If a 'well sealed' nuclear test releases 'faint traces', let's be thankful that it wasn't a 'badly sealed' one. I mean, wouldn't a 'well sealed' one mean no traces at all?
Good to hear that someone from Avalon Hill is still around. I've been playing their boardgames (and those from SPI) since the mid-70s. That's way before video games were invented (uh-oh...that's bound to start something). And I remember that some 'conventions' - where a dozen or two dweebs would gather at a school meeting room to play through a WW2 simulation - were picketed by protesters who believed that the boardgames were promoting violence.
I wasn't either side of the fence - I got my kicks from a different group, but in those days and in that town (London, UK) there was no shortage of like-minded opponents.
What does this mean? People always protest against activities seen to promote violence. BTW, anyone see any protest against the scouts, or paintball?
This is one of the reason I despise the industry and the lore that surrounds it: the ostensible "professionalism", the bullshitting, the going to the job interview in suit and tie (what the fuck for, nobody knows), the total lack of colour and creativity, the need to use boilerplate and keywords...
And the fact that "some of the things on the list" are considered outlandish and not conducive to getting a job. I found humorous every single item on that list, and would considered the candidate to have an advantage, exactly for having a sense of humor, rather than a disadvantage in getting a job.
In academia, where I work now, things are somewhat similar but not as bad as in the industry, and there's a measure of nuttiness and humor you can get away with.
Of course you realize that you lost some street cred here by going to the link and reading the list?
I mean really - back when I took Maths 'O' levels you weren't allowed calculators in the exam room. I'd do the maths and then check my answer on the slipstick. Slide rules aren't great for accuracy, but ok for quick checks.
What else did he know? What else was there to know? Who was doing this? Why? What did other people already know? Was there anything about me they didn’t know, or couldn’t misconstrue to their advantage?
Have you ever heard of encryption?
It should be standard on every e-mail app, just like it's standard on every router. I would love to encrypt all of my e-mail, but my friends are either too lazy, or too technically illiterate, to install and use it. If it was part of setting up your e-mail, well, the world would be a better place.
Tell ya what, though: If I were doing business in a place China, (or Russia, or Cuba, etc.), I would insist upon it. But, who knows what servers your e-mail gets bounced around on as it is?
Totally agree. Yonks ago it was said that an email is about as private as a postcard. Sending private or business-sensitive information over the email is just foolish.
And don't start the 'yes but encryption can be hacked' chain. Replace "Uncle Bill" with [company name] and "Plums" with [financial amount] and the sentence "Uncle Bill wants the plums by Friday for the pie he's making" is meaningless to anyone without the key. Cryptography's been around since before Caesar.
But does anyone know what the most popular names associated with arrest rates happen to be? Maybe there's actual correlation there?
And I'm not saying that's correct either, since there is likely strong racial bias in many arrests made by officers themselves...
Not sure if you can get much out of that - unless you compare it stats about how many people of that name are in the town. Example: Jones. Lots of Joneses commit crimes and get caught. Does this mean that the Joneses are criminals, or that there are lots of Joneses? I'm sure there's an XKCD on this but I'm damned if I can find it...
Wow... More racism... I suppose anyone with an Irish last name can't be called "White" either...
Historical Note: Less than 100 years ago Irish were still treated as a separate race from "real Whites".
At least in the USA, it is. Unpaid internships are illegal in the USA....
So is speeding, of course, and multiple other things that people do on a daily basis. No offence intended - it's just that because something is illegal, doesn't mean it's not done.
Kinda of a rant but in part I agree. Obama seemed to overlook the outsourcing as well. If graduates do stay in the States, and then become CEOs (eventually...) then market dictates will suggest that they 'rightshore' the jobs off to China/India/Egypt.
Maybe trading prices could factor in the floating bodies in the streams, worker safety, human rights, pollution levels... but if it doesn't have to, then it won't. And it doesn't have to.
As the hamburger jockey said the buddhist who asked for his change, change must come from within. If the Chinese population want their industry to stop polluting, it's up to them to force the issue. And good luck to them with that.
I read your "Faith Healers" (and "Flim Flam", etc...) - no questions, but please keep on doing what you're doing.
Well maybe one question - I read somewhere that you have a note in your pocket with the text 'I will die this day', and today's date. And that you write this note fresh each morning. Do you still do this?
Even wargamers know tanks are dead meat in cities under any circumstances other than a peaceful show of force, and more generally without infantry support they don't last long even in the "open" countryside.
Even wargamers? I'm a wargamer, you insensitive clod! Mark you, this might explain why I do so badly in Company-of-Heroes....
I was more excited about the A380 myself, but I realize that there's a very small market for such large planes.
Forgive me, but is that true? I live in NZ and most planes to/from here are 747s of some colour. Those planes have been the backbone of international fleets for decades (the sixties?). I would say that there's a huge market for long-haul big planes - world population is going up, countries aren't getting any closer. The world's fleet of 747s will eventually need replacing with more 747s, or 380s, or... something of that size. But now the long-haul runs need to be fuel-efficient and cheap.
And safe. And fun. (thank goodness for seat-back tv...)
