In my case, it goes the opposite way. I don't have Facebook and I ask my kids to not post pictures or anything about me online - in a way that's identifiable. They understand and (I think) are willing to do so. So long as it's not identifiable to random strangers, I don't care. I've been doxxed and quasi-stalked before and the kids experienced that so they're also rather wary. It's not been a problem but it is a discussion that we've had.
I'll speculate that the subject is malaria and DDT.
An interesting aside, and very related, is the additional studies that have since been done on DDT that show the first study done was actually based on faked data and the WHO has since started to re-introduce DDT to control mosquito populations.
Where DDT does have a potential problem is that it stays resident in the soil for quite some time. DDT should not be used for agricultural purposes and the WHO makes no provisions for that but they do now allow/suggest/accept the use for controlling malaria outbreaks. Malaria has killed millions and the study that resulted in that lady's book was based on faked data. Not cool.
And I think you're unable to see things from another perspective. We can all play the "I Think Game."
But, what would I know? I retired at 50, 49 if you want to be technical, and think life is excellent. In fact, my problem is that I've *done* everything I've ever wanted to do. I've accomplished all my goals, I've been everywhere I wanted to go, and I've learned everything I needed to learn to accomplish those goals. These days, I mostly just keep learning and doing different things as a way to enjoy myself but I don't really need to.
Life can be pretty boring but I'm never really bored. Not really... I might be bored with one activity but I have plenty of other things to do. Every minute of my waking life is spent doing something even though that something may appear boring to others.
I've noticed the replies you got and I feel compelled to say something - I'm not sure what. Strange... Very strange.
The term "flat organization" is fairly new (in popularity) but the concept isn't that old. If it's any good then you're not seeing the heads of your company because they're way too busy to get down there. I often put in 12 to 20 hour days, not because we didn't have enough people (we didn't, at first) but because there was always something to do, something to learn, and something to fix.
If it matters, the time spent down 'in the trenches' was the happiest time and I did what I did because I enjoyed doing it. At some point, I no longer was 'in the trenches' because the reality is that the people I'd hired were really damned good at their job. At the time, there was no limit to the amount of work available so we were in the process of expanding from day one, for the most part. There was always something to do and as much as I'd have liked to be doing the same work, there were more productive things for me to do.
You mentioned that the company is small. Maybe they're in a similar place and that's why you don't see your big bosses. *IF* that's the case then that's not always a bad thing nor does it mean you're unappreciated or being taken advantage of.
I had no issues getting it installed. Configuration was point and click, it's pretty simple and supports portable use as well as installation. 'Tis pretty simple, really. Give it a shot, if you're interested.
I do use a Windows phone, by the way. A/.er recommended it so I tried it and I'm pretty happy. I don't use Windows on my computer but I kind of like it on my phone. Contrary to popular opinion - there are apps available. There just aren't a few hundred thousand repeats of the same apps. I do everything that I can possibly want to do on my phone. I'm pretty happy with it and it's really quite snappy even though it's not as powerful as some of the other phones that I've owned.
At any rate, there are a bunch of clients for Tox. There is not one for Windows phone. It's end-to-end encrypted, it's decentralized, it's basically all the features that one probably wants such as video, groups, conference, text, voice (of course), and all that stuff. It's not bad. I've played with it a few times. It's not resource intensive even though it's encrypted. I dare say it's pretty good, actually. I'm not sure that I really need a chat client or anything but it's installed and I've used it a few times. It's still (seemingly) a worthy project.
I tried to like him when he was first getting popular. I'm definitely not a Republican, to put it into perspective. I'm not a Democrat either. I am pretty left in practice or preference except I like to express it as; I'm hold the political views I hold because of logic and reason and not emotions or morality.
So, I tried to like Obama. I've agreed with some of what he's said - but I don't need to be spoken down to, I don't need the patronizing, I probably understand the subjects as well (if not better) than he does - and he's the president. I understand that health care is important and something that we need to improve access to. I understand that we are, for better or worse, a society and we need to keep that in mind - that we are one society. I know this.
I wasn't really able to put a word to it until last night. I really think condescending fits.
> Aren't you concerned that some scientist will knock out those metabolic pathways?
Nope. Not even a little. Why? Because I kind of understand the science. I am not a geneticist but I've seen a whole lot of documentaries, read a whole bunch, and even read a study or two. With all this free information online (some needing piracy) it's unfortunate that more people don't take a few minutes to try something different.
I'll expand on that... This is not a "holier than thou" or "better than" intended post.
