The militant assholes who file a court case every time the hear the name of Christ (or Allah, or Buddha, or Jehovah) are the ones who need to be dragged out behind the barn, for an appointment with a.22 long rifle behind their ears.
Please tell me you're not a Christian, because that was the most unChristian statement I've heard all week, and since yesterday was Christmas it was especially distasteful.
WTF is that, and how does it differ from other forms of Atheism?
Most athiests, like most Christians, won't shove their religion or lack of same down anyone's throat. "Fundamentalist" atheists (I kind of like that phrase, never heard it before) have to troll every slashdot story explaining to everyone how fucking stupid we are because we're not atheists. They're like the damned Jehova's Witnesses as compared to a normal Christian who usually only discusses religion when warranted (such as a question is asked or when he or she defends against some atheist statement).
There are a lot of Christians who (sinfully) are bigoted against gays. And there are a lot of atheists who don't try in the least to hide their bigotry. Both are wrong. IMO, evangelicals of all stripes should STFU.
There are whistle blower laws that would have protected him if he'd played by the rules.
Bullshit. That link is to a story written by a retired NSA employee, who had many honors in his career.
Unfortunately, while federal law protects whistleblowers who work in other government sectors from reprisals for truth-telling and have paths for reporting wrongdoing and mismanagement, those who work in intelligence are expressly denied such rights. When Senior Staff Representative Diane Roark and longtime senior NSA employees Bill Binney, Ed Loomis, and I submitted a formal complaint about mismanagement at the agency, the government's response on July 26, 2007, was to send the FBI to raid our homes, searching them for seven hours and seizing our computers, phones and other digital media. We are just now getting our property back after having successfully sued the government in December 2012.
The government even indicted Tom Drake, although it dropped its criminal charges in the case against him. Still, for the five of us, it was the equivalent of a punch in the face and a warning to other would-be "truth-tellers" not to report wrongful government activities or the government will come after you.
Can Edward Snowden get amnesty? Snowden clearly saw what the government does to whistleblowers who try to work within government to fix things that are wrong. He knew that our complaint to the United States Department of Defense inspector general in September 2002 went for naught. Although the report agreed that our complaint was well-founded, nothing happened -- no one was found guilty of wrongful behavior or waste of hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars.
Would have been exciting to be around back when Sputnik took off or men orbited or landed on the moon.
I was around. I think I was six when Sputnik orbited (1958, wasn't it?) and I remember how much it freaked out all the adults. They freaked out even more when the Russians sent a man up there.
Perhaps the Wright Brothers achieving flight or Columbus discovering the New World fits in that category.
Ever seen Apollo 13? There's a scene where Lovell is talking to his wife on the night Neil and Buzz landed. Lovell says "Christopher Columbus... The Wright brothers... and Neil Armstrong??"
ln Europe church attendance is an order of magnitude lower than the number of people claiming to be Christian.
Church doesn't make you a Christian, accepting Jesus as your savior makes you a Christian. I haven't been to church since Easter, but that doesn't mean I'm not reading my bible or that I don't accept Jesus.
The book of Genesis is certainly not the foundation of most of the world's religions.
Wrong, skippy. A third of the world's population is Christian, a third is Muslim. Two thirds of the world's religious people read Genesis.
AND, the Buddhist Thais have a "garden of Eden" story that is very similar to the version of the Abrahamic religions. In their story, people were happy and loving and sharing, and then the evil Cats taught people to talk and they've been arguing and fighting ever since.
Note that in the Abrahamic version, the snake had legs and God took them away as punishment. Also note how snake eyes and cat eyes are similar. What was most interesting to me is that when two old Thai women are arguing, it sounds like cats fighting, and "Meow" is Thai for "I want".
Odd that you're modded up, but responses (many very good) were modded offtopic. So I'll take my my downmod too -- your comment is not only barely on-topic (you only used the topic to bash religion) and it's flamebait.
What is wrong with a religious scientist using religion to celebrate a scientific achievement that caused him (and many others) to have a religious experience? Over half of the world's scientists worship in one religion or another.
Your troll is especially offensive being posted on Christians' most holy day and your link about something that happened four hundred years ago was icing on your trollcake. Are you going to say the Holocaust didn't happen this coming passover? It's the same damned thing, asshole.
