I describe things only as they are. In war, there is no honor - thus no contempt for the drone pilots. Your job is not to die for your country but to make the other son of a bitch die for his. The idea of honor (so quaintly also included in the Geneva Convention) is gone in war. Chivalry died its final death (even if it ever was there) in WWI.
That does not mean that some acts are not honorable and some acts are not deserving of contempt. It's not cowardice to not want to give up your life if it can be trivially prevented. Are we cowards for having everyone charge, woman and children, on the hill with rocks when we have rifles?
I guess we could say it's cowardly but I'm not sure I agree. Where does that line get drawn? Is it static? How far down the rabbit hole do you want to go? Are you a coward for flying higher than FLAC or an ARM? Are you a coward for shooting from a distance? Are you a coward for wearing clothing? How mano y mano do you need to go, needlessly, before it's not cowardice?
I'd say it's smart to hang out in the drone cave instead of wanting to needlessly risk additional lives. I'd not call them heroic for doing so but I'd not call them cowards either. If there's no need to risk a life of your own, why do it? What the hell? That's not even a good moral code. If you can do the same task with fewer lives of your own side lost then, by all means, do it. You don't needlessly risk lives just out of some sense of chivalry.
You'll probably be fine. Just don't let the crazies get to you. There are a lot of crazies and we're probably all a little crazy in our own way. There is, literally, nothing you can do to make everyone happy - and some subset will be vocal about it.
You will be judged harshly. Your every move and statement are being judged and there's a whole lot of expectations and hope. You do seem to be VERY aware that we're a community and that, in and of itself, is a good thing. We're not an audience and you seem to know this. We are, literally, what makes this site - for better or worse.
From what you've said, I think good things *can* happen. You seem to be aware that you're a steward and not an owner. You don't emphasis this, it's just in the tone of your posts. It's an essential difference and may really be significant. Of course, we got a whole bunch of lip service before... However, you appear to be a bit smarter and, well, we didn't really "fit" as a Dice Holding Incorporated Property.
For the record, there are probably people here who absolutely dislike you, on principle, because the site is now owned by a corporation. Oh, they don't actually know what a corporation is but they've been told that they're bad. They don't know that there are even non-profit corporations - and will deny them even if you link to them and show them.
With that *sort* of thing in mind, I truly wish you the best of luck and do not envy your tasks. I did think about tendering a semi-serious offer and then putting into something community driven as a held asset and then setting up a charter that created a community owned/operated board. Alas, I don't feel like undertaking that much work. I'm retired for a reason. I'm inherently lazy. So, no, I do not envy your tasks at all. Not even an iota.
That said, if you can think of something that needs doing and there's a need for assistance - and I can help... Well, the offer's there. No, I'd charge neither money nor power - or even recognition. I might be inherently lazy but I know where I get most of my amusement and know that sometimes you have to work for your hobbies or fun. Thus, I'm obligated to offer and actually act on that offer.
I do have a whole ton of ideas, often just little things, but I suspect you'll be inundated with ideas and I'd not want to overwhelm anyone and my ego is not so frail that I must be heard first and loud.
By the way, you passed the test just fine. If you didn't smile when reading my post (even if it was just to mock me) then you'd probably not fit in. If you took offense, you'd definitely not fit in. If you took offensive action, well... You can see where this is going and I've already taken enough of your time.
This does not alter your statement/conclusion one bit but it is salient, so I'll add it. It's probably not the value, it is probably that they've been a fugitive from justice for eight years.
However, it's hard telling. They have some Finn lady who committed fraud twice but it was some sort of fraud that was potentially gonna impact the EU. I have no idea what that means or how one gets that charge. Well, I have a couple of ideas about the charge but I haven't looked it up or anything. Some of these charges seem rather minimal. I guess they might be "the most wanted" but they're probably not necessarily "the most dangerous."
It not only doesn't mean that you can't be snarky about it - it means you should. So far, I like the new group of masters. It's probably best that we break them in properly. I, um... I left the guy a few comments in replies to his comments in the thread about the sale. I even left a reply indicating that we'd be needing a picture of them naked and covered in chicken fried steak batter if they wanted any success. I mean, it's the only way...
So, you have an obligation to be snarky. It's your/our duty. You don't go "putting on airs" for guests.
I know you can set the defaults on some OSes. Maybe it's possible to have a page display according to the user's defaults so that we don't need to worry about localized conventions? Note: That is a question, not a presumption or anything like that.
€12k, you mean? Umm... It's really not the fault of Unicode. You might say it is the fault of/. but, really, this system has been in place (and the same) for years.
Do you use U+1235 to insert it? Don't. Use keyboard layouts. Do not use the modifier key thing from Apple either - it has never worked. This system has been this way for a very, very long time.
Your name (and post) indicate that you might be from the UK. Use a UK keyboard with the UK keyboard layout and it should work? I just use US International (with a few silly other names behind it like ALT GR W/ DEAD KEYS ENGINEER OMG WTF BBQ - I don't even know what they all mean) Layout as the default so that I can insert the £ as needed on Slashdot.
Yup. I do it just for Slashdot. Not that it's special or anything. It's just that Slashdot is the place I type the most and try to be reasonably accurate because it is the home of pedants and people with mental health issues. Which is a long way to explain that I simply figured out how it worked so that I'd make fewer mistakes. It has been this way for years and is the reason I use the layout.
It's funny that you try to point to flaws in my argument but, obviously, never actually took a debate class or participated on a debate team. Here we go...
Perhaps you do not understand the concept but trust is lost when you violate the rules you agreed on. Trust is lost for the police (more on that in a minute). There's no question about this. To touch on a latter statement you made - it doesn't even need to be a majority-agreed on opinion. In fact, we've worked to protect ourselves from the tyranny of the majority. There's a reason, and a good one, that the majority view is unimportant.
Let's continue, shall we? They, are a group. There are individual members of this group. They are not being considered, I am referencing the whole group. The individual, in this case, is irrelevant. I didn't even say that all I saw were bad cops. If you were familiar with my posting history, you'd know I support the cops and like the cops. I just don't support all cops and like all cops - I don't like those that break the law. Irrelevant, I am referencing the group as it would be highly impractical to judge each one.
If you're going to point to flaws, find flaws. Those are not flaws, those are you failing to understand the concept. Shall we continue? I think we shall...
Your disagreement is also irrelevant. It's a founding principle of our country and legal system. Disagreeing means more to a new country, not change this one because you're a coward.
No, I would not like to compromise. Why pay when we can just let people do it because they find it interesting? Why pay a third party? If we have to pay a third party to monitor the police communications, there's a serious problem with that.
It's safe to conclude that you and I are not going to agree on this matter. I'd further speculate that you're actually incapable, or unwilling, to be honest. I think we're done here.
Hmm... It could simply be a UI issue or it could be that they've not thought to make the information public? I have no idea but I do have a surprise for you.
I still get mod points but not as often anymore. I've not changed much of anything so I'm assuming that it's intended, over time, to stop giving moderation points to people who do not use them. Yup... I haven't spent a moderation point in a lot of years. It just felt wrong. I didn't like doing it. So, I don't mod and the system seems to have figured that out. I'm kind of surprised.
Maybe we can call them moderating cowards? I can get behind that. No, seriously, I haven't moderated a soul in years now.
In the example you listed, I'm inclined to believe the cents before believing it is thousands. Well, except I'm familiar with the European numbering conventions. Anyhow, I mean, who would pay over 12.5k EUR for a doughnut hot-dog?
Let me first state that I know nothing of this case. I kind of remember reading something about it a few times but I did not keep up with it.
That said, there's big difference between a civil and criminal matter. A conviction in the former does not mean a conviction in the latter. You are not a criminal if you're found guilty in civil court. You're a criminal when you're found guilty in a criminal proceeding.
The burden of proof for a conviction in a civil matter is only that the defendant, more likely than not, committed the alleged offense. The burden of proof for a criminal matter is that the person was proven, beyond reasonable doubt, to have committed the alleged offense.
This person may be a scumbag, a dick, and even an unlawful actor. Unless there's something that I have missed, this person is not actually a criminal.
It should be also noted that I'm not suggesting that this person belonged on the board - but I don't donate to the foundation at all or even use any of their sites on a regular basis. I don't really have a strong opinion except to say that this person seems to have worked for a company who was later convicted of a civil offense. As near as I can tell, this person was never charged with a criminal or civil crime.
