I think creativity is a real competitive advantage. The problem is that people think it's sufficient. To really make use of creativity one also requires a strict training in logical reasoning and competence in an actual field to which to apply the creativity.
Let me guess: you're in favor of legalizing marijuana?
This isn't an all or nothing question. I'm in favor of legalizing marijuana, but also in favor of making the use of amphetamines for cognitive performance-enhancement carry a heavy penalty. I'm diagnosed with ADHD and have taken amphetamines for it. The use of these drugs is not pleasant, is not fun, and doesn't give me a high.
If we allow unprescribed use of this class of drugs to become common we will create a public-health problem because people without the need or the desire to take them will have to in order to compete against those who have the desire but not the need -- like steroids in sports. The loser here are the people like me who will see our tool for functioning at a "normal" level of productivity become a way for everyone else to get back their advantage over us.
More importantly, we'll also have to suffer a society in which most of the middle and upper classes, or even most students, get amphetamine side-effects or wear-off symptoms at some point in their day -- even addictive withdrawal in the heavy abusers. These symptoms include: mild psychosis, over-focus on irrelevant details, migraine headaches, failure to eat and drink properly (contributing to other side effects!), and inability to sleep properly, among others.
Re:Ah The Power of the Celebrity
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Congratulations on citing a pretentious anthropology text, but you really could have made your point without it.
On the other hand, Middle Eastern countries don't have quite the same fascination with massively ancient cultures, many simply don't have the money or the resources (Iraq being a good example), and even when they DO have these, more than a few of the really early writings from the region are, ummm, elsewhere.
Not "elsewhere". Much of the earliest material from the Middle East was either burned or buried. If you go to the Middle East you'll often find yourself walking over and around archaeological sites.
Why don't you rebut the gp's argument with facts and reason? Oh, that's right, you can't, so I guess childish name-calling is the only weapon you have.
Nice try pretending to be a different person, but the burden of proof rests on the crazy guy spouting conspiracy theories and old debunked memes.
Could you please clue me in on what the Republicans held over the heads of the Democrats to blackmail them that well? And here I thought the Dems were just spineless cowards!
Until then, I doubt they'll do well anywhere, except for states that still have low education levels and gullible fools willing to vote against their own economic interests.
No, they'll continue doing great among the Real Americans who know that far from a nation founded upon freedom and diversity America is really all about the white evangelical Christians who live in rural areas.
I pick a side, and I pick it without acting like a "mindless sheep", because I don't share your guerrilla-warrior the-whole-world-is-against-me persecution complex and conspiracy-theoretic paranoia. Neither party is perfect (including my favored Greens and Democrats), but at any given specific time and place one candidate makes for a better government than the others. "They all suck equally" or "they are all liars" accomplish absolutely nothing, particularly because you've decided to just sit there in your comfy chair posting cynical comments on Slashdot instead of starting a better, more honest, more thoughtful competing political party right at one of the most opportune times.
I keep seeing this silly meme... about how deregulation is the problem in finance. You are aware that finance is by far the most heavily regulated business sector in America, right? All those thousands and thousands of pages of regulations didn't stop this, so we need... more regulation?
Regulation is a qualitative issue, not a quantitative one.
Specifically, tell me what was de-regulated that caused the housing implosion? The repeal of Glass-Steagall? That simply let bank holding companies (that's regular banks, to most folks) buy and sell stocks and bonds... which is what they're doing now anyway, now that banks bought out all the big finance firms... with the blessing of both the Bush and Obama Administrations.
I'd pretty easily pin it down to the repeal of Glass-Steagal the allowance of banks giving liars' loans.
Your argument here appears to read "Glass-Steagal's repeal can't have caused the problem, because after it happened the predicted negative effects of repealing Glass-Steagall occurred anyway."
Seen your college newspaper lately? You're in for an eye-opener or three. (While you're at it, look up the aforementioned goal and check out goals 26, 29, 40, and just for a lark, 44).
Funny, I go to one of the most liberal colleges in the country, UMass Amherst, and I even write for the student newspaper. We get criticized for being too conservative by the leftist groups because we want universal health care but not race-based affirmative action or divestment from Israel.
