD to use your telephone to do something?
IN fact, I believe that many (That's a many folks. Not an all or even a most. Examples proving that YOUR specific goverment services doesn't offer it will be ignored) goverment services offer a telephone option -- and -- gasp! a real world paper option.
Because, as I said above - Not Everyone has a Phone, and not everyone has an ISP. Not everyone can USE a phone, and not everyone can use the internet.
Riiiiiiight, and they're gonna -really- make my, say, 75 year old Granny use the internet.
Uh-huh. Sure.
50% of the damn country isn't even ONLINE. Slashdot and the internet isn't the entire world, much less all of America.
Most of the low-income families aren't online. A lot of high-income families get ACCOUNTANTS to do their taxes.
It won't happen - any more than any of those services by phone is required - and we've had file by phone for years. And pay by phone. And countless OTHER services. Because NOT EVERYONE HAS A PHONE, and not everyone has an ISP. ---
And if you believe that, I have a large sack of rocks I'd like to hit you with.
Goals are excellent things to have. I personally have a goal to convince my SO that a hedgehog would make an excellent pet -- but like me with the hedgehog -- if Bill Gates really thinks that people are going to universally use Passport, he's got another think coming.
(The above hedgehog comment was a -joke-. If you really are taking that seriously, I suggest a quick course in "How to detect the absurd."
Thus, my statement that the MS Passport tech was online only.
It has nothing to do (Yet. Yet. I KNOW its -yet-, okay? Geez, they're only considering it. Its not even implemented) with the laughable and also probably not happening National ID Card.
Secondly - Learn to read. I said it was -stupid-. I said it was a bad idea. I just ALSO happened to say that people were NOT reading the article properly.
Slashdot Mirror
The side roads are just as bad.
(at least, Routes 1, 66, 123 and 234 are.)
To be honest, I think that the biggest problem that the government needs to overcome in regards to traffic is convincing the assheaded commuters that they aren't going to catch the plague if they use public transportation..
AND - and it -must- be an AND, because it won't work without it - busses, which are a necessity for mass transpotation in a city - must be -faster- than sitting in traffic.
I use the carpool lane (because I carpool, duh.) - but if given half a chance, I'd take the VRE/Metro/bus - if it didn't take LONGER than my normal commute.
As it stands, 45-60 min for carpool vs 60-75 min for WMATA is a no-brainer.
I swear though, I see more people in non-enviromentally friendly cars using the HOV illegally every day. Its enough to make me want to break out the YT-style stickers. (Only, that would be a little difficult to do at 70 MPH from my car.)
When traffic is such a problem that people are willing to risk the 50-100 dollar ticket because it saves them 30-45 minutes - something needs to be done.
*grin* See, that depends on if you're a Bruce/Dick slashfic writer...
or a Dick/Babs romance fic writer.
Yes, I know -far- too much about this.
Ayup. Tony's a recovering alcoholic.
Yes, I know you're trying to be funny.
I'm bored. Sue me.
Batman/Bruce Wayne doesn't drink. He's a billionare, and Dick Greyson was not adopted in the comic book until about 3 months ago, and he's in no way a "boy" anymore, being a grown man in his early 20's.
Yes, language evolve. Yes, slang is an accepted part of casual English. Blah, blah, yakkity, smackitty, bring me a nice, big glass of OJ.
However, in a formal setting - and by formal, I mean the workplace, any education setting (As a teacher, or as a student), or the media (newspaper, magazines, etc.), a standard basic form of the language is necessary so that the average person can understand what is being said or written.
This means leaving out slang that specific to an activity, ethnic group or region. (IE: Netspeak, ebonics, or southern "American"). It also includes spelling, grammer and basic editing for clarity of thought.
-Notes-
*Slashdot is -not- a formal setting, so put that red pen away now and stop correcting my spelling. I don't care enough to hit the spellchecker.
*AVERAGE person. Not "Drooling moron", not "Ignormus who never bothered to pay attention in school.", and not "Non-speaker of the language."
Actually, there are a number of ways to tell the difference.
In most of the coasters built to appear rickity, the wood is aged through paint or stain, rather than actual weathering - in addition, while there is a full support structure, the designers add additional useless 'supports'.
These additional false supports are further aged to look far older than the rest of the wood, and are placed so to create the illusion that they are the actual supports.
In addition - on a well-maintained ride, while it may have the false apperance of weak supports, if you look closely at the rails, lift or breaking equipement, you'll see no rust and clean, well maintainced chains and breaks.
Perhaps not blind adults who lost sight as children -- but if this technology is developing sucessfully today ...
Children NOW who lose their sight may never BECOME adults who lost their sight as children.
Lose sight at 5, get chip at 6, return to normal life. (Extremly abridged version, minus all the "Learn to see again" stuff.)
This is a wonderful innovation - even if its not for everyone, its a start. And everything has to start somewhere.
That's basically what I was saying.
That bottom line -and- compassion for an employee's home life are BOTH parts of good management.
An employee's home life in SOME way -has- to be a manager's concern. Why?
Because if your DBA suddenly loses her husband, and you aren't sympathetic, you lose a DBA.
