Imagine you have to go to the police station to vote.
Because, of course, the folks that might hesitate to walk into the local police station are the most wired. America's ghettos are covered by DSL. Actually, the folks most abused by our justice system are least likely to have a home computer and access to the internet. Guess online voting doesn't solve that problem.
With an online voting system, anyone could run for government, because they could freely advertise on the system without having to pay any money.
What???? Huh?? It looks like english but your words do not make ANY sense. Have the candidates advertise on the polling system? I go to vote, and I get a pop-up saying 'Kerry kicks puppies. Bush loves puppies. Vote Bush.'
I like the idea that campaign signs and the lot are kept at least some distance from the actual polls. I like voting in a space free of advertising.
Have the candidates advertise ON the actual POLLING SYSTEM? To make the system more HONEST?? It costs so much to run for office because the candidates MINGLE??? Wrong, wrong, wrong.
It costs so much to run for office because of the costs of TELEVISION AD TIME! Campaings cost so much because candidates want to reach people without actually mingling with them.
How about this--you, candidate. Put your pants on, go outside, and actually get to know the people you want to vote for you. And you, lazy ass citizen. Put your pants on, go outside, and just f'in vote.
If there were a DDoS attack, the election would just be extended until such time that everyone who wants to vote is allowed to.
Based on what? Is there any precedent for an open-ended extension of the voting period? Let's go to our favorite recent election and our favorite state. Many people in Florida were not allowed to vote after being mistakenly added to a list of felons.
What happened after this and the many, many other issues with that election were exposed? One thing that didn't happen, the polls didn't re-open.
There are cases where polls were left open later than the established hour in cases of technical issues, but why would you think hours would be "extended until such time that everyone who wants to vote is allowed to"? If the DDoS last through the night, do you expect polls to be open the next day?
The issues with online voting are not insurmountable, but they are formidable.
With online banking, I want my bank to know who I am every step of the way. With online voting, the system needs to know who I am to confirm I am eligible to vote and have not voted already, but should not know who I am to compromise the privacy of my vote.
With online banking, if an error occurs, I can clear it up with my bank later. If takes days to supply documentation and sort out an issue, so be it. With an election, once the polls close, they are closed. Something happens and my vote doesn't get cast, I'm SOL.
Also, I don't have the right to bank. If there are less bank branches or fewer tellers because the bank wants to route more business to their web site, so be it. If I don't have a computer or access to the internet, I may not be able to bank, but sure as shit I better be able to vote. So we're looking at administrating and regulating and _paying_for_ two parallel polling systems.
If you complain about people not voting, I would argue that it is almost compulsory to support initiatives to establish online voting.
Can you offer some support for that statement? How does online voting help folks who don't have access to a computer or the internet? Or do you propose voting should be restricted to computer-owners? How do you justify the expense of two voting systems, one online and one at polling stations?
I am certainly not a technophobe, luddite, or anachronist, and I certainly think everyone who can, should vote. Heck, even if you don't know what going on and pick randomly. Or straight party-line. Or hate all the candidates and write in Stimpson J Cat. Just f'in vote.
It sickens me the turnout of registered voters in the US of A is as low as it is. But at the same time, it is really such a crime against humanity that once in a while we might have to get out of our cars and step away from the keyboard and be a member of the community for a few moments?
Yeah, it would be nice to be able to vote online. But it so low on the priority list as to be invisible. And to be on topic of the article for a moment, who do you think will be selling these online voting systems? The same crooks selling the broken, uncertified touch-screen systems. And who will be buying and running these online voting systems? The same idiots who let polls open hours late and disenfranchise random voters by taking their names off the registry.
I just don't see online voting as a great advance for the republic.
Massachusetts has a one-day designation with which pretty much anyone can perform a legal wedding. You just need to get the paper work and a check to the governor ahead of time.
We did the ole white dress/black tux thing, but I met the bride on a MUD and the officiant on a chat (which was pretty much just a MUD without the mobs) so we did have a certain geek quotient.
Welcome to No-sense-of-humor-ville. Population: happyfrogcow.
The fact is, Wonkette is not journalism. Nothing from the site or the NYT article makes me think it is or tries to position itself as journalism.
"Publishers have a moral responsibility to the public."
What moral responsibility do the publishers of MAD magazine have? Or Marvel comics? Strange you would quote Shakespear. After all, how many times did he 'cross the line?' Faeries? Not true! (gasp!) Witches and Oracles? All deception! (the horror!) Even his so-called histories contain fictional conversations which may not have really occured! (faint!)