This isn't highschool, you can't take what ever you want and get a rubber stamped degree, you have to follow a course selection (with a few electives).
Actually, in high school you don't get to choose any courses at all.
You're right, they are not human. They are eternal virgins though, as in you have sex with them, then they regrow their hymens and act like virgins all over again. That's what I read anyway.
So they'll act awkward, hesitant, and unlearned every single time?;-)
I can't be the only who has heard that entire song and thought....
No, you're not the only one. Every time they play that song on the radio I wonder if the people humming and singing along have actually thought out what it means. But for some people conflict and violence are apparently such supreme evil, such Great Shaitans, that we must rid ourselves of them at all costs.
Actually, I'll note that the Talmud prohibited sexual intercourse with its child brides. You had to wait until they hit 12, the religious Jewish age of majority.
Have a bit more damned respect. So far all you've done is declare Muslims infidels that we other people need to annihilate. How about you actually meet some Muslims (the construction makes perfect sense in Arabic or any other Semitic language, by the way*) and talk to them about their religion before you judge the whole thing!
* Seriously, when you're using linguistics as a reason not to like someone, you've jumped into irrational hate. Stop it.
I've been reading blogs and internet news since they started. God damn it, if I have to choose between the Washington Post and New York Times or the political shill-blogs and conspiracy websites, I'm damn well taking the Post and the Times. I'll pay money for their reporting that at least comes closer than anything else to balanced and factual!
The difference is that Americans tend to view drinking as a form of recreational drug use rather than as drinking ordinary drinks that happen, by coincidence, to contain small-to-moderate quantities of a recreational drug.
Slashdot Mirror
All we wanna do is eat your brains! We're not unreasonable: no-one's gonna eat your eyes.
I think creativity is a real competitive advantage. The problem is that people think it's sufficient. To really make use of creativity one also requires a strict training in logical reasoning and competence in an actual field to which to apply the creativity.
And yet completely unpreferable to a generation of creative scientists and very creative artists.
Let me guess: you're in favor of legalizing marijuana?
This isn't an all or nothing question. I'm in favor of legalizing marijuana, but also in favor of making the use of amphetamines for cognitive performance-enhancement carry a heavy penalty. I'm diagnosed with ADHD and have taken amphetamines for it. The use of these drugs is not pleasant, is not fun, and doesn't give me a high.
If we allow unprescribed use of this class of drugs to become common we will create a public-health problem because people without the need or the desire to take them will have to in order to compete against those who have the desire but not the need -- like steroids in sports. The loser here are the people like me who will see our tool for functioning at a "normal" level of productivity become a way for everyone else to get back their advantage over us.
More importantly, we'll also have to suffer a society in which most of the middle and upper classes, or even most students, get amphetamine side-effects or wear-off symptoms at some point in their day -- even addictive withdrawal in the heavy abusers. These symptoms include: mild psychosis, over-focus on irrelevant details, migraine headaches, failure to eat and drink properly (contributing to other side effects!), and inability to sleep properly, among others.
Congratulations on citing a pretentious anthropology text, but you really could have made your point without it.
All we wanna do is eat your brains! We're not unreasonable, no-one's gonna eat your eyes.
The fact that economics reduces to the ecology of metaphorical creatures/species was my idea!
On the other hand, Middle Eastern countries don't have quite the same fascination with massively ancient cultures, many simply don't have the money or the resources (Iraq being a good example), and even when they DO have these, more than a few of the really early writings from the region are, ummm, elsewhere.
Not "elsewhere". Much of the earliest material from the Middle East was either burned or buried. If you go to the Middle East you'll often find yourself walking over and around archaeological sites.
Why don't you rebut the gp's argument with facts and reason? Oh, that's right, you can't, so I guess childish name-calling is the only weapon you have.
Nice try pretending to be a different person, but the burden of proof rests on the crazy guy spouting conspiracy theories and old debunked memes.
How are the attractive bimbos going to get through the classes if they can't physically sleep with their TA?
Watch fewer pornos. That never happens.
Could you please clue me in on what the Republicans held over the heads of the Democrats to blackmail them that well? And here I thought the Dems were just spineless cowards!