You've got the whole internet. I wasn't ever really big on television and in the 1980s they ruined my experience by moving to too many ads. By television, I mean normal television. I love me some documentaries. I don't mean that pawn show stuff but real, deep, documentaries that are information dense. I don't really learn much from them - they're entertainment. But I do pick up a lot of generalities. It's not a scholarly pursuit.
The internet has been awesome for me. I've not really watched much television since the 1980s, as I said, but I have actually been consuming lots of media. There are a gazillion and three documentaries that folks have pirated and uploaded to streaming services. I pay for Hulu and Netflix but hardly ever watch 'em. Instead, I stream from YouTube with playlists.
Then, sometimes, I learn stuff by accident or things pique my interest. I'll then watch a bunch more things on that same subject (there are lectures, talks, TED talks, and things like that) and I'll even go find a few studies or learn more about a subject. That's when it becomes a quasi-scholarly pursuit.
I guess my point is, there's no reason to worry. Genetic modification doesn't work like that - at least not yet. In theory? Sure, it could happen. The chances of it happening and the resulting species being able to reproduce or live and expand are really small - vanishingly small. I won't say impossible but damned near it. You have all these resources available to you and, if you're interested, you need only craft a few search queries and be on your way - and able to refine those terms so that you get better results.
I don't know the specific odds of that happening but, even if they tried, they're very low. Accidentally? Well, quantum physics says that if you leave a box closed long enough that eventually you could end up opening it and finding a 100 carat diamond in there. (Or that's what Brian Cox claims.) I imagine the odds of your fear coming to pass and it actually being a problem are somewhere along the same order of magnitude.
Okay, so the odds aren't really that bad but the event you fear is really, really unlikely. And no, don't take it from me. You've got the greatest tool for finding information - in the palm of your hand. Go look for yourself.
Did they even actually release the documents? I looked last night and couldn't find the documents themselves. I'm not sure it's a double standard if, you know, they didn't actually release 'em? However, they might have released them by now.
I was kind of slacking so I missed something. It's like those people who say, "If I was there, I'd have done something." No, they'd have pissed themselves while whimpering in the corner. Talk is cheap. I'm not sure why they'd think that anyone would believe them. Tough guys don't go around telling people how tough they are. They don't need to.
I think I finally came up with a word, a single word, to describe Obama - and it's consistent throughout his nationally public career.
"Condescending."
I've been alive since 1957. He's the most condescending president I've ever seen. Sadly, I don't think most people have noticed it and I wasn't really able to put a word to it until just a few seconds ago when I was reading your post. I can think of lots of words but that one seems to sum it up nicely - at least for me.
I cheated and RTFA. Well, skimmed it. That's as close as I ever get.
Anyhow, I'm almost positive that submitting any proposal for this is going to get the submitter placed on a whole host of watch lists. Not because they belong there but because that's the way the government rolls.
Somewhere in that pile of logical and well-reasoned text, albeit not tacitly articulated, you're expecting people to be educated, alert, and accepting of personal responsibility or accountability?
I've learned a few things in my life - often by observation but I also have a penchant for learning the history of a variety of subjects.
There are a few things that are near certainties:
If you screw with the wealthy and powerful, it doesn't often turn out well. Revolutions *never* result in the utopia the revolutionaries wanted - it's temporary, at best. There will be violence, it is as inevitable as entropy. The pendulum swings both ways - at either extreme it's often really bad. There are a lot of pendulums. An idealist, given control, is an absolute path to problems. Humans are not rational actors, they are rationalizing actors. Greed and stupidity seem to be in infinite supply. Rose-colored glasses do nobody any good - ever. Humans tend to make things needlessly complicated or more complex than they already were. If there is a god, he's an asshole.
I could go on. The list certainly goes on. Those are, I think, among the more important things I've noticed but they're not exclusive nor are they listed in any particular order. Humans suck, I'm glad I'm not one of them.
Slashdot Mirror
In my case, it goes the opposite way. I don't have Facebook and I ask my kids to not post pictures or anything about me online - in a way that's identifiable. They understand and (I think) are willing to do so. So long as it's not identifiable to random strangers, I don't care. I've been doxxed and quasi-stalked before and the kids experienced that so they're also rather wary. It's not been a problem but it is a discussion that we've had.
I'll speculate that the subject is malaria and DDT.
An interesting aside, and very related, is the additional studies that have since been done on DDT that show the first study done was actually based on faked data and the WHO has since started to re-introduce DDT to control mosquito populations.
