but you've got to keep this one fact in mind. they want you DEAD(WE WANT THEIR OIL)
Afganistan isn't the only country over there that has oil, we are allies with many that do.
if you are american, be it anti or pro war, they want you DEAD. (IN ORDER TO GET SUPPORT FOR TAKING THEIR OIL WE HAVE TO PORTRAY THEM AS CRAZY AMERICAN HATING BROWN WACKOS)
Bin ladin has personally said that the attacks were a good thing and that all Americans should die, is he in on this conspiracy of yours as well?
they want your family and friends DEAD along side you (MORE PROPAGANDA, PUT FAMILY AND FRIENDS INTO IT SO YOU WILL SUPPORT OUR ACTION TO GET CENTRAL ASIAN OIL).
Are you saying that none of the 5000 people dead at the WTC had friends or family? Are you saying that ALL AMERICANS, doesn't include my friends and family?
Assuming you are serious and not being sarcastic, the Taliban is providing refuge for Osama Bin Ladin, refusing to extradite him to stand trial for the attacks on the world trade center. The Taliban and Osama are VERY close friends. Osama provides money and troops to the Taliban and they provide him with a "safe" haven for which to train his terrorists.
In addition according to the British the Taliban is involved in drug trafficking, and responsible for a very large portion of the heroin that is sold in the UK.
Not to mention the fact they should be attacked on the basis of stupidity alone, they have repeatedly said that Bin Ladin was innocent because he has no pilots and no way to train pilots in Afghanistan, which is the same as saying that the pilots who crashed planes into the WTC and Pentagon had never been to the US.
Lets try to outline a few facts. In 1993 (i think it was) Osama Bin Ladin bombed the world trade center. We didn't attack Bin Ladin or those harboring him (which wasn't the Taleban at that point, I think he was in Sudan at that time). Later because of our inaction the same man bombed the USS Cole costing more American lifes. Again we did nothing. On September 11, 2001 Osama Bin Ladin launched another attack on the World Trade Center killing thousands and thousands of American men woman and even children.
Do you propose that we continue to try to talk this out? How can anyone possibly be so stupid as to not realize that if we do nothing to harm the guilty the only result will be another more powerful attack against our innocents?
It's easy to set back and say we are on the wrong side of the war over there, but the British Prime Minister just said that 90% of the heroin over there comes from afghanistan, backed by the Taliban! Make no mistake that the Taliban are the "bad guys".
Are you talking about the United States? I'd say we make damn fine fruit. The internet being a prime example, world's leading PC processor manufacturers, world's leading Graphics card manufacturers, worlds leading Aircraft manufacturers, a big contender in the automotive and motorcycle industries.
Or perhaps you were referring to the fruits we give to starving kids in countries whose own governments that don't give a damn about them like Afghanistan, so that they may not go hungry or die from what over here are simple illnesses.
Perhaps I'm reading your post wrong, but if I had to choose an American apple over an Afghan apple, I'd take the American apple every time.
Well, as someone who is currently working on a commercial (or shareware, the line seems to have blurred) game for Linux, I have to say I would definetly be interested in your product. Not so much with the current project because it is turn based strategy and doesn't need super fast efficiency, but certainly future products I would love the chance to use a faster compiler for 3d, etc. Price is an issue of course, it's annoying to see software that costs more than the computer it runs on, even if "businesses do have the money to spend".
Secondly I'd like to say that Slashdot isn't the best place to ask about commercial software.:)
I can tell you this, we each have to support Linux in our own way. Ever since I was a kid coding in BASIC on an Atari 600XL I've dreamt of having a software company, I'm not going to give up on that dream because I've taken a liking to open source. Of course I'll continue to release open source projects, much in the way Loki has. But if you like Linux enough to bring a product over you should do it. You are just as much a part of the community as the people you are asking, and therefore have just as much right to shape the community.
Also one quick comment about everyone saying how Loki failed so you have no audience. You people are missing the point. Loki "failed" (if we must put the nail in it's coffin) because it was linux ONLY. Presumably game developers could use VectorC to create games for Linux AND Windows (any Mac OS X version?). I certainly don't expect to sell a whole heck of alot of copies for Linux, or really even to be well recieved, at least until I can afford to do some of the bigger projects that I want to do. But at this point Linux isn't meant to be the big moneymaker. I just use Linux almost exclusively, and I'm sure there are others that do, who might want to play my game. They shouldn't have to boot Windows to do that.
So yeah, I'd say that you have a good chance with VectorC, it would provide cross-platform options for the developers that use it, and if you promote a library like SDL then that will give them even more reason to compile for Linux as well (and thus buy the Linux version) by lowering the amount of work involved in moving the code from Windows.
I agree that advertising is necessary, but Slashdot does it right, and the advertisers seem to understand that BRAND marketing is much more important the PRODUCT marketing. That is to say since I have been reading Slashdot ThinkGeek and Rackspace are household phrases to me. When I need webhosting I will likely go to Rackspace, when I need a Netcam I will go to ThinkGeek, NOT X10. Because no matter how inexpensive X10 is, I'm sure as hell not going to reward them for annoying me.