Your bigotry is forgiven, though. That's what Christians do. That's what Christianity is about -- love and forgiveness.
Except that at least for science fiction a story has to be 40,000 words to be a novel. Any less is a novella, less than that a novelette, and less than that a short story. Nobots is barely a novel at 42042 words.
It would take a hell of a writer to write a satisfying story that was only a sentence long. Face it, twitter isn't for bibliophiles.
The "right to privacy" may not be spelled out in the constitution
This is why some opposed the Bill of Rights, and why the tenth amendment was passed. To answer the ignorant Electricity Likes Me who thinks the NSA is peachy keen, the answer is "the fourth amendment." My papers and effects are online, and the government does not have the legal authority to inspect them without either my permission or a search warrant signed by a judge. Note the "fishing expeditions" by law enforcement have ALWAYS been condemned by the judiciary and no evidence collected by these means is not admissible in court.
This means that the NSA data collection may cause a terrorist to walk free because the government was too incompetent to do its job within its legal authority.
No, it doesn't. Parts of it do; Project Gutenberg, for instance, but the internet archive falls short. I had a popular Quake site from 1998 to 2003 and maybe half of it is at the archive. None of "Yello, There!" exists at all except for one lone page.
It remembers a lot, some forever, but it can forget.
Apparently you fellows aren't very good at math. 54% is far less than 66%, and where did you get that 54% from, Richard Dawkins? I've looked up the statistics in a lot of places and atheists are fewer than 15% of the world's population.
in that world LEO stands for Law Enforcement Officer.
We're not in that world, we're at slashdot. Why use a three letter acronym to replace a single syllable three letter word? Especially when the acronym has more than one meaning?
Context indeed, officer. LEO is low Earth orbit and the 3 letter acronym for cops is "COP" (Crappy Old Policemen). Shouldn't you be filling out a drug arrest report or something?
TV sets didn't start weighing less until this century, my 2002 weighs 215 lbs. And have you forgotten that there were few TV remotes (they were ultrasound back then and only on the most expensive TVs), no PCs, no internet, no cell phones, and my favorite technological advancement, the miraculous CrystaLens.
I guess you also forgot the Voyagers, telescopes in space, probes to other planets, rovers on Mars... don't forget, NASA isn't about adventure, it's about science and technology.
Just read my fine sci-fi book*. Two chapters a week are going online and the whole kit and kaboodle will be there this spring for absolutely free, no ads, no tracking (unless the NSA has hacked my Canadian web host).
Look, guys, fight back against the greed. This is bullshit. You're going to pay money for books that stalk you? Are you mad?? Do you want product or something from the heart? Don't buy products that stalk you, whether readers or content.
Give me paper (although that said, I'm reading a couple of old public domain books on my phone).
Wrong. A third are Christian, a third are Muslim, half of the rest are other religions such as Judaism, Hinduism and Buddhism. You atheists and antitheists only make up 10% of everyone (the rest are agnostic).
Some of the best-sounding albums I own on CD were originally recorded on analog media. Like for instance Boston's first albumSome of the best-sounding albums I own on CD were originally recorded on analog media. Like for instance Boston's first album
You lost me right there, Boston on CD sucked so badly that the guy who started Boston was, last I heard, doing a re-mix. Boston on CD had no dynamics whatever, and the dynamics were a big part of what made that album great.
Sample that Boston LP using the shitty cheap circuitry on your PC and it will sound better than the factory mix. Who are you trying to bullshit here, boy?
Additionally, the median new car is $30K, the median price paid for XP is $30.
Few buy auto engines and few buy operating systems. You buy a car with the engine already installed, a computer with its OS already installed.
And new car warranties never last longer than 10 years.
Seven year old computers had XP installed. My car is long out of warrantee, but if a dangerous factory defect is revealed they will recall and repair the car at no cost to me. Poor security in an OS is a factory defect and Microsoft should do the responsible thing, the same responsibility as car manufacturers have shown for a century.
I'd hardly say any auto manufacturer has bad engineering (although I question their design). My car is older than XP but it runs fine. Can't say that about the XP tower I'll have to upgrade to Linux. A computer with an out of date OS is like a car with a blown engine. Microsoft should support the OS until the hardware it powers fails. There is no excuse for hardware to outlive software.