To be clear, this person isn't convicted of anything (as far as I know). Not even at a civil level are they convicted.
While I'd still not want them seated on the board - if I gave a shit, that is, I'm kind of partial until that innocent until proven guilty thing. I know, it's quaint and antiquated and outdated but I think we should keep the idea around for a keepsake, if nothing else. Unless I'm missing something, this person hasn't ever been convicted of anything. Ever. They've never even been charged with anything.
They probably should not be on the board. They are not convicted of anything and haven't even been tried for anything. If they had been (and they were not) convicted of a civil offense, they'd still not be criminals really. They'd just be scumbags. This has not only never happened (again, unless I'm missing something) they've never even been charged in a civil matter, never mind that they've also never been charged in a criminal matter.
Unless you want to go with that being guilty until proven innocent thing then you might want to rethink your views. It's a rather important legal concept that guilt must be proven (to some level of proof) but I can understand why it is unappealing to some.
I don't think I've ever, once, called someone a bootlicker. I'm kind of loathe to do so now.
However... No, not you OBVIOUSLY... I think the term might actually be appropriate for the person you're responding to. I really don't think I've ever even considered calling someone an authoritarian bootlicker.
Yes, those might seem like valid concerns and I actually know people who monitor police radio while they violate the law - just to keep tabs on the police.
Your first question, do I think it might help? Absolutely, I'm am quite reasonable. It'd probably help to keep that information secret. There's no doubt about it - the police are more likely to have success if they have the tools available to prevent people from listening to their communications.
So? No... I'm not kidding. So what? The police could do their jobs better if they could operate completely in secret. How far down the rabbit hole do you want to go?
Just like I accept that criminals may do bad things with firearms, I also accept that criminals may do bad things by overhearing the police. I'm okay with that - in the name of liberty. Freedom carries inherent risks. You can be even more secure if the government monitors your movement. The government will catch more criminals if they monitor our movement. Surely, that can't be a bad thing - everyone likes catching criminals and you wouldn't want to be supporting the armed robbery suspects.
Yet, at some point, we need to accept that criminals might do bad things. Currently, the police have the right to (try to) secure their communications. As a general rule, I'm not really thinking that's the best solution EVEN if it means that their job is more difficult AND that some harm may come to otherwise innocent people. It's risky to be free. Someone might poke an eye out!
I am not saying that the police can't encrypt their communications and use methods to make monitoring difficult, expensive, or impossible. I am saying that we might not actually want them to have that power. Yes, I know what that means. Yes, I'm aware that bad people might do bad things. I'm also aware that the police might do bad things and that monitoring them might have a greater value than allowing them to speak privately.
Don't forget, they exist because we hire them to do a job. They're just people who may or may not be doing bad things. They're our employees. It might be in our best interests to observe them, they have a whole lot of capacity to harm, and to think about the powers we wish to cede to them. Like any tool, it can be used for harm or good.
Right now, there's no trust that the police are doing good. They've clearly violated that trust, many times over, and have done so in galling and more egregious ways. They currently have that capacity. I'm not entirely sure that they can be trusted with it. An armed robber can shoot you and kill you. A police officer can shoot you, kill you, brag about it to his friends, and get away with it.
Not only do we need to accept that bad people might do bad things but we also need to accept that they sometimes might get away with it. We also need to remember that it is better that ten guilty men go free than for one innocent man to spend even a minute in jail. I am not saying they don't have this power. I am saying that we might want to have a discussion about them being allowed to have this power.
Sorry for the delayed response. I had issues. That said, I hate Android. No, I really hate it. I've not even had good interactions with it on high end tablets. I hate it so much that I have purchased a Windows phone.
It should be noted that I have not tried ChromeOS and I've never, ever, had Android that didn't rely on an OEM. That may be why I dislike it but, regardless, every interaction that I have had has been poor. I could go out of my way to try new things or, alternatively, I can go where I know I'll be happy enough. That means that, for better or worse, I'll probably end up trying to get/keep Linux on it - and not the bastard-child that is Android. I don't mind BSD. I actually like BSD but there are a couple of pieces of software that I use that keep me from migrating. Yes, they're trivial seeming and there are alternatives but I have my preferences for a reason.
That said, it's amusing that you mention the networking aspect. I am, right now, connected to my computer in Maine (via my laptop here in Florida) and posting this message from that desktop. I offload as much as I can and use virtual machines frequently. Why do I like Linux (or BSD) so much? Well, I've a pretty frail (but redundant and with options built-in) connection to my home computer. It probably shouldn't even be still working. It probably shouldn't have worked at all. Yet, I've been on wanderlust since September and here I am - with no degradation in service. Hell, I've even made some upgrades and improvements.
Arch would be viable. BSD is not actually my preference but I can live with it. From what I read, some form of Lubuntu is supposed to work and that's ideal. By pure happenstance, that's absolutely ideal - or could be. How much of the repo is going to be pre-compiled and how much will I have to sort out on my own.
I do have to wonder - is it worth my time to find a way (I've got a few bucks really, more than I will need if we gotta be honest about it) to get some hardware to someone who will compile for this? It looks like some is going to be done already but I have no idea how much and what that will look like in the end. It may seem crazy but I'd happily buy 'em some hardware to keep a current compiled state for the entirety of the repo or, at least, everything in there that is necessary AND the Lubuntu-specific software. It may seem crazy but I'd buy 'em a pretty decent rig for it. I am, technically and mistakenly, on the Lubuntu dev team and mailing list. No, I have no idea why they let me on the dev team and I actually thought I was applying for something else. I guess I could ask there. I'd seriously (I know it will help more than me) throw them some money to build something nice and cross-compile for it. I have no qualms about chucking them enough cash to buy a box with a bunch of cores and enough RAM to be meaningful.
I think I'll fire off an email over the weekend and see where that goes. Someone on the dev team is both bound to know and to know how I can help. While I do have some time, I'm not certain enough of my own skills to do much more than close my eyes and throw money at it until the problem goes away. It's not always a solution but I've had some luck with it in the past. Even a fairly decent server is not a whole lot of money these days but a really nice workstation should be adequate? They can cross-compile this all. One of the nice beefy AMDs and 64 GB of RAM should be enough, no? It has been a long time but I used to compile C on a lot less than that and it was a rather large lot of code. Depending on what was being built, it might have even taken a long time but it's not like it had to be monitored the whole time.
I'm pretty sure it would help more than just me. Yeah, I'll ask 'em in the dev mailing list tomorrow and see where it goes from there. I may end up not using it but, if nothing else, it's sure to help a bunch of people. If I've got a financial investment, I'm more likely to actually get off my ass and do some more learning. That's an added benefit.
How amusing and so very similar. One of the benefits of having accumulated a few dollars means that I have also accumulated some assets. I, too, keep them clearly labeled and have a whole bunch of storage for such. I could, without a doubt, put a hundred computers (of varied vintage) together just from parts at my home in Maine. That is not an exaggeration.
I will warn you now, this is a long reply. I actually am adding this after hitting preview. Unlike many of my posts, I can't point to anything that you might not find interesting. I'm not certain but I try to be understanding. Ideally, you will find it interesting. I've read enough of your posts and interacted with you enough so I might be an accurate judge of character. You are, as always, free to read or not and to reply at will. I always enjoy our interactions.
Then there are tools... I not only have an automotive garage but it is also a shop. I have my own hydraulic lift and boxes and boxes of tools. I do not always use them myself. I hire someone who comes in, every Saturday - even when I am not home he is working tomorrow in Maine while I am in Florida - to work on my collection. I have had this system in place for about eight years now and I appreciate the service.
Err... It gets worse. I have a whole woodworking shop. In fact, it's the other half of that garage. To give an indicator of size, the garage is a six bay garage with full size space allotments for each bay. That too is kept neat and labeled. Tools can be borrowed, I'm generous like that. They need to be cleaned, maintained, and put back in the exact same place (including having handles facing the same direction) as you found them. That is not optional. Loss of access is certain if that is not adhered to.