See it doesn't matter, as many have already said, if I go to your website that second and get your product, what is important is that I remember your name and associate with your products.
I think the biggest problem today is that people don't seem to understand that the phrase "any publicity is good publicity" has limitations. Those limitations specifically being don't make ME personally pissed off at you, I don't give money to people who piss me off. X10 pisses me off. The spam senders who are to lazy to type their own names and introduce themselves as "fsdfs" piss me off. Those people will never get my money. I'm sure the many thousands of Slashdotters feel the same way.
Well, the simple answer is because Apple probably wouldn't feel the need to defend their look and feel so strongly had MS not been "Evil" and blatantly stole it from them back in the early days.
Call it MS bashing if you want, but Billy Boy is really the one that gave Apple it's paranoia. If they don't stop the UNIX themes, and MS comes in with a big 'ole copy of OS X and takes customers away from Apple, then their lawyers can do nothing. MS will have only to point out that Apple allowed all the UNIX Aqua themes to remain.
Software has no value? Do you people that say that have ANY idea how much it costs to hire the artists and sound engineers, level designers, game designers, programmers, etc. etc. that create games like Quake III, or the costs involved in other large projects?
Don't get me wrong, I love open source or I wouldn't read slashdot, but come on, When is the last time you saw an open source game completely on par with Quake III (especially one that wasn't commercial at some time), and the projects that still aren't even close, have been working at it for many more years than the Quake III team.
It is amazes me how Slashdot has such a high concentration of programmers yet would claim that a fellow programmer doesn't even deserve to get paid because he is creating something for your entertainment/benefit and you should be entertained/benefitted for free, while the poor programmer is stuck in a job he hates that puts less food on his family's table.
Your critique seems way overcritical michael, and lacking in some very basic common sense. If vulcans and humans didn't get along in Kirks time, or any other captians time, why would they get along when their relationship was just beginning? That would have been an absolutely unforgivable mistake. What you are proposing is similar to saying "Why don't buffy and the vampires get along, this whole fighting thing is getting old". Vulcans and Humans arguing over logic is part of the way thing ARE in the Star Trek universe. If you don't like it maybe you aren't as big a fan of the series as you claim.
Secondly regarding the "soft porn", I too was kinda taken by surprise by it, but should we have been? Has anyone seen the original series recently. It comes on after Quantum Leap, and I swear every time I leave the TV on after QL and go into my room Kirk is making out with some half naked hottie hot hot of an alien superchick. The original series definetely didn't lack in the T&A department.
As far as the rest goes, I think you need to realize what the word "fiction" in science fiction means.
Overall I loved it, it looks like we are going to get a much more kirk-like captain, I liked the kinda sarcastic smartass commander, and most importantly it looks like we will actually see a show about seeking out new lifeforms, like the original series, not about what crew member is sleeping with what other crew member.
Everyone here keeps saying that last week THEY were trying to call hackers terrorists, and now THEY are trying to recruit them.
I think it is important to recognize the difference between Ashcroft and THEY.
EVERYBODY now thinks the civil war was fought over slavery, it's easier for the NAACP and Jesse Jackson to wage war against the rebel flag instead of putting their resources to better uses for their cause that way
For those who are considering calling me a racist just look at a few facts.
First, Lincoln had said that he never intended on ending slavey? Why would the south succeed to keep their slaves then?
The north was however charging astronomical prices for goods that, thanks to various reasons, could be gotten from Britain cheaper. Lincolns answer? Raise the tax on imports to some very large number, 42 or 47% IIRC. THAT is a reason to succeed.
Next, less than 7 percent of all the south had slaves or even had the hope of ever being able to afford a slave. Seems kinda sillly for 10's of thousands of men to fight for something that they would never benefit for, and ignore the high taxes which were affecting them alot.
Furthermore FIVE northern states still have slavery enacted and wanted to keep slavery enacted. Why in the blue hell would their governers not have joined the south, if slavery was the main issue?
Next Lincoln said on several occasions during the war that he did not "want to make this a war about slavery". How could he make it a war about slavery, if it already was one?
Also the emancipation proclamation (which only freed slaves in non-northern controlled southern states) was viewed by various foreign governments as an attempt to do what Lincoln said he didn't want to do, to make it a war on slavery, and villify the south, which would make them drop their support. The British (and French I beleive) didn't buy it.
There are dozens of facts just like that which say slavery wasn't the main issue of the war. I'm certainly not condoning slavery, or racism of any kind. But the fact that the southern states wanted to keep slavery was really not a very large issue in the war.
Besides slavery flew under the American flag for something like 220 years more than it did under the rebel flag. And as far as the Klans use of the flag, the Klan has another symbol they use even more often, the cross. Should be ban crosses and call all ministers racist?
All of this is actually probably a good example of the media spin that is put on modern day wars, such as the example of the guy who went to japan and said they speak alot of the horrible nuclear bombs, but very little of Pearl Harbor or any reason WHY we dropped the horrible nuclear bombs. I'm sure the US is just as guilty, but as others have said, no is not the time to be saying things like "we deserved it".