Where DDT does have a potential problem is that it stays resident in the soil for quite some time. DDT should not be used for agricultural purposes and the WHO makes no provisions for that but they do now allow/suggest/accept the use for controlling malaria outbreaks. Malaria has killed millions and the study that resulted in that lady's book was based on faked data. Not cool.
Correlation is not causation.
And I think you're unable to see things from another perspective. We can all play the "I Think Game."
But, what would I know? I retired at 50, 49 if you want to be technical, and think life is excellent. In fact, my problem is that I've *done* everything I've ever wanted to do. I've accomplished all my goals, I've been everywhere I wanted to go, and I've learned everything I needed to learn to accomplish those goals. These days, I mostly just keep learning and doing different things as a way to enjoy myself but I don't really need to.
On my death-bed, I'll be content.
Life can be pretty boring but I'm never really bored. Not really... I might be bored with one activity but I have plenty of other things to do. Every minute of my waking life is spent doing something even though that something may appear boring to others.
You have some very strange math if 40 hours per week is the majority of your waking time - or you are narcoleptic.
I've noticed the replies you got and I feel compelled to say something - I'm not sure what. Strange... Very strange.
The term "flat organization" is fairly new (in popularity) but the concept isn't that old. If it's any good then you're not seeing the heads of your company because they're way too busy to get down there. I often put in 12 to 20 hour days, not because we didn't have enough people (we didn't, at first) but because there was always something to do, something to learn, and something to fix.
If it matters, the time spent down 'in the trenches' was the happiest time and I did what I did because I enjoyed doing it. At some point, I no longer was 'in the trenches' because the reality is that the people I'd hired were really damned good at their job. At the time, there was no limit to the amount of work available so we were in the process of expanding from day one, for the most part. There was always something to do and as much as I'd have liked to be doing the same work, there were more productive things for me to do.
You mentioned that the company is small. Maybe they're in a similar place and that's why you don't see your big bosses. *IF* that's the case then that's not always a bad thing nor does it mean you're unappreciated or being taken advantage of.
I had no issues getting it installed. Configuration was point and click, it's pretty simple and supports portable use as well as installation. 'Tis pretty simple, really. Give it a shot, if you're interested.
qTox.
https://tox.chat/clients.html
I do use a Windows phone, by the way. A /.er recommended it so I tried it and I'm pretty happy. I don't use Windows on my computer but I kind of like it on my phone. Contrary to popular opinion - there are apps available. There just aren't a few hundred thousand repeats of the same apps. I do everything that I can possibly want to do on my phone. I'm pretty happy with it and it's really quite snappy even though it's not as powerful as some of the other phones that I've owned.
At any rate, there are a bunch of clients for Tox. There is not one for Windows phone. It's end-to-end encrypted, it's decentralized, it's basically all the features that one probably wants such as video, groups, conference, text, voice (of course), and all that stuff. It's not bad. I've played with it a few times. It's not resource intensive even though it's encrypted. I dare say it's pretty good, actually. I'm not sure that I really need a chat client or anything but it's installed and I've used it a few times. It's still (seemingly) a worthy project.
Here are the FAQs:
https://tox.chat/faq.html
I am not associated in any way with the project unless one counts donating to the project.
I tried to like him when he was first getting popular. I'm definitely not a Republican, to put it into perspective. I'm not a Democrat either. I am pretty left in practice or preference except I like to express it as; I'm hold the political views I hold because of logic and reason and not emotions or morality.
So, I tried to like Obama. I've agreed with some of what he's said - but I don't need to be spoken down to, I don't need the patronizing, I probably understand the subjects as well (if not better) than he does - and he's the president. I understand that health care is important and something that we need to improve access to. I understand that we are, for better or worse, a society and we need to keep that in mind - that we are one society. I know this.
I wasn't really able to put a word to it until last night. I really think condescending fits.
> Aren't you concerned that some scientist will knock out those metabolic pathways?
Nope. Not even a little. Why? Because I kind of understand the science. I am not a geneticist but I've seen a whole lot of documentaries, read a whole bunch, and even read a study or two. With all this free information online (some needing piracy) it's unfortunate that more people don't take a few minutes to try something different.
I'll expand on that... This is not a "holier than thou" or "better than" intended post.
You've got the whole internet. I wasn't ever really big on television and in the 1980s they ruined my experience by moving to too many ads. By television, I mean normal television. I love me some documentaries. I don't mean that pawn show stuff but real, deep, documentaries that are information dense. I don't really learn much from them - they're entertainment. But I do pick up a lot of generalities. It's not a scholarly pursuit.