Yes, news and journalism and the truth are all wonderful, wonderful things. But there's more in the world.
We're not in the habit of playing Craigslist, but this is a special request that comes at a very special time of year. We're posting it for a friend. A "friend."
Married lady willing to play arm-candy in exchange for last-minute ticket to the White House Correspondents' Dinner. . . Loves to talk dirty, drinks like a fish, and will write nasty things about your colleagues the next day. Stacked.
Obviously this is not "news". It's gossip, it's humor, it's sarcasm.
"People should always try to be as accurate as they can be" makes absolutely no sense. There are things such as fiction, humor, and satire which need not be, and may depend on not being, "as accurate as they can be."
I guess the real story is...(insert a word a I don't want to say...okay the word is eeediots) who can't (or won't) think for themselves long enough to make an informed decision.
The folks who think Wonkette is "news" or worry about its accuracy should ask their doctor about a prescription for ClueStick(tm).
Got me to thinking how the NY Times will print just about anything these days. A news site operating under the creed, "immediacy is more important than accuracy, and humor is more important than accuracy" has a free pass on accuracy because obviously, IT'S NOT A NEWS SITE!
Sure, we can look at how such sites are used and how they affect readers' opinions on certain issues, but not every mention of current affairs is 'news'. What's next? An expose on The Daily Show? Op-Ed pieces on how MAD fold-ins distort the issues?
If the Times is really concerned about standards of accuracy, I'm sure there is plenty of work to do in house.
If the radiator mount is strong, how can it be brittle at the same time?
Strong will tell you what it takes for magnesium to bend--a lot. Brittle will tell you what magnesium will do when it bends--it breaks.
Think of the old super ball in liquid nitrogen trick. It doesn't take much to deform a super ball at room temp. But it isn't brittle and won't break. Freeze a super ball and it gains strength--you probably won't be able to deform it with your hands. But throw it down or hit it with a hammer and it will shatter. It becomes brittle.
In short, the only way I can see these folks having a prayer of getting my money is by making a national system of collecting these taxes that is compulsory for retailers to take part in.
Of course...how do they know what's in the box? Some low-tax state smoke dealer could be sending me used t.p. for all UPS knows. But in just in case, I get my fix shipped USPS, which so far has refused (at least publically) to hand over such information.
It's not theft, it's copyright infringement. Maybe the mugger just lost his iPod and didn't feel he should have to pay for the same thing twice. And if he didn't buy an iPod, he's more likely to buy one now, after seeing how great it is. It's like a demo version of a game.
It makes you wonder why medical records, bank records, military records and so many others are private but arrest records are open to the public.
No, it doesn't make me wonder at all. I'm glad arrest records are open to the public. The alternative is people (usually people not too popular with the government) start to just 'disappear'.
Is it just me or should this type of information be private until you are actually convicted of something?
No.
Er, rather, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
While I don't think authorities should be using that information for commercial purposes, arrests records should absolutely be 100% public.
With private records, you run the risk of embarrassment when the neighbors read your name in the local police blotter.
Without private records, you end up...Well, we don't know where you end up. You're gone. And while we suspect the police had some involvement, nobody can find you to waive your right to keep your arrest secret.
Nice to known members of the Bush administration are reading/. to mod such posts up. Send me a postcard from Guantanamo.
That's almost too good... pad it up with a few hundred words, do something fancy to it in word, and sell it to M$ as a "business case"... Welcome to the world of "consulting"...
All we need is PowerPoint and it's ready for a no-bid sole-source government contract
The cellphone is typically turned off, the pager alerts me when a client has dropped a message on a voicebox.
Ok...let me see if I understand that situation. You get a page to let you know someone has left you voice mail to let you know they just sent you an email?
Sounds like the pager is dead weight. How about, when you're available, you answer the phone. When you're not available, turn the phone off. Ditch the pager.
A few years ago there was a news story about a kid who got lost in a blizzard. When they found her(?) she was "stiff as cordwood" and had a heart rate of 4 beats/minute. But they thawed her out OK.
Slashdot Mirror
Imagine you have to go to the police station to vote.
Because, of course, the folks that might hesitate to walk into the local police station are the most wired. America's ghettos are covered by DSL. Actually, the folks most abused by our justice system are least likely to have a home computer and access to the internet. Guess online voting doesn't solve that problem.
With an online voting system, anyone could run for government, because they could freely advertise on the system without having to pay any money.