Funny thing is hate is one of the seven deadly sins. So are greed and gluttony for that matter, doesn't appear to have stopped him though. I bet sloth fits him as well.
Well, you are correct about ignoring him, such blatant stupidity just REALLY annoys me. No good trying to clue in his sheep though, the type of religous fanatics that buy into his bull are to weak minding to think for themselves. It's sad, really.
Still, I'll be rocking happily in the 2nd row of the upcoming Alice Cooper "Descent to Dragontown" tour. It wasn't until the remark about how we "deserved this" that I realized just how much Alice's song "gimme" fits Falwell and his ilk.
I think KISS said it best though: "And while we're praying for salvation, preachers yeild unto temptation."
You are right though, Falwell is similar to the taliban, he preaches extreme religous intolerance. Luckily he hasn't taken to terrorism yet.:)
Quick question that maybe those more knowledgable of world affairs than I can answer, if these countries are producing such massive amounts of something as valuable as oil, why are they so dirt poor. Or should I say, why are their citizens so dirt poor?
I'm sure crush will chime in here saying it's all because of the evil capitalists, but I think you would have to put alot of blame on the governments of the countries themselves.
This whole thing has been crazy. So far Jerry Falwell has said we deserve this because gays and pagans exist, Pat Robertson has said we deserve it because porn exists, poeple right here on Slashdot are blaming the whole thing on Capitalism, France and Germany are saying that somehow our Military Headquarters being bombed is NOT an act of war. There's been a large outcry of support from people and leaders all over the place, but it still amazes me how lowlifes can use a disaster like this to further their own agendas. There were three year olds on those planes. They were neither gay, pagan, or porn stars and in my not so humble opinion any God that will kill an innocent 3 year old (and thousands more innocents) because somewhere someone is having sex with a member of the same gender does not deserve to be worshipped.
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Let me try to end this one quickly with a couple of questions. Firstly, would you rather have lived in East Germany or West Germany?
Secondly why do you keep using the United States as an example? Last I checked there were plenty of other capitalist countries, have all of them commited horrible atrocities? Along those sames lines would you say that non-capitalists countries, like say, oh I don't know NAZI Germany, or China, have exactly been the picture of humanity?
Your argument that Capitalism is worse than all other economic models is flawed because you are looking only at the flaws in Capitalism and not the flaws in other systems. At the same time you are ignoring any successes in Capitalism and looking only at the successes of other forms.
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Look, it's obvious this argument is getting nowhere accept you putting words into my mouth. I do not condone attacking people because of their race, I condone attacking the people responsible for the terrorist attack, and those countries which may seek to protect the terrorists. In fact I openly gave my email address on the Yahoo boards for Muslims who might feel the need to talk to someone about the hate they are unfairly forced to face right now.
I'm certainly not condoning any actions by the United States government that might hurt other people. The time however to address these issues isn't right now. To use a rather harsh analagy from Yahoo, Imagine if your child were hit by a car and killed. Would you want the neighbor running right out and saying "Well you shouldn't let them play in the street"? Certainly you would look to be more careful with your other children, but people should allow you a suitable greive period before blasting attacks.
Thirdly I still don't have any conclusive proof from you that it is capitalism that is the root of all the violent evil things which the United States has brought to other people. One doesn't have to be a capitalist to act in their best interest. And if no country has made socialism work, as you say, how can we blame Capitalism for the US's indiscrections and not blame Communism for Russia's or any other system for the sins of it's users?
And those articles you wanted? Here is a
link
As for my comments on isolationism, you need to read up on your history a bit more. What I was referring to was our decision, initially, to stay out of the conflict between the British and the Germans. A good link to the whole thing is:
here
Furthermore, by assuming that I am not willing to put my life on the line, you assume to much. A friend just came down from trade school in Maryland and mentioned that he thought a draft might be initiated. My response was that I already had sent an email out to an air national guard recruiter. One of my goals in life has always been to be a pilot. Since you have to be an officer to be a pilot, I wanted to train to work on the f-16's stationed at the air guard base in Richmond.
My friend mentioned that he too had though of enlisting in the reserves, but preferred the navy because he wanted to work on his favorite jet, the F/A-18 hornet.
Right now I am seriously considering my options, both in reserve branches, national gaurd branches, and full-time branches of the military. Because unlike you, I think this is a time to stand by my country. The time to attack our foreign policy can come after I know that my soon to be born nephew can lay in his crib without his mother, father, and I worrying about bomb raids on one of the many strategic military installations in the area taking his life.
And just to re-iterate, I do NOT want to just go blindly blowing up Arabic people. I don't think Bush plans on bombing the Taliban or anyone else just for the hell of it. The bottom line is, our Military Headquarters was bombed. Regardless what the French and Germans say, that IS an act of war.
Re:What can be done about terrorism?
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"This has been amply repaid by the control they have over the slave-labor countries of the third world"
Do you put no blame on the governments of those countries for their financial troubles?