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The militant assholes who file a court case every time the hear the name of Christ (or Allah, or Buddha, or Jehovah) are the ones who need to be dragged out behind the barn, for an appointment with a .22 long rifle behind their ears.
Please tell me you're not a Christian, because that was the most unChristian statement I've heard all week, and since yesterday was Christmas it was especially distasteful.
WTF is that, and how does it differ from other forms of Atheism?
Most athiests, like most Christians, won't shove their religion or lack of same down anyone's throat. "Fundamentalist" atheists (I kind of like that phrase, never heard it before) have to troll every slashdot story explaining to everyone how fucking stupid we are because we're not atheists. They're like the damned Jehova's Witnesses as compared to a normal Christian who usually only discusses religion when warranted (such as a question is asked or when he or she defends against some atheist statement).
There are a lot of Christians who (sinfully) are bigoted against gays. And there are a lot of atheists who don't try in the least to hide their bigotry. Both are wrong. IMO, evangelicals of all stripes should STFU.
There are whistle blower laws that would have protected him if he'd played by the rules.
Bullshit. That link is to a story written by a retired NSA employee, who had many honors in his career.
I still don't see the sarcasm. Looks like a case of Poe's Law.
Hmm, it seems there are fewer Muslims than whatever I read said. You appear to be correct.
Doh! Had a bit of a "senior moment" there.
Would have been exciting to be around back when Sputnik took off or men orbited or landed on the moon.
I was around. I think I was six when Sputnik orbited (1958, wasn't it?) and I remember how much it freaked out all the adults. They freaked out even more when the Russians sent a man up there.
Now, the Moon landing...
Perhaps the Wright Brothers achieving flight or Columbus discovering the New World fits in that category.
Ever seen Apollo 13? There's a scene where Lovell is talking to his wife on the night Neil and Buzz landed. Lovell says "Christopher Columbus... The Wright brothers... and Neil Armstrong??"
ln Europe church attendance is an order of magnitude lower than the number of people claiming to be Christian.
Church doesn't make you a Christian, accepting Jesus as your savior makes you a Christian. I haven't been to church since Easter, but that doesn't mean I'm not reading my bible or that I don't accept Jesus.
The book of Genesis is certainly not the foundation of most of the world's religions.
Wrong, skippy. A third of the world's population is Christian, a third is Muslim. Two thirds of the world's religious people read Genesis.
AND, the Buddhist Thais have a "garden of Eden" story that is very similar to the version of the Abrahamic religions. In their story, people were happy and loving and sharing, and then the evil Cats taught people to talk and they've been arguing and fighting ever since.
Note that in the Abrahamic version, the snake had legs and God took them away as punishment. Also note how snake eyes and cat eyes are similar. What was most interesting to me is that when two old Thai women are arguing, it sounds like cats fighting, and "Meow" is Thai for "I want".
Odd that you're modded up, but responses (many very good) were modded offtopic. So I'll take my my downmod too -- your comment is not only barely on-topic (you only used the topic to bash religion) and it's flamebait.
What is wrong with a religious scientist using religion to celebrate a scientific achievement that caused him (and many others) to have a religious experience? Over half of the world's scientists worship in one religion or another.
Your troll is especially offensive being posted on Christians' most holy day and your link about something that happened four hundred years ago was icing on your trollcake. Are you going to say the Holocaust didn't happen this coming passover? It's the same damned thing, asshole.
Your bigotry is forgiven, though. That's what Christians do. That's what Christianity is about -- love and forgiveness.
Now repent your damned trolling.
Except that at least for science fiction a story has to be 40,000 words to be a novel. Any less is a novella, less than that a novelette, and less than that a short story. Nobots is barely a novel at 42042 words.
It would take a hell of a writer to write a satisfying story that was only a sentence long. Face it, twitter isn't for bibliophiles.
The "right to privacy" may not be spelled out in the constitution
This is why some opposed the Bill of Rights, and why the tenth amendment was passed. To answer the ignorant Electricity Likes Me who thinks the NSA is peachy keen, the answer is "the fourth amendment." My papers and effects are online, and the government does not have the legal authority to inspect them without either my permission or a search warrant signed by a judge. Note the "fishing expeditions" by law enforcement have ALWAYS been condemned by the judiciary and no evidence collected by these means is not admissible in court.