What???? Huh?? It looks like english but your words do not make ANY sense. Have the candidates advertise on the polling system? I go to vote, and I get a pop-up saying 'Kerry kicks puppies. Bush loves puppies. Vote Bush.'
I like the idea that campaign signs and the lot are kept at least some distance from the actual polls. I like voting in a space free of advertising.
Have the candidates advertise ON the actual POLLING SYSTEM? To make the system more HONEST?? It costs so much to run for office because the candidates MINGLE??? Wrong, wrong, wrong.
It costs so much to run for office because of the costs of TELEVISION AD TIME! Campaings cost so much because candidates want to reach people without actually mingling with them.
How about this--you, candidate. Put your pants on, go outside, and actually get to know the people you want to vote for you. And you, lazy ass citizen. Put your pants on, go outside, and just f'in vote.
Is that so hard?
Based on what? Is there any precedent for an open-ended extension of the voting period? Let's go to our favorite recent election and our favorite state. Many people in Florida were not allowed to vote after being mistakenly added to a list of felons.
What happened after this and the many, many other issues with that election were exposed? One thing that didn't happen, the polls didn't re-open.
There are cases where polls were left open later than the established hour in cases of technical issues, but why would you think hours would be "extended until such time that everyone who wants to vote is allowed to"? If the DDoS last through the night, do you expect polls to be open the next day?
The issues with online voting are not insurmountable, but they are formidable.
With online banking, I want my bank to know who I am every step of the way. With online voting, the system needs to know who I am to confirm I am eligible to vote and have not voted already, but should not know who I am to compromise the privacy of my vote.
With online banking, if an error occurs, I can clear it up with my bank later. If takes days to supply documentation and sort out an issue, so be it. With an election, once the polls close, they are closed. Something happens and my vote doesn't get cast, I'm SOL.
Also, I don't have the right to bank. If there are less bank branches or fewer tellers because the bank wants to route more business to their web site, so be it. If I don't have a computer or access to the internet, I may not be able to bank, but sure as shit I better be able to vote. So we're looking at administrating and regulating and _paying_for_ two parallel polling systems.
If you complain about people not voting, I would argue that it is almost compulsory to support initiatives to establish online voting.
Can you offer some support for that statement? How does online voting help folks who don't have access to a computer or the internet? Or do you propose voting should be restricted to computer-owners? How do you justify the expense of two voting systems, one online and one at polling stations?
I am certainly not a technophobe, luddite, or anachronist, and I certainly think everyone who can, should vote. Heck, even if you don't know what going on and pick randomly. Or straight party-line. Or hate all the candidates and write in Stimpson J Cat. Just f'in vote.
It sickens me the turnout of registered voters in the US of A is as low as it is. But at the same time, it is really such a crime against humanity that once in a while we might have to get out of our cars and step away from the keyboard and be a member of the community for a few moments?
Yeah, it would be nice to be able to vote online. But it so low on the priority list as to be invisible. And to be on topic of the article for a moment, who do you think will be selling these online voting systems? The same crooks selling the broken, uncertified touch-screen systems. And who will be buying and running these online voting systems? The same idiots who let polls open hours late and disenfranchise random voters by taking their names off the registry.
I just don't see online voting as a great advance for the republic.
Massachusetts has a one-day designation with which pretty much anyone can perform a legal wedding. You just need to get the paper work and a check to the governor ahead of time.
We did the ole white dress/black tux thing, but I met the bride on a MUD and the officiant on a chat (which was pretty much just a MUD without the mobs) so we did have a certain geek quotient.
Can we presume on the honeymoon Han fired first? =)
(I think star trek weddings are geeky in a very scary way, but that's a great wedding story that's geeky in a cute way.)
Now that's a little too extreme.
Who'll take care of my lawn and children?
The article is from the Fashion & Style section.
/. lead-in that works the 'ethics in journalism' angle.
It's the
Welcome to No-sense-of-humor-ville. Population: happyfrogcow.
The fact is, Wonkette is not journalism. Nothing from the site or the NYT article makes me think it is or tries to position itself as journalism.
"Publishers have a moral responsibility to the public."
What moral responsibility do the publishers of MAD magazine have? Or Marvel comics? Strange you would quote Shakespear. After all, how many times did he 'cross the line?' Faeries? Not true! (gasp!) Witches and Oracles? All deception! (the horror!) Even his so-called histories contain fictional conversations which may not have really occured! (faint!)
Yes, news and journalism and the truth are all wonderful, wonderful things. But there's more in the world.
Obviously this is not "news". It's gossip, it's humor, it's sarcasm.