"Those soldiers, ordinary people like me, had to die because there was no MORAL US intervention by the US and the rest of Europe against the fascists. Our elites were too busy worrying about the spread of communism."
We actually tried to help the jews as early as 1938, but the various countries could not agree on a course of action. It's true that we ignored the suffering for a while, we were at the time trying to stay out of world affairs as much as possible. Something everyone says we should do now, it's seems we can't win either way. Of course we would get involved when it began to affect us, wouldn't you try to fight something that could potentially hurt you?
As far as your rant about lifespan you seem to completely ignore things such as vaccinations to deadly illnesses, transplants of vital organs, bypass surgeries. To pretend that many people would not be dead if not for those things is disengenious at best.
The basic flaw in your position is that you assume a very primitive human flaw, greed, would suddenly go away if we were to switch to socialism, or some other economic model.
You need to realize that maybe if the socialist countries you hold so dear had the resources of the US, that they might just be as imperialistic and "evil". After all, I hate to tell you, but domineering government has existed LONG before democracy or capitalism, and greed probably even before government.
And since you are calling me hypocritical, what about you? On one end you are saying that we have no business in Israel, and on the other you are suggesting that I enlist? Do you think that the big bad evil American government is going to use a growing military to back out of a war against a people that very likely just killed thousands of Americans? I didn't think so.
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First and foremost, I have family in NYC, family that stood beside me and supported me 6 months ago when my mother died, so don't you DARE tell me that I'm crying crocodile tears, you have no damn right to make such a statement!
Secondly what you are saying reads just like the propoganda you seem to hate so greatly. I make no claims that capitalism is the be all end all ecomonic policy, and considering I have family over there, there is now way in HELL that I am ignoring what happened for "modern conveniences". The facts of the matter are that there are two sides to every coin. The US has lost (yes lost) billions of dollars helping other countries in need, for as long as any of us have been alive to remember. When there were natural disasters we were the first to go the the countries aid, hell, we even help rebuild countries after we beat them up! The USA has gotten very litte if any of those Billions of dollars back, those dollars are gone, lost, never to be regained, and what's more we didn't ask for it back.
You talk about how the Evil Capitalists are commiting atrocities in Israel, ignoring the fact that countries over there have been at war for centuries, and both sides have done horrible things to one another, at least we continue to try the peace conferences. You blindly ignore the fact that American soldiers have given their lifes in the name of freedom, battling the likes of Hitler and others.
You claim that it's the Evil Capitalists that are responsible for the deaths of the thousands at the WTC, but fail to mention that the same coporate greed is responsible for medical advancements by drug companies that have saves MILLIONS of lifes, they might have done it in the name of profit, but by god it got done!
You talk about what a horrible country we are, yet, if you are a US citizen you have the right to say any bad thing you want about the government, were in some countries such a simple act would land you in jail. You talk about the evil Americans, while people in the Middle east are fighting over religion. Over here, we might have to deal with bigots like Jerry Falwell, but at least he doesn't kill us when we disagree with him!
You say that capitalism isn't perfect, HELL NO it isn't perfect, but no system is. We tried to stay out of foreign affairs in WWII and look what happened to us! Not only did we get attacked by the Japanese, but are still attacked to this day by people like you because we didn't join the fight sooner! This country is damned if it does and damned if it doesn't.
The plain and simple facts are that no matter what the provokation the actions taken by these terrorists what NOT justified. If you want to argue about how bad capitilism is, that's fine. If you want to insult this country, that's fine. For it is this country's very constitution that gives you that right, but don't try to justify those peoples deaths because America is "Evil". And for God's sake, save your negative comments until after the perpetrators of this horrible act are brought to justice.
Oh, and by the way. If we were in horse drawn buggies and barns this would STILL have happened. People have been slaughtering each other in huge numbers for thousands of years. It's just plane stupid to blame airplanes and skyscrapers for what has happened
I would hesitate to put even many Middle Eastern Countries against us in any potential World War III. They call the USA the World's only Superpower, but Russia has in the past been quite a force to be reckoned with, certainly during the cold war to be considered a Superpower. As they adjust to a new government and economic model they are a bit less so, but with full US and NATO backing the Russian nation could quite easily regain Superpower status.
If that is the case even without the unconditional NATO and UN support, it would be foolish to challenge the worlds only TWO superpowers. Remember third world countries largely depend on very old Russian fighter jets. Fighter jets which Russia and the US have considered obsolete for quite some years.
I think thats a point that many people fail to get. If the ONLY thing that happens from this attack is that the terrorists get their way in we pull out of Israel, then EVERY terrorist on the planet is going to see massive destruction on US cities as a viable means of progressing their agenda.
I keep hearing that war would only cause more American deaths. As an American I for one would gladly die fighting anyone who can be proven to be held responsible for this. There is the difference. If we do something, the American deaths will fall upon those of use willing to die, those of us who die fighting, not the unsuspecting women and children in a major metropolis the next time some terrorist decides he wants to change US policy because "It worked last time".