Then I have my house... You can drive in my basement. No, really. There's a garage door and you can drive in my basement. I'd rather you not, it's pretty full. Someone proudly posted that they have a 100' x 200' piece of property. That's smaller than my house. My girlfriend was picked up in my recent travels. She's never been to my home in Maine. She has seen the live video feed, will see the place this spring, and has seen pictures. I have a big house because I like space. There's a whole room, in the basement, dedicated solely to power. It has the battery banks, handles the switching, and collects the feeds from the mains, solar, wind, and backup generator. Believe it or not, the mains is my backup. I designed and drew my home, it's very efficient and intentionally so. It's not out of some urge to be green, that's a nice benefit, it's because I'm lazy and I like my creature comforts.
Then there's another house on the property. That was/is a farmhouse from the 1840s. I was going to tear it down but I decided to have it rehabbed and part of it are used for storage. It's your traditional New England farmhouse with the various add-ons, attached summer-kitchen (probably not functional or in place for 100 years or more), traditional styled stable and carriage house. None of that has been in place for a lot of years - studying the changes has been a lot of fun and a mystery. The deconstruction phase of rehabilitation was very neat. I didn't just pay to have it done, I both helped and observed. I was active in all phases.
I call that the guest house but it is really just the house that was here. It has five bedrooms, basement, attic, attached barn, with two levels, and an attached barn to that. The barn has racks, similar to those that you referenced, for storage in much of it. Some of it is quite valuable but it is all labeled, for the most part, and organized.
Then I have a new "barn" that is designed to look like a barn but is really just storage for automobiles. It houses a lot of automobiles but does not, in fact, have room for, what is now officially, all 33 of them. There is an upper level, that has a whole bunch of storage, shelves, and is also full of labeled storage boxes. They are mostly automobile parts/memorabilia. They are all in mostly uniform box
You are more than welcome. I may not know the most but I know a little. I learn a lot here so it is a part of the contract that I share what I have learned with others.
You're very right, it is not ideal. Would that I could, I'd snap my fingers and make the world a very different place. I can not. I must live within the confines of society and do my best with those rules while advocating change. In short, I do what I can to ensure that this moment is better than the last - and, ideally, not just for myself.
I could write a novella and go off on speculating about some of the societal ills and ways to remedy that. I do not, or I try not to, wear rose-tinted glasses but some things were both different and better in the past. It may also have to do with whom I was exposed to, that limited subset of people, and what I witnessed. So, I'll forgo the long post and simply be grateful for your appreciation.
You are, literally, more than welcome and I will attempt to do that appreciation proper justice by working to ensure that I take the time, make the effort, to compose posts with a similar value in the future.
Also, we're going to need a picture of you, you personally. It must be naked and you should be wearing nothing but batter for steak fried chicken. Oh, and party hat. The party hat is not optional, it is something you just have to do if you want to fit in here. Don't worry, we've all done it - you'll be a better person for it.
This part is optional, but is preferred. It would be ideal if you could pose for that picture in a setting that is interesting. Most of us really like pictures from inside police parking lots. So, if you could get that picture from inside a police parking lot - you'd not have to worry about longevity of your account. You would be, I assure you, an immediate legend.
I guess, if you really want to fit in, then you could try doing us all a huge favor and riding a flaming motorcycle (this is why the party hat is essential, you might live in an area with helmet laws and we'd not want you to be hurt) on your way to take this picture? It might be a bit too much to ask and I'd hate to be presumptuous but if you can get the whole thing on video then we'd be so much more likely to accept you as one of us.
You do want to be one of us, right? I mean, come on, everybody wants to be accepted. Myself? Oh, it was slightly worse in my day. In my day, we had to do all of the above but we had to use hot grits. Let me tell you, that'll leave a mark! Everyone was so happy when I showed up at the parking lot to take the picture that they immediately threw a party for me.
(You might not want to talk to us. Oh, it looks like a good idea on paper, as so many things do, but the reality is just a wee bit different but we do appreciate the effort you're making. I also figure that you need to be broken in properly. They don't call me Mr. Lubricator for nothing. Wait, it might have been Mr. Lucubrater... No, it definitely wasn't that last one... Ah well... But they called me something, damn it! Legend? Legendary? Oh, wait, I remember - they called "Asshole" and I told them that they were mistaken. It's "Mr. Asshole." Thank you very much!)
(I did mention, in a prior post, that you'll adjust.)
(I think I mentioned verbosity, as well.)
(Oh, if you take any of the above either personal or wrong - you will not do well here. There's either a madness to my method or a method to my madness. It's a matter of perspective, I guess.)
(Oh, they tell me that I'm sane. They also tell me that that's not how you use a stethoscope, that'll be $50, and get the hell out of my office. I seem to recall a little something about office supplies and being called a monster - also something about that not actually being humanly possible? I was dreadfully drunk at the time.)
(If you have not smiled, at least once while reading this, means that I have failed at my task. In all seriousness, welcome.)
(And if you've not yet run away screaming, you'll be fine. However, please be aware that this is a test. It might be a test of the Emergency Broadcast System but it is still a test.)
Oh, don't let him scare you. We're all spammers and nutjubs here. Lest you think I jest, I'd suggest a click on my posting history.;-) No, I am not really a spammer. I am rather verbose, however. I've written novels and novels worth of content for this site over the years. Most of it was both true and not trolling! I'm not even (by most folk's standards) a nutjob. I just figured I'd get your attention.
Something to consider... I have excellent karma. No, I do not know why this is exactly true. I do know that it means that the community has, for better or worse, decided that my comments are valuable to them.
That being assumed to be true, as is evidenced by that karma rating that I've actually had for years, means that the more I post, the more community-valued content is generated, which results in more page hits, which results in more revenue.
That is all well and good, and I ask for nothing in return, but I'd wonder why I'm limited to 50 posts per day. That rule, arbitrary as it is - and allows no greater status, means that, by definition, you're (it is now you) intentionally limiting your revenue potential. There is, quite literally, not one change I can make to give you more community-valued content. Oh, I would... I'd happily write even more posts, as is evidenced by how often I bounce off the threshold.
There was a time, albeit long ago, when this policy made sense. Now, theoretically at least, you'd want to maximize profit potential and the easiest way to do that would be by having the greatest assets you can have. Again, for better or worse, the community has decided my posts are an asset - as is evidenced by that karma rating.
There are not many of us, less than a dozen in my observations (and I can assure you, I've made a lot of observations) who have this problem. It might seem insignificant to you but you're probably not aware of just how productive we have been and how productive we could be. We have been making contributions for years - valued and numerous contributions. Limiting us, those with high (maximum) karma, to an arbitrarily low number of posts AND allowing us to go no further is akin to shooting yourself in the foot.
As for the karmic record, I've had the maximum karma rating for years and years. I can not go any higher. I would. Oh, I'd happily do so on some days and as time allows. I don't think that's a good choice but it is your choice to make. So, there's that.
Finally, welcome and I wish you the best of luck. I will do what I can to aid in your success and transition. My email is public and I am even known to some Slashdotters in the physical world. I'm "that guy that writes novellas." I actually have conversations with people, learn things, and teach things. I am not unique, I'm just verbose because I'm not as articulate as I could be. Err... You'll adjust.
I seem to recollect that you and I have had that exact conversation - up to and including the idea of fluid dynamic modeling. I have, alas, still not allowed myself to search for her and I still don't know what she looks like. If I have seen an image of her, I do not know it. No, I will not click any links provided after this - I kind of enjoy being able to say that I don't know what she looks like. I don't even really know who she is, where she came from, or what she does. I do hear about her. I know she exists (and might be a snookie or something similar - I'm not actually sure what one of those is).
I presume she is famous and I presume that's due to television or music (or both). Given the number of references to her ass, I'm inclined to look but I just can't bring myself to do so. I will remain curious but not curious enough to look. I have no idea if it's a nice pooper. I have no idea if it is large or how large it is. I don't know her hair color, race, or face. I do know her name. I kind of value this ignorance. I value it enough to not satisfy my curiosity. I also value it enough to not actually work on this project - as tempting as it is.
I believe we can get the measurements by using some photographs. We simply need to know the dimensions of something else in the photograph. A standard door's height is 6' 8" (IIRC) and that's for an internal and residential door. Assuming someone can find that in a photograph they can work out the dimensions of there. We'll need some elasticity numbers and some mass numbers. I believe that we can get the former from using scaled video and using presumptive modeling techniques. I'd look into that.