I hope the Dreamliner comes right - but I'm looking forward to a flight in a 380 more than a 787.
Oh yeah, because everyone knows that women scientists like to work in their lingerie. Women in the middle east wear black gunny sacks, and the men still piss all over themselves to get a glimpse of fingernail... dude, its your hormones, your erection, your behavior, blaming other people because you have poor self control is like blaming fast food because it tastes good. That's the way its made, welcome to biology. Now take responsibility for your behavior.
And... isn't this akin to the Muslim world, who ask that the women cover themselves so as to not incite the lust of men? If men get excited, it's women's fault.
Nonsense, of course - just in case you thought I was being serious.
The part about witness accounts to a red cross like image in the sky, meaning someone may have actually seen the event...
I'd take that with a pinch of salt. I've been reading Tom Holland's "Millennium" and it mentions that one of the Holy Roman emperors (an Otto) was heading down to Jerusalem to hand his crown over to JC when he came down for the second coming, when the army he was with saw a dragon in the sky. They figured this was a portent of bad things, and weren't surprised when Otto died a few days later.
I wouldn't take that anecdote as evidence for dragons though.
Interesting how the Brits feel funny eating Horsemeat. Sister-in-law in Vancouver, Canada has served Steak & Kidney pie to local Canucks, who aren't too keen on the ingredients once they hear what they are (well, one of them).
Maybe we need a slashdot poll on "What sorts of meat are deemed inappropriate to eat in your country?"
Pork... "sweetbreads"... Prairie oysters... etc etc
Well, we have already lost all of our other rights. The right to own firearms is all we have left. Losing that is losing all that is left.
And no, most Western societies are no longer free. Lots of "nutcases" in Germany said the same thing about their society as their rights were rapidly eroded. The worst actions only happened after the loss of the right to bear arms.
Nonsense. Comparing today's western societies to Nazi Germany isn't going to win you many friends.
You folks in the States have many rights that are envied by some other nations. The "right to bear arms" isn't one of them (imho).
Slashdot Mirror
If a 'well sealed' nuclear test releases 'faint traces', let's be thankful that it wasn't a 'badly sealed' one. I mean, wouldn't a 'well sealed' one mean no traces at all?
Good to hear that someone from Avalon Hill is still around. I've been playing their boardgames (and those from SPI) since the mid-70s. That's way before video games were invented (uh-oh...that's bound to start something). And I remember that some 'conventions' - where a dozen or two dweebs would gather at a school meeting room to play through a WW2 simulation - were picketed by protesters who believed that the boardgames were promoting violence.
I wasn't either side of the fence - I got my kicks from a different group, but in those days and in that town (London, UK) there was no shortage of like-minded opponents.
What does this mean? People always protest against activities seen to promote violence. BTW, anyone see any protest against the scouts, or paintball?
And anyone up for a game of 'Pax Brittanica'?
So, who do we consult for a second opinion? HP? Oracle?
Well, people used to go to (the) Oracle for a second opinion in the old days (ba-dum-cha)
This is one of the reason I despise the industry and the lore that surrounds it: the ostensible "professionalism", the bullshitting, the going to the job interview in suit and tie (what the fuck for, nobody knows), the total lack of colour and creativity, the need to use boilerplate and keywords...
And the fact that "some of the things on the list" are considered outlandish and not conducive to getting a job. I found humorous every single item on that list, and would considered the candidate to have an advantage, exactly for having a sense of humor, rather than a disadvantage in getting a job.
In academia, where I work now, things are somewhat similar but not as bad as in the industry, and there's a measure of nuttiness and humor you can get away with.
Of course you realize that you lost some street cred here by going to the link and reading the list?
Best set of policies I've ever seen from an American President. Hope he manages to get some of them through.
Where's the Mars landing, though?
you insensitive clod!
I mean really - back when I took Maths 'O' levels you weren't allowed calculators in the exam room. I'd do the maths and then check my answer on the slipstick. Slide rules aren't great for accuracy, but ok for quick checks.
BTW I haven't used it for years.
What else did he know? What else was there to know? Who was doing this? Why? What did other people already know? Was there anything about me they didn’t know, or couldn’t misconstrue to their advantage?
Have you ever heard of encryption?
It should be standard on every e-mail app, just like it's standard on every router. I would love to encrypt all of my e-mail, but my friends are either too lazy, or too technically illiterate, to install and use it. If it was part of setting up your e-mail, well, the world would be a better place. Tell ya what, though: If I were doing business in a place China, (or Russia, or Cuba, etc.), I would insist upon it. But, who knows what servers your e-mail gets bounced around on as it is?
Totally agree. Yonks ago it was said that an email is about as private as a postcard. Sending private or business-sensitive information over the email is just foolish.
And don't start the 'yes but encryption can be hacked' chain. Replace "Uncle Bill" with [company name] and "Plums" with [financial amount] and the sentence "Uncle Bill wants the plums by Friday for the pie he's making" is meaningless to anyone without the key. Cryptography's been around since before Caesar.
I mean, don't do the BIOS upgrade. Is this a trick question?