If your NOC monkey's car goes poof, and he's 10-15 minutes late - then you either have to bitch at him, or fire him, and you lose a NOC Monkey.
No, its not a manager's duty to make sure that an employee's home life is peachy keen, but it IS part of his or her job to remember that serious homelife problems can affect an employee's performance drastically - and cutting them, just to preserve your bottom line will likely result in other employee's jumping ship just because they percieve an unsympathetic management staff.
Yeah, fire the slackers. But giving shit to hard workers who have something happen that isn't their fault is -really- poor management practice.
(Not assuming that's what you do, just commenting that you cannot just look at the bottom line - you have to look at the bigger long-term picture as well as the immediate short term goals)
Um. Were I a congresswoman, I'd rather deal with calm, reasonable people.
The irrational mob gets introduced to the DC cops, thanks.
No, you -dolt-..
Yelling and screaming do NOTHING except make you look incapable of controlling yourself.
Calm -rational- approaches get it done. - Write to your congressperson, approach this with some iota of reason and restraint.
Posting flames to a website doesn't change Aaaaanything except the speed at which you may develop carpal tunnel.
There's a lot of IF's there.
IF the gov't makes you file electronically.
IF they make you file --yourself-- and not through someplace like H&R block.
IF they use this.
IF they use it for things they already HAVE authentication for.
IF they don't change the tech at all.
Protest now, just -stop- panicing people. Geeeez. Panicing just makes you look hysterical, and no one listens to the hysterical.
Ah, but you don't -have- to volunteer for jury duty - OR Get a credit card.
At least in my current state of residence, and the two others I'm well aware of -- in addition to anecdotal evidence (yes, yes, I KNOW the plural of anecdote is not DATA, but I have no reason to suspect that these people are wrong) --
To be considered for jury duty, you have to register to vote - registering to vote is not legally required. (In the United States, that is.)
In -addition-, I am confiedent that if you went down to the courthouse and went to the clerk and said "Hey, I have $Reallygoodreason and I can't use a phone (My best guess -- mute or deafmute -- although I suppose you'd sign it, or have someone translate for you, or write it down) that they'd find a way for you to do it on paper.
Where does it say "We're definitly going to do this?"
Uhhhh... it DOESN'T!
Yes, it should be something to be -watched- for. It doesn't deserve the degree of screaming "OH MY -GOD-, the goverment and Microsoft are going to use Passport to give us National ID'S!" that I saw when I made my post.
It would take an -extraordinary- act of stupidity to give a computer to -every- single family on the planet.
To outfit many computer with access for the disabled.
To teach -that many- people how to use a computer.
Yes, our goverment has been -amazingly- stupid sometimes - but we have things like the ACLU for a -reason-.
What, is that "online" word -invisible-?
I have a (an?) SSN - I am also online.
My grandmom has an SSN -- she is not online. Nor is my son.
And even more important -- neither is HALF THE COUNTRY.
Congratulations, Pavlov, the dogs have barked. Your expirement was a success.
I suspect its a litter-training thing.
(I have no idea if they're trainable or not. I just want one.)
Oh, believe me, I'm well aware.
But something has to keep me awake during long streches of nothing to do at work.
Really?
When's the last time someone told you that you ABSOLUTLY HAD to use your telephone to do something?
IN fact, I believe that many (That's a many folks. Not an all or even a most. Examples proving that YOUR specific goverment services doesn't offer it will be ignored) goverment services offer a telephone option -- and -- gasp! a real world paper option.
Because, as I said above - Not Everyone has a Phone, and not everyone has an ISP. Not everyone can USE a phone, and not everyone can use the internet.
How about thinking -realisitcally-
Riiiiiiight, and they're gonna -really- make my, say, 75 year old Granny use the internet.
Uh-huh. Sure.
50% of the damn country isn't even ONLINE. Slashdot and the internet isn't the entire world, much less all of America.
Most of the low-income families aren't online. A lot of high-income families get ACCOUNTANTS to do their taxes.
It won't happen - any more than any of those services by phone is required - and we've had file by phone for years. And pay by phone. And countless OTHER services. Because NOT EVERYONE HAS A PHONE, and not everyone has an ISP.
---
And if you believe that, I have a large sack of rocks I'd like to hit you with.
Goals are excellent things to have. I personally have a goal to convince my SO that a hedgehog would make an excellent pet -- but like me with the hedgehog -- if Bill Gates really thinks that people are going to universally use Passport, he's got another think coming.
(The above hedgehog comment was a -joke-. If you really are taking that seriously, I suggest a quick course in "How to detect the absurd."
Yes, but we are -not- all online.
Thus, my statement that the MS Passport tech was online only.
It has nothing to do (Yet. Yet. I KNOW its -yet-, okay? Geez, they're only considering it. Its not even implemented) with the laughable and also probably not happening National ID Card.
First off - Godwin's Law. You lose.
Secondly - Learn to read. I said it was -stupid-. I said it was a bad idea. I just ALSO happened to say that people were NOT reading the article properly.
Did I -say- it was okay?
No.
Again, reading comprehsion please.
But when the first 15 comments I see talk about the National ID that the ARTICLE says isn't happening...