Well, that's fair enough. But it only makes it more disgusting when our own citizens are heartless enough to say it was our fault because we are "Evil Capitalists"
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I'm equally disgusted that someone like you could blame the "Evil Capitalist United States" for something like this, when even our must hated enemies of the past are standing by our side.
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No, that's not what I'm saying. What I'm saying is that capitalism works. Blaming what happened in NYC on capitalism is the stupidest thing I've ever heard. I've got news for you idiots, the USA isn't the only capitalist country. Why weren't any of the others attacked? Because it's about our foreign policy, not about capitalism. Furthermore even if we were all driving around in horse and buggies and raising barns all day, this would have still happened. Terrorists aren't exactly rational people. We need to quit thinking of them as such.
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Afganistan isn't the only country over there that has oil, we are allies with many that do.
if you are american, be it anti or pro war, they want you DEAD. (IN ORDER TO GET SUPPORT FOR TAKING THEIR OIL WE HAVE TO PORTRAY THEM AS CRAZY AMERICAN HATING BROWN WACKOS)
Bin ladin has personally said that the attacks were a good thing and that all Americans should die, is he in on this conspiracy of yours as well?
they want your family and friends DEAD along side you (MORE PROPAGANDA, PUT FAMILY AND FRIENDS INTO IT SO YOU WILL SUPPORT OUR ACTION TO GET CENTRAL ASIAN OIL).
Are you saying that none of the 5000 people dead at the WTC had friends or family? Are you saying that ALL AMERICANS, doesn't include my friends and family?
Assuming you are serious and not being sarcastic, the Taliban is providing refuge for Osama Bin Ladin, refusing to extradite him to stand trial for the attacks on the world trade center. The Taliban and Osama are VERY close friends. Osama provides money and troops to the Taliban and they provide him with a "safe" haven for which to train his terrorists.
In addition according to the British the Taliban is involved in drug trafficking, and responsible for a very large portion of the heroin that is sold in the UK.
Not to mention the fact they should be attacked on the basis of stupidity alone, they have repeatedly said that Bin Ladin was innocent because he has no pilots and no way to train pilots in Afghanistan, which is the same as saying that the pilots who crashed planes into the WTC and Pentagon had never been to the US.
Lets try to outline a few facts. In 1993 (i think it was) Osama Bin Ladin bombed the world trade center. We didn't attack Bin Ladin or those harboring him (which wasn't the Taleban at that point, I think he was in Sudan at that time). Later because of our inaction the same man bombed the USS Cole costing more American lifes. Again we did nothing. On September 11, 2001 Osama Bin Ladin launched another attack on the World Trade Center killing thousands and thousands of American men woman and even children. Do you propose that we continue to try to talk this out? How can anyone possibly be so stupid as to not realize that if we do nothing to harm the guilty the only result will be another more powerful attack against our innocents? It's easy to set back and say we are on the wrong side of the war over there, but the British Prime Minister just said that 90% of the heroin over there comes from afghanistan, backed by the Taliban! Make no mistake that the Taliban are the "bad guys".
Are you talking about the United States? I'd say we make damn fine fruit. The internet being a prime example, world's leading PC processor manufacturers, world's leading Graphics card manufacturers, worlds leading Aircraft manufacturers, a big contender in the automotive and motorcycle industries.
Or perhaps you were referring to the fruits we give to starving kids in countries whose own governments that don't give a damn about them like Afghanistan, so that they may not go hungry or die from what over here are simple illnesses.
Perhaps I'm reading your post wrong, but if I had to choose an American apple over an Afghan apple, I'd take the American apple every time.
Secondly I'd like to say that Slashdot isn't the best place to ask about commercial software. :)
I can tell you this, we each have to support Linux in our own way. Ever since I was a kid coding in BASIC on an Atari 600XL I've dreamt of having a software company, I'm not going to give up on that dream because I've taken a liking to open source. Of course I'll continue to release open source projects, much in the way Loki has. But if you like Linux enough to bring a product over you should do it. You are just as much a part of the community as the people you are asking, and therefore have just as much right to shape the community.
Also one quick comment about everyone saying how Loki failed so you have no audience. You people are missing the point. Loki "failed" (if we must put the nail in it's coffin) because it was linux ONLY. Presumably game developers could use VectorC to create games for Linux AND Windows (any Mac OS X version?). I certainly don't expect to sell a whole heck of alot of copies for Linux, or really even to be well recieved, at least until I can afford to do some of the bigger projects that I want to do. But at this point Linux isn't meant to be the big moneymaker. I just use Linux almost exclusively, and I'm sure there are others that do, who might want to play my game. They shouldn't have to boot Windows to do that.
So yeah, I'd say that you have a good chance with VectorC, it would provide cross-platform options for the developers that use it, and if you promote a library like SDL then that will give them even more reason to compile for Linux as well (and thus buy the Linux version) by lowering the amount of work involved in moving the code from Windows.