But does anyone know what the most popular names associated with arrest rates happen to be? Maybe there's actual correlation there? And I'm not saying that's correct either, since there is likely strong racial bias in many arrests made by officers themselves...
Not sure if you can get much out of that - unless you compare it stats about how many people of that name are in the town. Example: Jones. Lots of Joneses commit crimes and get caught. Does this mean that the Joneses are criminals, or that there are lots of Joneses? I'm sure there's an XKCD on this but I'm damned if I can find it...
Wow... More racism... I suppose anyone with an Irish last name can't be called "White" either... Historical Note: Less than 100 years ago Irish were still treated as a separate race from "real Whites".
[Citation needed]. Really.
This seems like criminal exploitation to me
At least in the USA, it is. Unpaid internships are illegal in the USA ....
So is speeding, of course, and multiple other things that people do on a daily basis. No offence intended - it's just that because something is illegal, doesn't mean it's not done.
Zaphod? He's just this guy, you know...
More at 11.
Kinda of a rant but in part I agree. Obama seemed to overlook the outsourcing as well. If graduates do stay in the States, and then become CEOs (eventually...) then market dictates will suggest that they 'rightshore' the jobs off to China/India/Egypt.
Maybe trading prices could factor in the floating bodies in the streams, worker safety, human rights, pollution levels... but if it doesn't have to, then it won't. And it doesn't have to.
As the hamburger jockey said the buddhist who asked for his change, change must come from within. If the Chinese population want their industry to stop polluting, it's up to them to force the issue. And good luck to them with that.
I read your "Faith Healers" (and "Flim Flam", etc...) - no questions, but please keep on doing what you're doing.
Well maybe one question - I read somewhere that you have a note in your pocket with the text 'I will die this day', and today's date. And that you write this note fresh each morning. Do you still do this?
No, you're reading comprehension is just poor.
I think you mean ".. your reading comprehension is just poor". Oh, the irony.
Even wargamers know tanks are dead meat in cities under any circumstances other than a peaceful show of force, and more generally without infantry support they don't last long even in the "open" countryside.
Even wargamers? I'm a wargamer, you insensitive clod! Mark you, this might explain why I do so badly in Company-of-Heroes....
I was more excited about the A380 myself, but I realize that there's a very small market for such large planes.
Forgive me, but is that true? I live in NZ and most planes to/from here are 747s of some colour. Those planes have been the backbone of international fleets for decades (the sixties?). I would say that there's a huge market for long-haul big planes - world population is going up, countries aren't getting any closer. The world's fleet of 747s will eventually need replacing with more 747s, or 380s, or ... something of that size. But now the long-haul runs need to be fuel-efficient and cheap.
And safe. And fun. (thank goodness for seat-back tv...)
I hope the Dreamliner comes right - but I'm looking forward to a flight in a 380 more than a 787.
Oh yeah, because everyone knows that women scientists like to work in their lingerie. Women in the middle east wear black gunny sacks, and the men still piss all over themselves to get a glimpse of fingernail... dude, its your hormones, your erection, your behavior, blaming other people because you have poor self control is like blaming fast food because it tastes good. That's the way its made, welcome to biology. Now take responsibility for your behavior.
Better put than I managed - thanks Genda...
Hard to read - you need to learn about to/too.
And... isn't this akin to the Muslim world, who ask that the women cover themselves so as to not incite the lust of men? If men get excited, it's women's fault.
Nonsense, of course - just in case you thought I was being serious.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/774%E2%80%93775_radiation_burst
The part about witness accounts to a red cross like image in the sky, meaning someone may have actually seen the event...
I'd take that with a pinch of salt. I've been reading Tom Holland's "Millennium" and it mentions that one of the Holy Roman emperors (an Otto) was heading down to Jerusalem to hand his crown over to JC when he came down for the second coming, when the army he was with saw a dragon in the sky. They figured this was a portent of bad things, and weren't surprised when Otto died a few days later.
I wouldn't take that anecdote as evidence for dragons though.
Interesting how the Brits feel funny eating Horsemeat. Sister-in-law in Vancouver, Canada has served Steak & Kidney pie to local Canucks, who aren't too keen on the ingredients once they hear what they are (well, one of them).
... "sweetbreads" ... Prairie oysters ... etc etc
Maybe we need a slashdot poll on "What sorts of meat are deemed inappropriate to eat in your country?"
Pork
http://breathedbrain.tumblr.com/image/412201190
Well, we have already lost all of our other rights. The right to own firearms is all we have left. Losing that is losing all that is left. And no, most Western societies are no longer free. Lots of "nutcases" in Germany said the same thing about their society as their rights were rapidly eroded. The worst actions only happened after the loss of the right to bear arms.
Nonsense. Comparing today's western societies to Nazi Germany isn't going to win you many friends.
You folks in the States have many rights that are envied by some other nations. The "right to bear arms" isn't one of them (imho).
That means that when lions and bears and bobcats and coyotes come around, I prefer some firepower that's not from the French and Indian wars.
You live in an area with lions, bears, bobcats and coyotes? Really? I mean, really? You don't just live somewhere urban and like guns?