So, if we can get some elasticity and dimension information, we can probably make an adequate prediction of mass. Given that she should have a known center of gravity, if we can find some images of her where we can see the angle of her legs and feet positioning (while she's otherwise balanced) we can make even more refined estimates about mass - probably as good as we could get even if allowed physical access (unless they'll allow for dissection but I am assuming that is illegal).
Now, with those numbers, we can actually figure out surface tension, create the model, and then do some reasonable number crunching and get some meaningful data. You, for instance, want to know about seismic activity. We can now find depth of the crack and tendencies for motion retention based on the data and models. How far down the rabbit hole do you want to go? We can probably use a variety of images and get even more data. For instance, does she have a camel toe image? We could then make some measurements, and we'll have to use averages as I'm assumed we're disallowed volumetric data, but we could probably find out the predicted amount of seismic activity for a known quantity and release of gas. We can then model, predict, and reasonably authoritatively state "how much her ass shakes when she queefs."
This can be done... I'm just not going to render any material assistance to this project. I can, if abstracted enough, help you with some math. That's as far as I go but the above should be an adequate methodology. It will likely not be 100% perfect but adequate for our needs and enough to show predictive qualities and thus author a paper and, so long as we include a method to test the predictions, we will even be reasonably scientific in our method. We could further show that we can predict (and measure - if allowed) how much rebounding motion is the expected output for a given amount of force. So, how well can she "shake that ass?" How "jiggly" is it when smacked?
Again, I guess I can help with some of the math but I've not actually done any fluid dynamic modeling (in specific) but I could pick it up pretty quickly. There are scientific tools already out there in the community. I've stumbled across a few in my travels - albeit for very different reasons.
Which leads me to this: Oh sure, we can get a paper out of this and the novelty will probably aid in getting
I don't think Slashdot will ever shutter its doors. It will never be closed down. It will never be allowed to go idle. Also, I should warn you that this is going to be long. However, in my defense, I not only have a point but I also have something more specific to share with you. I think that I'll wait until the end to do the latter.
Why? If they did that then we'd be unleashed on the rest of the web. I suspect they'll go so far as to create a coalition of sites that all join together to fund Slashdot for the sole purposes of making sure that we don't join their user forums and frequent their sites on a regular basis. The rest of the web doesn't want us.
Oh, we might be knowledgeable. We're probably TOO knowledgeable and a bit too diverse. We are, as a group, able to agree on any one thing. There are even people who do not use nobeta=1 in the URL.
Don't tell anyone, I'm one of those people - except I don't actually see Slashdot as intended. I block scripts (which also means no ads) and I also use GreaseMonkey. I use a really neat theme with Stylish too. So, yeah, I don't technically use beta but I believe I've read a handful of folks who profess to like it to the point of preference.
We can't agree on browser, operating systems, politics, business ethics, favorite companies, closed or open source, and have zealots in all directions. (If you don't notice the zealots, you might be one of them.) So, I don't know if they can ever really listen to the users. Even if they go with a simple majority, that's not even enough to keep happy the least vocal of proponents/opponents on any subject.
We don't universally hate Windows 10 - to the point of preference. I know of only one other person who professes to use the same OS that I use (I'm sort of mainstream.) Very few people use the same browser I use. According to Panopticlick, I am pretty unique in my preferences - out of millions tested. Yet, I feel fairly moderate.
To use those two examples and to give my two examples, I use Lubuntu and I browse with Opera. One is an official Ubuntu flavor and the other is now derived from the Chromium base but has the privacy invading stuff stripped out, some new benefits, and access to both ecosystems worth of extensions. Both, I feel, logical choices. As an aside: They're appropriate for me. I am neither a proselytizer nor a zealot. Use what works for you and enables you to best accomplish your goals.
However, to continue with those examples, there's a vocal minority who will actually become abusive at the thought of someone not reaffirming their choices for browser or OS. They might even go so far as to repeatedly harass someone because of it. I am not a victim of this, I have just observed this - and not in the distant past but recently. They're vocal, logged in, and have aged accounts.
So, they can listen to us but which of us are they going to listen to? They can straight up make stuff up and then say that they listened to us because it's a near certainty that someone holds that same view and is vocal about their support. Someone surely holds an opposing view and is equally vocal about their disapproval.
Hmm... I'm on my second Slashdot account. Not only did I lose access to the email for the first one - I've since forgotten the username. It was a fairly random string of characters so that I could speak comfortably about the industry that I worked in without being harassed by folks who may wish to cause me a problem. I've literally been using Slashdot since before we actually had accounts. I don't recall but my other user was a four or five digit UUID.
Why is that important? Oh, it's not my being a braggart or the likes. It is to simply use as an appeal to authority - which may not be a fallacy if one is an authority. I feel safe opining that Slashdot has never been consistent, has always been diverse, and has always had a subset of users who are both zealous and vocal. This is true on almost every subject - all the way from your IDE and programming language, to the file for
Non-sequitur, assuming facts not in evidence, and citation needed! Well, I mean, really...;-)
Not that my reply negates your post or anything, it's just that I kind of felt obligated. Then again, I actually value good debate because I might learn something new and if I can't defend my views then I should not hold those views. I am not unique in that but it is a rare trait.
Alas, I used up a bunch of my post count last night, have people to reply to, and so I'll just post this as an AC. I'd leave you to guess who this is but, I am afraid, my writing style is a bit unique so I'm probably easy to pick out of a crowd. Try as I might, I seem unable to change it.
At least it's not one of my novellas. At any rate, this is Slashdot. Childish (and poor) debating is kind of what we do. I'm pretty sure my choice of OS and browser is better than yours and that you're a poopy head for not thinking the same thing. Unless, of course, you do think the same thing - in which case, I must change my choices! (And then pretend that's what I'd been using all along.)
Wait, no... It is one of my novellas! Damn it. Nah, it's not that long, really.
KGIII (AC 'cause Slashdot is a poopy head with poopy head, arbitrary, limits on post counts.)
Etc... (Those should all work.) I haven't learned where they all are in this layout. Euro is in there somewhere. You can also do stuff like "& l t;" (sans quotes and spaces) and get < and stuff like that.
I figured it out quite by accident and then someone mentioned the whitelist aspect not too long ago. I'd been doing it for years without realizing that it was something odd - until I spent time in Linux and tried to use the U+FOO method. So, at that point, I just went looking for, and found, the various international layouts. There are quite a few and you can probably find more. You can also probably edit and make your own. I just haven't bothered - it's easier to just learn a slightly revamped system as I need it than it is to bother making my own.
Also, I have no idea why more are not whitelisted. I understand the approach, I just don't know why they selected the set they did select. Micro and exponential values would be good. Not even the & sup3 ; method works.
I do not know the details, none of us do, but I think they have some sort of system for that in place with the meta moderation.
I had someone claim they were going to down moderate all of my posts. They did try but I tend to be a bit verbose. They were getting five points a day, every day. Then it was less frequently. Then it was three points every few days. Now they don't do it at all - I kind of feel bad for 'em 'Snot like I don't have karma to burn.
They'd always do the posts in a row and right after each other, I was actually able to watch the effects, in real time, more than once. It was all very ego-inflating. I'd never had a dedicated stalker before and having that much power over someone was nice.
Alas, they appear to have gone away. It was kind of fun, I honestly kind of miss the attention. Someone was giving me their most valuable asset (time) on a regular basis - and they, literally, did so pretty much at my command. (It's all in how you look at it.) I was able to control their behavior. Oh man, I was like a tyrant with that - I wasn't mean or anything, I spoke to them like I speak to you or to anyone else. I did, however, enjoy that I could make them give me their most valuable of possessions - pretty much on command.
So, they no longer get moderation points because they abused the points they had. It's kind of stupid because they could have easily hidden their effort a little. I say enough things that can be moderated as off-topic or the likes. They just went straight "troll" and did it for every post in a row - at about the same time each day.
I'm not reverse-trolling when I say (or said) that I enjoyed the power and attention. Not only that, it made me think about my posts a bit more and that can only be a good thing. (Alright, so I was mostly thinking about ways to get them to tell me how much they hated me but I was thinking about my posts, damn it.)