I agree that advertising is necessary, but Slashdot does it right, and the advertisers seem to understand that BRAND marketing is much more important the PRODUCT marketing. That is to say since I have been reading Slashdot ThinkGeek and Rackspace are household phrases to me. When I need webhosting I will likely go to Rackspace, when I need a Netcam I will go to ThinkGeek, NOT X10. Because no matter how inexpensive X10 is, I'm sure as hell not going to reward them for annoying me. See it doesn't matter, as many have already said, if I go to your website that second and get your product, what is important is that I remember your name and associate with your products.
I think the biggest problem today is that people don't seem to understand that the phrase "any publicity is good publicity" has limitations. Those limitations specifically being don't make ME personally pissed off at you, I don't give money to people who piss me off. X10 pisses me off. The spam senders who are to lazy to type their own names and introduce themselves as "fsdfs" piss me off. Those people will never get my money. I'm sure the many thousands of Slashdotters feel the same way.
Call it MS bashing if you want, but Billy Boy is really the one that gave Apple it's paranoia. If they don't stop the UNIX themes, and MS comes in with a big 'ole copy of OS X and takes customers away from Apple, then their lawyers can do nothing. MS will have only to point out that Apple allowed all the UNIX Aqua themes to remain.
Software has no value? Do you people that say that have ANY idea how much it costs to hire the artists and sound engineers, level designers, game designers, programmers, etc. etc. that create games like Quake III, or the costs involved in other large projects?
Don't get me wrong, I love open source or I wouldn't read slashdot, but come on, When is the last time you saw an open source game completely on par with Quake III (especially one that wasn't commercial at some time), and the projects that still aren't even close, have been working at it for many more years than the Quake III team.
It is amazes me how Slashdot has such a high concentration of programmers yet would claim that a fellow programmer doesn't even deserve to get paid because he is creating something for your entertainment/benefit and you should be entertained/benefitted for free, while the poor programmer is stuck in a job he hates that puts less food on his family's table.
Your critique seems way overcritical michael, and lacking in some very basic common sense. If vulcans and humans didn't get along in Kirks time, or any other captians time, why would they get along when their relationship was just beginning? That would have been an absolutely unforgivable mistake. What you are proposing is similar to saying "Why don't buffy and the vampires get along, this whole fighting thing is getting old". Vulcans and Humans arguing over logic is part of the way thing ARE in the Star Trek universe. If you don't like it maybe you aren't as big a fan of the series as you claim. Secondly regarding the "soft porn", I too was kinda taken by surprise by it, but should we have been? Has anyone seen the original series recently. It comes on after Quantum Leap, and I swear every time I leave the TV on after QL and go into my room Kirk is making out with some half naked hottie hot hot of an alien superchick. The original series definetely didn't lack in the T&A department. As far as the rest goes, I think you need to realize what the word "fiction" in science fiction means. Overall I loved it, it looks like we are going to get a much more kirk-like captain, I liked the kinda sarcastic smartass commander, and most importantly it looks like we will actually see a show about seeking out new lifeforms, like the original series, not about what crew member is sleeping with what other crew member.
Everyone here keeps saying that last week THEY were trying to call hackers terrorists, and now THEY are trying to recruit them.
I think it is important to recognize the difference between Ashcroft and THEY.
Don't FreeBSD and MacOS X also use gcc and other GNU software? Why aren't we forced to call them GNU/FreeBSD and GNU/MacOS X?
For those who are considering calling me a racist just look at a few facts.
First, Lincoln had said that he never intended on ending slavey? Why would the south succeed to keep their slaves then?
The north was however charging astronomical prices for goods that, thanks to various reasons, could be gotten from Britain cheaper. Lincolns answer? Raise the tax on imports to some very large number, 42 or 47% IIRC. THAT is a reason to succeed.
Next, less than 7 percent of all the south had slaves or even had the hope of ever being able to afford a slave. Seems kinda sillly for 10's of thousands of men to fight for something that they would never benefit for, and ignore the high taxes which were affecting them alot.
Furthermore FIVE northern states still have slavery enacted and wanted to keep slavery enacted. Why in the blue hell would their governers not have joined the south, if slavery was the main issue?
Next Lincoln said on several occasions during the war that he did not "want to make this a war about slavery". How could he make it a war about slavery, if it already was one?
Also the emancipation proclamation (which only freed slaves in non-northern controlled southern states) was viewed by various foreign governments as an attempt to do what Lincoln said he didn't want to do, to make it a war on slavery, and villify the south, which would make them drop their support. The British (and French I beleive) didn't buy it.
There are dozens of facts just like that which say slavery wasn't the main issue of the war. I'm certainly not condoning slavery, or racism of any kind. But the fact that the southern states wanted to keep slavery was really not a very large issue in the war.
Besides slavery flew under the American flag for something like 220 years more than it did under the rebel flag. And as far as the Klans use of the flag, the Klan has another symbol they use even more often, the cross. Should be ban crosses and call all ministers racist?
All of this is actually probably a good example of the media spin that is put on modern day wars, such as the example of the guy who went to japan and said they speak alot of the horrible nuclear bombs, but very little of Pearl Harbor or any reason WHY we dropped the horrible nuclear bombs. I'm sure the US is just as guilty, but as others have said, no is not the time to be saying things like "we deserved it".