"People should always try to be as accurate as they can be" makes absolutely no sense. There are things such as fiction, humor, and satire which need not be, and may depend on not being, "as accurate as they can be."
I guess the real story is...(insert a word a I don't want to say...okay the word is eeediots) who can't (or won't) think for themselves long enough to make an informed decision.
The folks who think Wonkette is "news" or worry about its accuracy should ask their doctor about a prescription for ClueStick(tm).
Got me to thinking how the NY Times will print just about anything these days. A news site operating under the creed, "immediacy is more important than accuracy, and humor is more important than accuracy" has a free pass on accuracy because obviously, IT'S NOT A NEWS SITE!
Sure, we can look at how such sites are used and how they affect readers' opinions on certain issues, but not every mention of current affairs is 'news'. What's next? An expose on The Daily Show? Op-Ed pieces on how MAD fold-ins distort the issues?
If the Times is really concerned about standards of accuracy, I'm sure there is plenty of work to do in house.
Strong will tell you what it takes for magnesium to bend--a lot. Brittle will tell you what magnesium will do when it bends--it breaks.
Think of the old super ball in liquid nitrogen trick. It doesn't take much to deform a super ball at room temp. But it isn't brittle and won't break. Freeze a super ball and it gains strength--you probably won't be able to deform it with your hands. But throw it down or hit it with a hammer and it will shatter. It becomes brittle.
All you had to do is ask =)
The Massachusetts Revenue Department says it plans to start suing Internet cigarette retailers in a bid to track down customers in the state who are not paying the $1.51-a-pack state excise tax.
And lest you count on your dealer standing up for its and its customers' privacy, don't forget there's another party usually involved when you buy through the internet...the shipper.
United Parcel Service, apparently breaking an earlier pledge, appears to have turned over to the Massachusetts Department of Revenue the names and addresses of Bay State customers to whom it has delivered cigarettes from out-of-state vendors. The Revenue Department, which obtained the information by using an administrative summons, is sending letters to the customers demanding they remit unpaid cigarette excise taxes plus interest and penalties. The agency also threatened civil fines and imprisonment if the taxes are not paid within 30 days.
Of course...how do they know what's in the box? Some low-tax state smoke dealer could be sending me used t.p. for all UPS knows. But in just in case, I get my fix shipped USPS, which so far has refused (at least publically) to hand over such information.
I've got the same combination on my luggage.
Yes, and I did not see the other responses until after I posted. Such is life.
"No matter how much money Bruce [Springsteen] gives to charity, I still say he's one of the tightest men I've ever known." - David Sedaris.
1+2=3 is odd
1+2+4=7 is odd
The cumulative number of gold pieces should always be odd.
"If you want me to wear 37 pieces of flair like your pretty boy over there Brian, why don't you just make the minimum 37 pieces of flair?"
It's not theft, it's copyright infringement. Maybe the mugger just lost his iPod and didn't feel he should have to pay for the same thing twice. And if he didn't buy an iPod, he's more likely to buy one now, after seeing how great it is. It's like a demo version of a game.
If the $20 mil isn't getting him any action, I doubt the expensive vacation is going to help.
Guy: My penis has been in outer space. Wanna touch it?
Hot chick (while spraying mace): Eww! I thought this place had a lot of rich guys.
No, it doesn't make me wonder at all. I'm glad arrest records are open to the public. The alternative is people (usually people not too popular with the government) start to just 'disappear'.
No.
Er, rather, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
While I don't think authorities should be using that information for commercial purposes, arrests records should absolutely be 100% public.
With private records, you run the risk of embarrassment when the neighbors read your name in the local police blotter.
Without private records, you end up...Well, we don't know where you end up. You're gone. And while we suspect the police had some involvement, nobody can find you to waive your right to keep your arrest secret.
Nice to known members of the Bush administration are reading /. to mod such posts up. Send me a postcard from Guantanamo.
All we need is PowerPoint and it's ready for a no-bid sole-source government contract
What are the chances Bill G. & Co. will pay off the fine by buying cheap laptops in NYC and selling them in Europe while dodging the VAT?
This is going to be the best. prom. ever.
Then it's just a matter of time before Taco Bell wins the restaurant wars, then Arnold Schwarzenegger can become president.
Ok...let me see if I understand that situation. You get a page to let you know someone has left you voice mail to let you know they just sent you an email?
Sounds like the pager is dead weight. How about, when you're available, you answer the phone. When you're not available, turn the phone off. Ditch the pager.
Yeah, but how did she taste?