Nice to see that political trolls can still get modded up if they speak proper English. Go back under your slimy rock at Reddit or 4chan.
Until then, I doubt they'll do well anywhere, except for states that still have low education levels and gullible fools willing to vote against their own economic interests.
No, they'll continue doing great among the Real Americans who know that far from a nation founded upon freedom and diversity America is really all about the white evangelical Christians who live in rural areas.
I pick a side, and I pick it without acting like a "mindless sheep", because I don't share your guerrilla-warrior the-whole-world-is-against-me persecution complex and conspiracy-theoretic paranoia. Neither party is perfect (including my favored Greens and Democrats), but at any given specific time and place one candidate makes for a better government than the others. "They all suck equally" or "they are all liars" accomplish absolutely nothing, particularly because you've decided to just sit there in your comfy chair posting cynical comments on Slashdot instead of starting a better, more honest, more thoughtful competing political party right at one of the most opportune times.
I keep seeing this silly meme... about how deregulation is the problem in finance. You are aware that finance is by far the most heavily regulated business sector in America, right? All those thousands and thousands of pages of regulations didn't stop this, so we need... more regulation?
Regulation is a qualitative issue, not a quantitative one.
Specifically, tell me what was de-regulated that caused the housing implosion? The repeal of Glass-Steagall? That simply let bank holding companies (that's regular banks, to most folks) buy and sell stocks and bonds... which is what they're doing now anyway, now that banks bought out all the big finance firms... with the blessing of both the Bush and Obama Administrations.
I'd pretty easily pin it down to the repeal of Glass-Steagal the allowance of banks giving liars' loans.
Your argument here appears to read "Glass-Steagal's repeal can't have caused the problem, because after it happened the predicted negative effects of repealing Glass-Steagall occurred anyway."
Seen your college newspaper lately? You're in for an eye-opener or three. (While you're at it, look up the aforementioned goal and check out goals 26, 29, 40, and just for a lark, 44).
Funny, I go to one of the most liberal colleges in the country, UMass Amherst, and I even write for the student newspaper. We get criticized for being too conservative by the leftist groups because we want universal health care but not race-based affirmative action or divestment from Israel.
This isn't highschool, you can't take what ever you want and get a rubber stamped degree, you have to follow a course selection (with a few electives).
Actually, in high school you don't get to choose any courses at all.
No, you're all individuals!
You're right, they are not human. They are eternal virgins though, as in you have sex with them, then they regrow their hymens and act like virgins all over again. That's what I read anyway.
So they'll act awkward, hesitant, and unlearned every single time? ;-)
I can't be the only who has heard that entire song and thought....
No, you're not the only one. Every time they play that song on the radio I wonder if the people humming and singing along have actually thought out what it means. But for some people conflict and violence are apparently such supreme evil, such Great Shaitans, that we must rid ourselves of them at all costs.
Onwards into Leto's (nee Lennon) Peace!
Imagine there's no countries.
It isn't hard to do.
Nothing to kill or die for,
And no religion too.
Imagine all the people,
Living life in peace.
Every time I imagine that it turns out there's nothing to live for either. You're not sane for wanting to destroy every basis of human civilization.
Actually, I'll note that the Talmud prohibited sexual intercourse with its child brides. You had to wait until they hit 12, the religious Jewish age of majority.
Have a bit more damned respect. So far all you've done is declare Muslims infidels that we other people need to annihilate. How about you actually meet some Muslims (the construction makes perfect sense in Arabic or any other Semitic language, by the way*) and talk to them about their religion before you judge the whole thing!
* Seriously, when you're using linguistics as a reason not to like someone, you've jumped into irrational hate. Stop it.
I've been reading blogs and internet news since they started. God damn it, if I have to choose between the Washington Post and New York Times or the political shill-blogs and conspiracy websites, I'm damn well taking the Post and the Times. I'll pay money for their reporting that at least comes closer than anything else to balanced and factual!
The difference is that Americans tend to view drinking as a form of recreational drug use rather than as drinking ordinary drinks that happen, by coincidence, to contain small-to-moderate quantities of a recreational drug.