Funny thing is hate is one of the seven deadly sins. So are greed and gluttony for that matter, doesn't appear to have stopped him though. I bet sloth fits him as well.
Well, you are correct about ignoring him, such blatant stupidity just REALLY annoys me. No good trying to clue in his sheep though, the type of religous fanatics that buy into his bull are to weak minding to think for themselves. It's sad, really. :)
Still, I'll be rocking happily in the 2nd row of the upcoming Alice Cooper "Descent to Dragontown" tour. It wasn't until the remark about how we "deserved this" that I realized just how much Alice's song "gimme" fits Falwell and his ilk.
I think KISS said it best though: "And while we're praying for salvation, preachers yeild unto temptation."
You are right though, Falwell is similar to the taliban, he preaches extreme religous intolerance. Luckily he hasn't taken to terrorism yet.
Quick question that maybe those more knowledgable of world affairs than I can answer, if these countries are producing such massive amounts of something as valuable as oil, why are they so dirt poor. Or should I say, why are their citizens so dirt poor?
I'm sure crush will chime in here saying it's all because of the evil capitalists, but I think you would have to put alot of blame on the governments of the countries themselves.
This whole thing has been crazy. So far Jerry Falwell has said we deserve this because gays and pagans exist, Pat Robertson has said we deserve it because porn exists, poeple right here on Slashdot are blaming the whole thing on Capitalism, France and Germany are saying that somehow our Military Headquarters being bombed is NOT an act of war. There's been a large outcry of support from people and leaders all over the place, but it still amazes me how lowlifes can use a disaster like this to further their own agendas. There were three year olds on those planes. They were neither gay, pagan, or porn stars and in my not so humble opinion any God that will kill an innocent 3 year old (and thousands more innocents) because somewhere someone is having sex with a member of the same gender does not deserve to be worshipped.
Let me try to end this one quickly with a couple of questions. Firstly, would you rather have lived in East Germany or West Germany?
Secondly why do you keep using the United States as an example? Last I checked there were plenty of other capitalist countries, have all of them commited horrible atrocities? Along those sames lines would you say that non-capitalists countries, like say, oh I don't know NAZI Germany, or China, have exactly been the picture of humanity?
Your argument that Capitalism is worse than all other economic models is flawed because you are looking only at the flaws in Capitalism and not the flaws in other systems. At the same time you are ignoring any successes in Capitalism and looking only at the successes of other forms.
I'm certainly not condoning any actions by the United States government that might hurt other people. The time however to address these issues isn't right now. To use a rather harsh analagy from Yahoo, Imagine if your child were hit by a car and killed. Would you want the neighbor running right out and saying "Well you shouldn't let them play in the street"? Certainly you would look to be more careful with your other children, but people should allow you a suitable greive period before blasting attacks.
Thirdly I still don't have any conclusive proof from you that it is capitalism that is the root of all the violent evil things which the United States has brought to other people. One doesn't have to be a capitalist to act in their best interest. And if no country has made socialism work, as you say, how can we blame Capitalism for the US's indiscrections and not blame Communism for Russia's or any other system for the sins of it's users?
And those articles you wanted? Here is a link
As for my comments on isolationism, you need to read up on your history a bit more. What I was referring to was our decision, initially, to stay out of the conflict between the British and the Germans. A good link to the whole thing is: here
Furthermore, by assuming that I am not willing to put my life on the line, you assume to much. A friend just came down from trade school in Maryland and mentioned that he thought a draft might be initiated. My response was that I already had sent an email out to an air national guard recruiter. One of my goals in life has always been to be a pilot. Since you have to be an officer to be a pilot, I wanted to train to work on the f-16's stationed at the air guard base in Richmond.
My friend mentioned that he too had though of enlisting in the reserves, but preferred the navy because he wanted to work on his favorite jet, the F/A-18 hornet.
Right now I am seriously considering my options, both in reserve branches, national gaurd branches, and full-time branches of the military. Because unlike you, I think this is a time to stand by my country. The time to attack our foreign policy can come after I know that my soon to be born nephew can lay in his crib without his mother, father, and I worrying about bomb raids on one of the many strategic military installations in the area taking his life.
And just to re-iterate, I do NOT want to just go blindly blowing up Arabic people. I don't think Bush plans on bombing the Taliban or anyone else just for the hell of it. The bottom line is, our Military Headquarters was bombed. Regardless what the French and Germans say, that IS an act of war.
Do you put no blame on the governments of those countries for their financial troubles?
"Those soldiers, ordinary people like me, had to die because there was no MORAL US intervention by the US and the rest of Europe against the fascists. Our elites were too busy worrying about the spread of communism."
We actually tried to help the jews as early as 1938, but the various countries could not agree on a course of action. It's true that we ignored the suffering for a while, we were at the time trying to stay out of world affairs as much as possible. Something everyone says we should do now, it's seems we can't win either way. Of course we would get involved when it began to affect us, wouldn't you try to fight something that could potentially hurt you?