At any rate, they're somehow convinced I'm an ultraconservative, Republican, hateful, bigoted, - oh, and white. They seem to think I'm white. I am not. At least I am not very white, genetically. I'm kind of brown(ish), if you are curious, and I'm Amerindian more than anything else but there's some black African and white European in there to mix things up. I'm sure as hell not a conservative by any metric, I'm not Republican, I don't hate stupid people but I do dislike willfully ignorant people, and I'm so bigoted that I employed a mix of races, genders, sexualities, and creeds. I even paid them well and gave them good benefits and a stake in the company via bonuses. I just don't own said business because I sold it and retired.
So yes, I loved the power and attention. Now they do a random drive-by but I know they're attentive to my every word. They post as an AC, the verbiage is similar as is the syntax and punctuation. They have a real account (hi Metrix007!) and I don't really understand their motives because the things that I say are pretty easily verified as they're a matter of public information, at least they frequently are. It's not like I hide who I am - I just don't outright use my name (David) in every post. I not only know a number of Slashdotters in real life - I invited the entirety of Slashdot to my New Years Eve fireworks/festivities, posted pictures, and gave directions in public. Unfortunately, on a few could make it and only two of them could bring their families. I didn't plan it out very well.
Anyhow, there's some personal experiences and the fallout and causes. It's a bit verbose but I usually am. The meta moderation seems to have an impact on people's ability to moderate so that, with a little time, it corrects itself. I imagine they can pull from those metrics and see where the abuses are - and dig down as needed. uMatrix tells me that there are a few tracking scripts enabled and that at least one is fairly powerful - I'm familiar with it. Coupled with server logs and records, it should be easy to spot egregious abuses programmatically.
Slashdot Mirror
I describe things only as they are. In war, there is no honor - thus no contempt for the drone pilots. Your job is not to die for your country but to make the other son of a bitch die for his. The idea of honor (so quaintly also included in the Geneva Convention) is gone in war. Chivalry died its final death (even if it ever was there) in WWI.
That does not mean that some acts are not honorable and some acts are not deserving of contempt. It's not cowardice to not want to give up your life if it can be trivially prevented. Are we cowards for having everyone charge, woman and children, on the hill with rocks when we have rifles?
I guess we could say it's cowardly but I'm not sure I agree. Where does that line get drawn? Is it static? How far down the rabbit hole do you want to go? Are you a coward for flying higher than FLAC or an ARM? Are you a coward for shooting from a distance? Are you a coward for wearing clothing? How mano y mano do you need to go, needlessly, before it's not cowardice?
I'd say it's smart to hang out in the drone cave instead of wanting to needlessly risk additional lives. I'd not call them heroic for doing so but I'd not call them cowards either. If there's no need to risk a life of your own, why do it? What the hell? That's not even a good moral code. If you can do the same task with fewer lives of your own side lost then, by all means, do it. You don't needlessly risk lives just out of some sense of chivalry.
You'll probably be fine. Just don't let the crazies get to you. There are a lot of crazies and we're probably all a little crazy in our own way. There is, literally, nothing you can do to make everyone happy - and some subset will be vocal about it.
You will be judged harshly. Your every move and statement are being judged and there's a whole lot of expectations and hope. You do seem to be VERY aware that we're a community and that, in and of itself, is a good thing. We're not an audience and you seem to know this. We are, literally, what makes this site - for better or worse.
From what you've said, I think good things *can* happen. You seem to be aware that you're a steward and not an owner. You don't emphasis this, it's just in the tone of your posts. It's an essential difference and may really be significant. Of course, we got a whole bunch of lip service before... However, you appear to be a bit smarter and, well, we didn't really "fit" as a Dice Holding Incorporated Property.
For the record, there are probably people here who absolutely dislike you, on principle, because the site is now owned by a corporation. Oh, they don't actually know what a corporation is but they've been told that they're bad. They don't know that there are even non-profit corporations - and will deny them even if you link to them and show them.
With that *sort* of thing in mind, I truly wish you the best of luck and do not envy your tasks. I did think about tendering a semi-serious offer and then putting into something community driven as a held asset and then setting up a charter that created a community owned/operated board. Alas, I don't feel like undertaking that much work. I'm retired for a reason. I'm inherently lazy. So, no, I do not envy your tasks at all. Not even an iota.
That said, if you can think of something that needs doing and there's a need for assistance - and I can help... Well, the offer's there. No, I'd charge neither money nor power - or even recognition. I might be inherently lazy but I know where I get most of my amusement and know that sometimes you have to work for your hobbies or fun. Thus, I'm obligated to offer and actually act on that offer.
I do have a whole ton of ideas, often just little things, but I suspect you'll be inundated with ideas and I'd not want to overwhelm anyone and my ego is not so frail that I must be heard first and loud.
By the way, you passed the test just fine. If you didn't smile when reading my post (even if it was just to mock me) then you'd probably not fit in. If you took offense, you'd definitely not fit in. If you took offensive action, well... You can see where this is going and I've already taken enough of your time.
This does not alter your statement/conclusion one bit but it is salient, so I'll add it. It's probably not the value, it is probably that they've been a fugitive from justice for eight years.
However, it's hard telling. They have some Finn lady who committed fraud twice but it was some sort of fraud that was potentially gonna impact the EU. I have no idea what that means or how one gets that charge. Well, I have a couple of ideas about the charge but I haven't looked it up or anything. Some of these charges seem rather minimal. I guess they might be "the most wanted" but they're probably not necessarily "the most dangerous."
Hmm... So, about this book... Go on? You can't just leave me hanging like that.
It not only doesn't mean that you can't be snarky about it - it means you should. So far, I like the new group of masters. It's probably best that we break them in properly. I, um... I left the guy a few comments in replies to his comments in the thread about the sale. I even left a reply indicating that we'd be needing a picture of them naked and covered in chicken fried steak batter if they wanted any success. I mean, it's the only way...
So, you have an obligation to be snarky. It's your/our duty. You don't go "putting on airs" for guests.
I know you can set the defaults on some OSes. Maybe it's possible to have a page display according to the user's defaults so that we don't need to worry about localized conventions? Note: That is a question, not a presumption or anything like that.
€12k, you mean? Umm... It's really not the fault of Unicode. You might say it is the fault of /. but, really, this system has been in place (and the same) for years.
Do you use U+1235 to insert it? Don't. Use keyboard layouts. Do not use the modifier key thing from Apple either - it has never worked. This system has been this way for a very, very long time.
© ® ¼ ½ ¾ and even ¥ all work. You just need to insert them properly. You can do so with the ampersand, as far as I know, like < as an example. Or, you can use an international keyboard layout and use the alt-key method. You can even type El Niño if you want.
Your name (and post) indicate that you might be from the UK. Use a UK keyboard with the UK keyboard layout and it should work? I just use US International (with a few silly other names behind it like ALT GR W/ DEAD KEYS ENGINEER OMG WTF BBQ - I don't even know what they all mean) Layout as the default so that I can insert the £ as needed on Slashdot.
Yup. I do it just for Slashdot. Not that it's special or anything. It's just that Slashdot is the place I type the most and try to be reasonably accurate because it is the home of pedants and people with mental health issues. Which is a long way to explain that I simply figured out how it worked so that I'd make fewer mistakes. It has been this way for years and is the reason I use the layout.
It's funny that you try to point to flaws in my argument but, obviously, never actually took a debate class or participated on a debate team. Here we go...
Perhaps you do not understand the concept but trust is lost when you violate the rules you agreed on. Trust is lost for the police (more on that in a minute). There's no question about this. To touch on a latter statement you made - it doesn't even need to be a majority-agreed on opinion. In fact, we've worked to protect ourselves from the tyranny of the majority. There's a reason, and a good one, that the majority view is unimportant.
Let's continue, shall we? They, are a group. There are individual members of this group. They are not being considered, I am referencing the whole group. The individual, in this case, is irrelevant. I didn't even say that all I saw were bad cops. If you were familiar with my posting history, you'd know I support the cops and like the cops. I just don't support all cops and like all cops - I don't like those that break the law. Irrelevant, I am referencing the group as it would be highly impractical to judge each one.
If you're going to point to flaws, find flaws. Those are not flaws, those are you failing to understand the concept. Shall we continue? I think we shall...
Your disagreement is also irrelevant. It's a founding principle of our country and legal system. Disagreeing means more to a new country, not change this one because you're a coward.
No, I would not like to compromise. Why pay when we can just let people do it because they find it interesting? Why pay a third party? If we have to pay a third party to monitor the police communications, there's a serious problem with that.