This means that the NSA data collection may cause a terrorist to walk free because the government was too incompetent to do its job within its legal authority.
Come on, the internet remembers forever.
No, it doesn't. Parts of it do; Project Gutenberg, for instance, but the internet archive falls short. I had a popular Quake site from 1998 to 2003 and maybe half of it is at the archive. None of "Yello, There!" exists at all except for one lone page.
It remembers a lot, some forever, but it can forget.
Apparently you fellows aren't very good at math. 54% is far less than 66%, and where did you get that 54% from, Richard Dawkins? I've looked up the statistics in a lot of places and atheists are fewer than 15% of the world's population.
It is for most Americans as well. It's only a tiny vocal minority rying to shove it down peoples' throats.
in that world LEO stands for Law Enforcement Officer.
We're not in that world, we're at slashdot. Why use a three letter acronym to replace a single syllable three letter word? Especially when the acronym has more than one meaning?
Context indeed, officer. LEO is low Earth orbit and the 3 letter acronym for cops is "COP" (Crappy Old Policemen). Shouldn't you be filling out a drug arrest report or something?
TV sets didn't start weighing less until this century, my 2002 weighs 215 lbs. And have you forgotten that there were few TV remotes (they were ultrasound back then and only on the most expensive TVs), no PCs, no internet, no cell phones, and my favorite technological advancement, the miraculous CrystaLens.
I guess you also forgot the Voyagers, telescopes in space, probes to other planets, rovers on Mars... don't forget, NASA isn't about adventure, it's about science and technology.
Just read my fine sci-fi book*. Two chapters a week are going online and the whole kit and kaboodle will be there this spring for absolutely free, no ads, no tracking (unless the NSA has hacked my Canadian web host).
Look, guys, fight back against the greed. This is bullshit. You're going to pay money for books that stalk you? Are you mad?? Do you want product or something from the heart? Don't buy products that stalk you, whether readers or content.
Give me paper (although that said, I'm reading a couple of old public domain books on my phone).
* You're a nerd, you can figure it out
Wrong. A third are Christian, a third are Muslim, half of the rest are other religions such as Judaism, Hinduism and Buddhism. You atheists and antitheists only make up 10% of everyone (the rest are agnostic).
Merry Christmas everyone. I hope it was/is filled with the things that you love most.
See my sig*. Oh, and we're offtopic...
*May not be valid after Christmas
Yeah, it was a long time ago. I didn't even remember it until slashdot jogged my memory.
I'd get these pesky kids off your lawn but they keep handing me beers and hitters... damn, it's 1968 again! Are we still at war?
FWIW, my friend who is a former LEO
You had a friend on the ISS? I'm impressed, officer.
Protip: You're at slashdot, LEO is an acronym for Low Earth Orbit around here, we call you guys "cops".
Some of the best-sounding albums I own on CD were originally recorded on analog media. Like for instance Boston's first albumSome of the best-sounding albums I own on CD were originally recorded on analog media. Like for instance Boston's first album
You lost me right there, Boston on CD sucked so badly that the guy who started Boston was, last I heard, doing a re-mix. Boston on CD had no dynamics whatever, and the dynamics were a big part of what made that album great.
Sample that Boston LP using the shitty cheap circuitry on your PC and it will sound better than the factory mix. Who are you trying to bullshit here, boy?
90% of vehicles on the road are less than ten years old
Between 48% and 83% of cars manufactured before 2003 are still on the road.
Additionally, the median new car is $30K, the median price paid for XP is $30.
Few buy auto engines and few buy operating systems. You buy a car with the engine already installed, a computer with its OS already installed.
And new car warranties never last longer than 10 years.
Seven year old computers had XP installed. My car is long out of warrantee, but if a dangerous factory defect is revealed they will recall and repair the car at no cost to me. Poor security in an OS is a factory defect and Microsoft should do the responsible thing, the same responsibility as car manufacturers have shown for a century.
I'd hardly say any auto manufacturer has bad engineering (although I question their design). My car is older than XP but it runs fine. Can't say that about the XP tower I'll have to upgrade to Linux. A computer with an out of date OS is like a car with a blown engine. Microsoft should support the OS until the hardware it powers fails. There is no excuse for hardware to outlive software.