As far as your rant about lifespan you seem to completely ignore things such as vaccinations to deadly illnesses, transplants of vital organs, bypass surgeries. To pretend that many people would not be dead if not for those things is disengenious at best.
The basic flaw in your position is that you assume a very primitive human flaw, greed, would suddenly go away if we were to switch to socialism, or some other economic model.
You need to realize that maybe if the socialist countries you hold so dear had the resources of the US, that they might just be as imperialistic and "evil". After all, I hate to tell you, but domineering government has existed LONG before democracy or capitalism, and greed probably even before government.
And since you are calling me hypocritical, what about you? On one end you are saying that we have no business in Israel, and on the other you are suggesting that I enlist? Do you think that the big bad evil American government is going to use a growing military to back out of a war against a people that very likely just killed thousands of Americans? I didn't think so.
Secondly what you are saying reads just like the propoganda you seem to hate so greatly. I make no claims that capitalism is the be all end all ecomonic policy, and considering I have family over there, there is now way in HELL that I am ignoring what happened for "modern conveniences". The facts of the matter are that there are two sides to every coin. The US has lost (yes lost) billions of dollars helping other countries in need, for as long as any of us have been alive to remember. When there were natural disasters we were the first to go the the countries aid, hell, we even help rebuild countries after we beat them up! The USA has gotten very litte if any of those Billions of dollars back, those dollars are gone, lost, never to be regained, and what's more we didn't ask for it back.
You talk about how the Evil Capitalists are commiting atrocities in Israel, ignoring the fact that countries over there have been at war for centuries, and both sides have done horrible things to one another, at least we continue to try the peace conferences. You blindly ignore the fact that American soldiers have given their lifes in the name of freedom, battling the likes of Hitler and others.
You claim that it's the Evil Capitalists that are responsible for the deaths of the thousands at the WTC, but fail to mention that the same coporate greed is responsible for medical advancements by drug companies that have saves MILLIONS of lifes, they might have done it in the name of profit, but by god it got done!
You talk about what a horrible country we are, yet, if you are a US citizen you have the right to say any bad thing you want about the government, were in some countries such a simple act would land you in jail. You talk about the evil Americans, while people in the Middle east are fighting over religion. Over here, we might have to deal with bigots like Jerry Falwell, but at least he doesn't kill us when we disagree with him!
You say that capitalism isn't perfect, HELL NO it isn't perfect, but no system is. We tried to stay out of foreign affairs in WWII and look what happened to us! Not only did we get attacked by the Japanese, but are still attacked to this day by people like you because we didn't join the fight sooner! This country is damned if it does and damned if it doesn't.
The plain and simple facts are that no matter what the provokation the actions taken by these terrorists what NOT justified. If you want to argue about how bad capitilism is, that's fine. If you want to insult this country, that's fine. For it is this country's very constitution that gives you that right, but don't try to justify those peoples deaths because America is "Evil". And for God's sake, save your negative comments until after the perpetrators of this horrible act are brought to justice.
Oh, and by the way. If we were in horse drawn buggies and barns this would STILL have happened. People have been slaughtering each other in huge numbers for thousands of years. It's just plane stupid to blame airplanes and skyscrapers for what has happened
I would hesitate to put even many Middle Eastern Countries against us in any potential World War III. They call the USA the World's only Superpower, but Russia has in the past been quite a force to be reckoned with, certainly during the cold war to be considered a Superpower. As they adjust to a new government and economic model they are a bit less so, but with full US and NATO backing the Russian nation could quite easily regain Superpower status.
If that is the case even without the unconditional NATO and UN support, it would be foolish to challenge the worlds only TWO superpowers. Remember third world countries largely depend on very old Russian fighter jets. Fighter jets which Russia and the US have considered obsolete for quite some years.
I think thats a point that many people fail to get. If the ONLY thing that happens from this attack is that the terrorists get their way in we pull out of Israel, then EVERY terrorist on the planet is going to see massive destruction on US cities as a viable means of progressing their agenda.
I keep hearing that war would only cause more American deaths. As an American I for one would gladly die fighting anyone who can be proven to be held responsible for this. There is the difference. If we do something, the American deaths will fall upon those of use willing to die, those of us who die fighting, not the unsuspecting women and children in a major metropolis the next time some terrorist decides he wants to change US policy because "It worked last time".
Well, that's fair enough. But it only makes it more disgusting when our own citizens are heartless enough to say it was our fault because we are "Evil Capitalists"
I'm equally disgusted that someone like you could blame the "Evil Capitalist United States" for something like this, when even our must hated enemies of the past are standing by our side.
No, that's not what I'm saying. What I'm saying is that capitalism works. Blaming what happened in NYC on capitalism is the stupidest thing I've ever heard. I've got news for you idiots, the USA isn't the only capitalist country. Why weren't any of the others attacked? Because it's about our foreign policy, not about capitalism. Furthermore even if we were all driving around in horse and buggies and raising barns all day, this would have still happened. Terrorists aren't exactly rational people. We need to quit thinking of them as such.