It's safe to conclude that you and I are not going to agree on this matter. I'd further speculate that you're actually incapable, or unwilling, to be honest. I think we're done here.
Hmm... It could simply be a UI issue or it could be that they've not thought to make the information public? I have no idea but I do have a surprise for you.
I still get mod points but not as often anymore. I've not changed much of anything so I'm assuming that it's intended, over time, to stop giving moderation points to people who do not use them. Yup... I haven't spent a moderation point in a lot of years. It just felt wrong. I didn't like doing it. So, I don't mod and the system seems to have figured that out. I'm kind of surprised.
Maybe we can call them moderating cowards? I can get behind that. No, seriously, I haven't moderated a soul in years now.
In the example you listed, I'm inclined to believe the cents before believing it is thousands. Well, except I'm familiar with the European numbering conventions. Anyhow, I mean, who would pay over 12.5k EUR for a doughnut hot-dog?
Let me first state that I know nothing of this case. I kind of remember reading something about it a few times but I did not keep up with it.
That said, there's big difference between a civil and criminal matter. A conviction in the former does not mean a conviction in the latter. You are not a criminal if you're found guilty in civil court. You're a criminal when you're found guilty in a criminal proceeding.
The burden of proof for a conviction in a civil matter is only that the defendant, more likely than not, committed the alleged offense. The burden of proof for a criminal matter is that the person was proven, beyond reasonable doubt, to have committed the alleged offense.
This person may be a scumbag, a dick, and even an unlawful actor. Unless there's something that I have missed, this person is not actually a criminal.
It should be also noted that I'm not suggesting that this person belonged on the board - but I don't donate to the foundation at all or even use any of their sites on a regular basis. I don't really have a strong opinion except to say that this person seems to have worked for a company who was later convicted of a civil offense. As near as I can tell, this person was never charged with a criminal or civil crime.
To be clear, this person isn't convicted of anything (as far as I know). Not even at a civil level are they convicted.
While I'd still not want them seated on the board - if I gave a shit, that is, I'm kind of partial until that innocent until proven guilty thing. I know, it's quaint and antiquated and outdated but I think we should keep the idea around for a keepsake, if nothing else. Unless I'm missing something, this person hasn't ever been convicted of anything. Ever. They've never even been charged with anything.
They probably should not be on the board. They are not convicted of anything and haven't even been tried for anything. If they had been (and they were not) convicted of a civil offense, they'd still not be criminals really. They'd just be scumbags. This has not only never happened (again, unless I'm missing something) they've never even been charged in a civil matter, never mind that they've also never been charged in a criminal matter.
Unless you want to go with that being guilty until proven innocent thing then you might want to rethink your views. It's a rather important legal concept that guilt must be proven (to some level of proof) but I can understand why it is unappealing to some.
Ha! I use Thunderbird, not Outlook. I don't even use Windows! I'm safe from AGW!
I don't think I've ever, once, called someone a bootlicker. I'm kind of loathe to do so now.
However... No, not you OBVIOUSLY... I think the term might actually be appropriate for the person you're responding to. I really don't think I've ever even considered calling someone an authoritarian bootlicker.
What have I become?!? I am a monster. :/
Yes, those might seem like valid concerns and I actually know people who monitor police radio while they violate the law - just to keep tabs on the police.
Your first question, do I think it might help? Absolutely, I'm am quite reasonable. It'd probably help to keep that information secret. There's no doubt about it - the police are more likely to have success if they have the tools available to prevent people from listening to their communications.
So? No... I'm not kidding. So what? The police could do their jobs better if they could operate completely in secret. How far down the rabbit hole do you want to go?
Just like I accept that criminals may do bad things with firearms, I also accept that criminals may do bad things by overhearing the police. I'm okay with that - in the name of liberty. Freedom carries inherent risks. You can be even more secure if the government monitors your movement. The government will catch more criminals if they monitor our movement. Surely, that can't be a bad thing - everyone likes catching criminals and you wouldn't want to be supporting the armed robbery suspects.
Yet, at some point, we need to accept that criminals might do bad things. Currently, the police have the right to (try to) secure their communications. As a general rule, I'm not really thinking that's the best solution EVEN if it means that their job is more difficult AND that some harm may come to otherwise innocent people. It's risky to be free. Someone might poke an eye out!
I am not saying that the police can't encrypt their communications and use methods to make monitoring difficult, expensive, or impossible. I am saying that we might not actually want them to have that power. Yes, I know what that means. Yes, I'm aware that bad people might do bad things. I'm also aware that the police might do bad things and that monitoring them might have a greater value than allowing them to speak privately.
Don't forget, they exist because we hire them to do a job. They're just people who may or may not be doing bad things. They're our employees. It might be in our best interests to observe them, they have a whole lot of capacity to harm, and to think about the powers we wish to cede to them. Like any tool, it can be used for harm or good.
Right now, there's no trust that the police are doing good. They've clearly violated that trust, many times over, and have done so in galling and more egregious ways. They currently have that capacity. I'm not entirely sure that they can be trusted with it. An armed robber can shoot you and kill you. A police officer can shoot you, kill you, brag about it to his friends, and get away with it.
Not only do we need to accept that bad people might do bad things but we also need to accept that they sometimes might get away with it. We also need to remember that it is better that ten guilty men go free than for one innocent man to spend even a minute in jail. I am not saying they don't have this power. I am saying that we might want to have a discussion about them being allowed to have this power.
Sorry for the delayed response. I had issues. That said, I hate Android. No, I really hate it. I've not even had good interactions with it on high end tablets. I hate it so much that I have purchased a Windows phone.
It should be noted that I have not tried ChromeOS and I've never, ever, had Android that didn't rely on an OEM. That may be why I dislike it but, regardless, every interaction that I have had has been poor. I could go out of my way to try new things or, alternatively, I can go where I know I'll be happy enough. That means that, for better or worse, I'll probably end up trying to get/keep Linux on it - and not the bastard-child that is Android. I don't mind BSD. I actually like BSD but there are a couple of pieces of software that I use that keep me from migrating. Yes, they're trivial seeming and there are alternatives but I have my preferences for a reason.
That said, it's amusing that you mention the networking aspect. I am, right now, connected to my computer in Maine (via my laptop here in Florida) and posting this message from that desktop. I offload as much as I can and use virtual machines frequently. Why do I like Linux (or BSD) so much? Well, I've a pretty frail (but redundant and with options built-in) connection to my home computer. It probably shouldn't even be still working. It probably shouldn't have worked at all. Yet, I've been on wanderlust since September and here I am - with no degradation in service. Hell, I've even made some upgrades and improvements.
Arch would be viable. BSD is not actually my preference but I can live with it. From what I read, some form of Lubuntu is supposed to work and that's ideal. By pure happenstance, that's absolutely ideal - or could be. How much of the repo is going to be pre-compiled and how much will I have to sort out on my own.
I do have to wonder - is it worth my time to find a way (I've got a few bucks really, more than I will need if we gotta be honest about it) to get some hardware to someone who will compile for this? It looks like some is going to be done already but I have no idea how much and what that will look like in the end. It may seem crazy but I'd happily buy 'em some hardware to keep a current compiled state for the entirety of the repo or, at least, everything in there that is necessary AND the Lubuntu-specific software. It may seem crazy but I'd buy 'em a pretty decent rig for it. I am, technically and mistakenly, on the Lubuntu dev team and mailing list. No, I have no idea why they let me on the dev team and I actually thought I was applying for something else. I guess I could ask there. I'd seriously (I know it will help more than me) throw them some money to build something nice and cross-compile for it. I have no qualms about chucking them enough cash to buy a box with a bunch of cores and enough RAM to be meaningful.
I think I'll fire off an email over the weekend and see where that goes. Someone on the dev team is both bound to know and to know how I can help. While I do have some time, I'm not certain enough of my own skills to do much more than close my eyes and throw money at it until the problem goes away. It's not always a solution but I've had some luck with it in the past. Even a fairly decent server is not a whole lot of money these days but a really nice workstation should be adequate? They can cross-compile this all. One of the nice beefy AMDs and 64 GB of RAM should be enough, no? It has been a long time but I used to compile C on a lot less than that and it was a rather large lot of code. Depending on what was being built, it might have even taken a long time but it's not like it had to be monitored the whole time.