The internet has been awesome for me. I've not really watched much television since the 1980s, as I said, but I have actually been consuming lots of media. There are a gazillion and three documentaries that folks have pirated and uploaded to streaming services. I pay for Hulu and Netflix but hardly ever watch 'em. Instead, I stream from YouTube with playlists.
Then, sometimes, I learn stuff by accident or things pique my interest. I'll then watch a bunch more things on that same subject (there are lectures, talks, TED talks, and things like that) and I'll even go find a few studies or learn more about a subject. That's when it becomes a quasi-scholarly pursuit.
I guess my point is, there's no reason to worry. Genetic modification doesn't work like that - at least not yet. In theory? Sure, it could happen. The chances of it happening and the resulting species being able to reproduce or live and expand are really small - vanishingly small. I won't say impossible but damned near it. You have all these resources available to you and, if you're interested, you need only craft a few search queries and be on your way - and able to refine those terms so that you get better results.
I don't know the specific odds of that happening but, even if they tried, they're very low. Accidentally? Well, quantum physics says that if you leave a box closed long enough that eventually you could end up opening it and finding a 100 carat diamond in there. (Or that's what Brian Cox claims.) I imagine the odds of your fear coming to pass and it actually being a problem are somewhere along the same order of magnitude.
Okay, so the odds aren't really that bad but the event you fear is really, really unlikely. And no, don't take it from me. You've got the greatest tool for finding information - in the palm of your hand. Go look for yourself.
The USMC totals only 200,000 in number.
That would be hilarious! Maybe it's a list of Catholic priests.
Did they even actually release the documents? I looked last night and couldn't find the documents themselves. I'm not sure it's a double standard if, you know, they didn't actually release 'em? However, they might have released them by now.
I was kind of slacking so I missed something. It's like those people who say, "If I was there, I'd have done something." No, they'd have pissed themselves while whimpering in the corner. Talk is cheap. I'm not sure why they'd think that anyone would believe them. Tough guys don't go around telling people how tough they are. They don't need to.
You're the third pretend tough guy I saw yesterday on Slashdot. You guys having a convention or something?
I think I finally came up with a word, a single word, to describe Obama - and it's consistent throughout his nationally public career.
"Condescending."
I've been alive since 1957. He's the most condescending president I've ever seen. Sadly, I don't think most people have noticed it and I wasn't really able to put a word to it until just a few seconds ago when I was reading your post. I can think of lots of words but that one seems to sum it up nicely - at least for me.
Does it do more than qTox?
Also, I'm pretty sure qTox has been doing this sort of thing (end-to-end encryption) for quite a while unless I'm missing something.
If anyone is unfamiliar with it, you can read about it here.
Your reference is not lost on me. That was actually a good show though I can't say that the movie was as good as I'd hoped.
Caltrops. 1d4 (x2 if not slowing down) damage and slowing down incurs a movement penalty.
I cheated and RTFA. Well, skimmed it. That's as close as I ever get.
Anyhow, I'm almost positive that submitting any proposal for this is going to get the submitter placed on a whole host of watch lists. Not because they belong there but because that's the way the government rolls.
As your moniker indicates you're an American, I can see why you'd express such bravado seeing as this is a half world away.
I've seen your picture. I didn't laugh...
I kid, I kid...
Wait, what?
Somewhere in that pile of logical and well-reasoned text, albeit not tacitly articulated, you're expecting people to be educated, alert, and accepting of personal responsibility or accountability?
That's no way to get elected.
I've learned a few things in my life - often by observation but I also have a penchant for learning the history of a variety of subjects.
There are a few things that are near certainties:
If you screw with the wealthy and powerful, it doesn't often turn out well.
Revolutions *never* result in the utopia the revolutionaries wanted - it's temporary, at best.
There will be violence, it is as inevitable as entropy.
The pendulum swings both ways - at either extreme it's often really bad.
There are a lot of pendulums.
An idealist, given control, is an absolute path to problems.
Humans are not rational actors, they are rationalizing actors.
Greed and stupidity seem to be in infinite supply.
Rose-colored glasses do nobody any good - ever.
Humans tend to make things needlessly complicated or more complex than they already were.
If there is a god, he's an asshole.
I could go on. The list certainly goes on. Those are, I think, among the more important things I've noticed but they're not exclusive nor are they listed in any particular order. Humans suck, I'm glad I'm not one of them.