I'm pretty sure it would help more than just me. Yeah, I'll ask 'em in the dev mailing list tomorrow and see where it goes from there. I may end up not using it but, if nothing else, it's sure to help a bunch of people. If I've got a financial investment, I'm more likely to actually get off my ass and do some more learning. That's an added benefit.
How amusing and so very similar. One of the benefits of having accumulated a few dollars means that I have also accumulated some assets. I, too, keep them clearly labeled and have a whole bunch of storage for such. I could, without a doubt, put a hundred computers (of varied vintage) together just from parts at my home in Maine. That is not an exaggeration.
I will warn you now, this is a long reply. I actually am adding this after hitting preview. Unlike many of my posts, I can't point to anything that you might not find interesting. I'm not certain but I try to be understanding. Ideally, you will find it interesting. I've read enough of your posts and interacted with you enough so I might be an accurate judge of character. You are, as always, free to read or not and to reply at will. I always enjoy our interactions.
Then there are tools... I not only have an automotive garage but it is also a shop. I have my own hydraulic lift and boxes and boxes of tools. I do not always use them myself. I hire someone who comes in, every Saturday - even when I am not home he is working tomorrow in Maine while I am in Florida - to work on my collection. I have had this system in place for about eight years now and I appreciate the service.
Err... It gets worse. I have a whole woodworking shop. In fact, it's the other half of that garage. To give an indicator of size, the garage is a six bay garage with full size space allotments for each bay. That too is kept neat and labeled. Tools can be borrowed, I'm generous like that. They need to be cleaned, maintained, and put back in the exact same place (including having handles facing the same direction) as you found them. That is not optional. Loss of access is certain if that is not adhered to.
Then I have my house... You can drive in my basement. No, really. There's a garage door and you can drive in my basement. I'd rather you not, it's pretty full. Someone proudly posted that they have a 100' x 200' piece of property. That's smaller than my house. My girlfriend was picked up in my recent travels. She's never been to my home in Maine. She has seen the live video feed, will see the place this spring, and has seen pictures. I have a big house because I like space. There's a whole room, in the basement, dedicated solely to power. It has the battery banks, handles the switching, and collects the feeds from the mains, solar, wind, and backup generator. Believe it or not, the mains is my backup. I designed and drew my home, it's very efficient and intentionally so. It's not out of some urge to be green, that's a nice benefit, it's because I'm lazy and I like my creature comforts.
Then there's another house on the property. That was/is a farmhouse from the 1840s. I was going to tear it down but I decided to have it rehabbed and part of it are used for storage. It's your traditional New England farmhouse with the various add-ons, attached summer-kitchen (probably not functional or in place for 100 years or more), traditional styled stable and carriage house. None of that has been in place for a lot of years - studying the changes has been a lot of fun and a mystery. The deconstruction phase of rehabilitation was very neat. I didn't just pay to have it done, I both helped and observed. I was active in all phases.
I call that the guest house but it is really just the house that was here. It has five bedrooms, basement, attic, attached barn, with two levels, and an attached barn to that. The barn has racks, similar to those that you referenced, for storage in much of it. Some of it is quite valuable but it is all labeled, for the most part, and organized.
Then I have a new "barn" that is designed to look like a barn but is really just storage for automobiles. It houses a lot of automobiles but does not, in fact, have room for, what is now officially, all 33 of them. There is an upper level, that has a whole bunch of storage, shelves, and is also full of labeled storage boxes. They are mostly automobile parts/memorabilia. They are all in mostly uniform box
You are more than welcome. I may not know the most but I know a little. I learn a lot here so it is a part of the contract that I share what I have learned with others.
You're very right, it is not ideal. Would that I could, I'd snap my fingers and make the world a very different place. I can not. I must live within the confines of society and do my best with those rules while advocating change. In short, I do what I can to ensure that this moment is better than the last - and, ideally, not just for myself.
I could write a novella and go off on speculating about some of the societal ills and ways to remedy that. I do not, or I try not to, wear rose-tinted glasses but some things were both different and better in the past. It may also have to do with whom I was exposed to, that limited subset of people, and what I witnessed. So, I'll forgo the long post and simply be grateful for your appreciation.
You are, literally, more than welcome and I will attempt to do that appreciation proper justice by working to ensure that I take the time, make the effort, to compose posts with a similar value in the future.
Also, we're going to need a picture of you, you personally. It must be naked and you should be wearing nothing but batter for steak fried chicken. Oh, and party hat. The party hat is not optional, it is something you just have to do if you want to fit in here. Don't worry, we've all done it - you'll be a better person for it.
This part is optional, but is preferred. It would be ideal if you could pose for that picture in a setting that is interesting. Most of us really like pictures from inside police parking lots. So, if you could get that picture from inside a police parking lot - you'd not have to worry about longevity of your account. You would be, I assure you, an immediate legend.
I guess, if you really want to fit in, then you could try doing us all a huge favor and riding a flaming motorcycle (this is why the party hat is essential, you might live in an area with helmet laws and we'd not want you to be hurt) on your way to take this picture? It might be a bit too much to ask and I'd hate to be presumptuous but if you can get the whole thing on video then we'd be so much more likely to accept you as one of us.
You do want to be one of us, right? I mean, come on, everybody wants to be accepted. Myself? Oh, it was slightly worse in my day. In my day, we had to do all of the above but we had to use hot grits. Let me tell you, that'll leave a mark! Everyone was so happy when I showed up at the parking lot to take the picture that they immediately threw a party for me.
(You might not want to talk to us. Oh, it looks like a good idea on paper, as so many things do, but the reality is just a wee bit different but we do appreciate the effort you're making. I also figure that you need to be broken in properly. They don't call me Mr. Lubricator for nothing. Wait, it might have been Mr. Lucubrater... No, it definitely wasn't that last one... Ah well... But they called me something, damn it! Legend? Legendary? Oh, wait, I remember - they called "Asshole" and I told them that they were mistaken. It's "Mr. Asshole." Thank you very much!)
(I did mention, in a prior post, that you'll adjust.)
(I think I mentioned verbosity, as well.)
(Oh, if you take any of the above either personal or wrong - you will not do well here. There's either a madness to my method or a method to my madness. It's a matter of perspective, I guess.)
(Oh, they tell me that I'm sane. They also tell me that that's not how you use a stethoscope, that'll be $50, and get the hell out of my office. I seem to recall a little something about office supplies and being called a monster - also something about that not actually being humanly possible? I was dreadfully drunk at the time.)
(If you have not smiled, at least once while reading this, means that I have failed at my task. In all seriousness, welcome.)
(And if you've not yet run away screaming, you'll be fine. However, please be aware that this is a test. It might be a test of the Emergency Broadcast System but it is still a test.)
Oh, don't let him scare you. We're all spammers and nutjubs here. Lest you think I jest, I'd suggest a click on my posting history. ;-) No, I am not really a spammer. I am rather verbose, however. I've written novels and novels worth of content for this site over the years. Most of it was both true and not trolling! I'm not even (by most folk's standards) a nutjob. I just figured I'd get your attention.
Something to consider... I have excellent karma. No, I do not know why this is exactly true. I do know that it means that the community has, for better or worse, decided that my comments are valuable to them.
That being assumed to be true, as is evidenced by that karma rating that I've actually had for years, means that the more I post, the more community-valued content is generated, which results in more page hits, which results in more revenue.
That is all well and good, and I ask for nothing in return, but I'd wonder why I'm limited to 50 posts per day. That rule, arbitrary as it is - and allows no greater status, means that, by definition, you're (it is now you) intentionally limiting your revenue potential. There is, quite literally, not one change I can make to give you more community-valued content. Oh, I would... I'd happily write even more posts, as is evidenced by how often I bounce off the threshold.
There was a time, albeit long ago, when this policy made sense. Now, theoretically at least, you'd want to maximize profit potential and the easiest way to do that would be by having the greatest assets you can have. Again, for better or worse, the community has decided my posts are an asset - as is evidenced by that karma rating.
There are not many of us, less than a dozen in my observations (and I can assure you, I've made a lot of observations) who have this problem. It might seem insignificant to you but you're probably not aware of just how productive we have been and how productive we could be. We have been making contributions for years - valued and numerous contributions. Limiting us, those with high (maximum) karma, to an arbitrarily low number of posts AND allowing us to go no further is akin to shooting yourself in the foot.
As for the karmic record, I've had the maximum karma rating for years and years. I can not go any higher. I would. Oh, I'd happily do so on some days and as time allows. I don't think that's a good choice but it is your choice to make. So, there's that.
Finally, welcome and I wish you the best of luck. I will do what I can to aid in your success and transition. My email is public and I am even known to some Slashdotters in the physical world. I'm "that guy that writes novellas." I actually have conversations with people, learn things, and teach things. I am not unique, I'm just verbose because I'm not as articulate as I could be. Err... You'll adjust.
I seem to recollect that you and I have had that exact conversation - up to and including the idea of fluid dynamic modeling. I have, alas, still not allowed myself to search for her and I still don't know what she looks like. If I have seen an image of her, I do not know it. No, I will not click any links provided after this - I kind of enjoy being able to say that I don't know what she looks like. I don't even really know who she is, where she came from, or what she does. I do hear about her. I know she exists (and might be a snookie or something similar - I'm not actually sure what one of those is).
I presume she is famous and I presume that's due to television or music (or both). Given the number of references to her ass, I'm inclined to look but I just can't bring myself to do so. I will remain curious but not curious enough to look. I have no idea if it's a nice pooper. I have no idea if it is large or how large it is. I don't know her hair color, race, or face. I do know her name. I kind of value this ignorance. I value it enough to not satisfy my curiosity. I also value it enough to not actually work on this project - as tempting as it is.
I believe we can get the measurements by using some photographs. We simply need to know the dimensions of something else in the photograph. A standard door's height is 6' 8" (IIRC) and that's for an internal and residential door. Assuming someone can find that in a photograph they can work out the dimensions of there. We'll need some elasticity numbers and some mass numbers. I believe that we can get the former from using scaled video and using presumptive modeling techniques. I'd look into that.
So, if we can get some elasticity and dimension information, we can probably make an adequate prediction of mass. Given that she should have a known center of gravity, if we can find some images of her where we can see the angle of her legs and feet positioning (while she's otherwise balanced) we can make even more refined estimates about mass - probably as good as we could get even if allowed physical access (unless they'll allow for dissection but I am assuming that is illegal).
Now, with those numbers, we can actually figure out surface tension, create the model, and then do some reasonable number crunching and get some meaningful data. You, for instance, want to know about seismic activity. We can now find depth of the crack and tendencies for motion retention based on the data and models. How far down the rabbit hole do you want to go? We can probably use a variety of images and get even more data. For instance, does she have a camel toe image? We could then make some measurements, and we'll have to use averages as I'm assumed we're disallowed volumetric data, but we could probably find out the predicted amount of seismic activity for a known quantity and release of gas. We can then model, predict, and reasonably authoritatively state "how much her ass shakes when she queefs."
This can be done... I'm just not going to render any material assistance to this project. I can, if abstracted enough, help you with some math. That's as far as I go but the above should be an adequate methodology. It will likely not be 100% perfect but adequate for our needs and enough to show predictive qualities and thus author a paper and, so long as we include a method to test the predictions, we will even be reasonably scientific in our method. We could further show that we can predict (and measure - if allowed) how much rebounding motion is the expected output for a given amount of force. So, how well can she "shake that ass?" How "jiggly" is it when smacked?
Again, I guess I can help with some of the math but I've not actually done any fluid dynamic modeling (in specific) but I could pick it up pretty quickly. There are scientific tools already out there in the community. I've stumbled across a few in my travels - albeit for very different reasons.
Which leads me to this: Oh sure, we can get a paper out of this and the novelty will probably aid in getting
I don't think Slashdot will ever shutter its doors. It will never be closed down. It will never be allowed to go idle. Also, I should warn you that this is going to be long. However, in my defense, I not only have a point but I also have something more specific to share with you. I think that I'll wait until the end to do the latter.
Why? If they did that then we'd be unleashed on the rest of the web. I suspect they'll go so far as to create a coalition of sites that all join together to fund Slashdot for the sole purposes of making sure that we don't join their user forums and frequent their sites on a regular basis. The rest of the web doesn't want us.
Oh, we might be knowledgeable. We're probably TOO knowledgeable and a bit too diverse. We are, as a group, able to agree on any one thing. There are even people who do not use nobeta=1 in the URL.
Don't tell anyone, I'm one of those people - except I don't actually see Slashdot as intended. I block scripts (which also means no ads) and I also use GreaseMonkey. I use a really neat theme with Stylish too. So, yeah, I don't technically use beta but I believe I've read a handful of folks who profess to like it to the point of preference.
We can't agree on browser, operating systems, politics, business ethics, favorite companies, closed or open source, and have zealots in all directions. (If you don't notice the zealots, you might be one of them.) So, I don't know if they can ever really listen to the users. Even if they go with a simple majority, that's not even enough to keep happy the least vocal of proponents/opponents on any subject.
We don't universally hate Windows 10 - to the point of preference. I know of only one other person who professes to use the same OS that I use (I'm sort of mainstream.) Very few people use the same browser I use. According to Panopticlick, I am pretty unique in my preferences - out of millions tested. Yet, I feel fairly moderate.
To use those two examples and to give my two examples, I use Lubuntu and I browse with Opera. One is an official Ubuntu flavor and the other is now derived from the Chromium base but has the privacy invading stuff stripped out, some new benefits, and access to both ecosystems worth of extensions. Both, I feel, logical choices. As an aside: They're appropriate for me. I am neither a proselytizer nor a zealot. Use what works for you and enables you to best accomplish your goals.
However, to continue with those examples, there's a vocal minority who will actually become abusive at the thought of someone not reaffirming their choices for browser or OS. They might even go so far as to repeatedly harass someone because of it. I am not a victim of this, I have just observed this - and not in the distant past but recently. They're vocal, logged in, and have aged accounts.
So, they can listen to us but which of us are they going to listen to? They can straight up make stuff up and then say that they listened to us because it's a near certainty that someone holds that same view and is vocal about their support. Someone surely holds an opposing view and is equally vocal about their disapproval.
Hmm... I'm on my second Slashdot account. Not only did I lose access to the email for the first one - I've since forgotten the username. It was a fairly random string of characters so that I could speak comfortably about the industry that I worked in without being harassed by folks who may wish to cause me a problem. I've literally been using Slashdot since before we actually had accounts. I don't recall but my other user was a four or five digit UUID.
Why is that important? Oh, it's not my being a braggart or the likes. It is to simply use as an appeal to authority - which may not be a fallacy if one is an authority. I feel safe opining that Slashdot has never been consistent, has always been diverse, and has always had a subset of users who are both zealous and vocal. This is true on almost every subject - all the way from your IDE and programming language, to the file for
Non-sequitur, assuming facts not in evidence, and citation needed! Well, I mean, really... ;-)
Not that my reply negates your post or anything, it's just that I kind of felt obligated. Then again, I actually value good debate because I might learn something new and if I can't defend my views then I should not hold those views. I am not unique in that but it is a rare trait.
Alas, I used up a bunch of my post count last night, have people to reply to, and so I'll just post this as an AC. I'd leave you to guess who this is but, I am afraid, my writing style is a bit unique so I'm probably easy to pick out of a crowd. Try as I might, I seem unable to change it.
At least it's not one of my novellas. At any rate, this is Slashdot. Childish (and poor) debating is kind of what we do. I'm pretty sure my choice of OS and browser is better than yours and that you're a poopy head for not thinking the same thing. Unless, of course, you do think the same thing - in which case, I must change my choices! (And then pretend that's what I'd been using all along.)
Wait, no... It is one of my novellas! Damn it. Nah, it's not that long, really.
KGIII (AC 'cause Slashdot is a poopy head with poopy head, arbitrary, limits on post counts.)
You mean £ € ñ é and the likes? See my previous post, just prior to this one, and you too will have the magic. (Use the keyboard.)
Only a subset are supported and input method matters. However, it does French, Spanish, the Euro, Pound, and even ¥ if you want to get fancy.
You just have to know The Keyboard Magic© or follow The Path to Enlightenment® and you too can be a Slashdot Wizard. 'Snot really hard - I can figure it out.
‘’¥×öóíúüëéåßðfhïøøñb®©æ棾÷ÄÅÉËÜÚÍÓÓÖ“ÁÐFGHÏØ
Etc... (Those should all work.) I haven't learned where they all are in this layout. Euro is in there somewhere. You can also do stuff like "& l t ;" (sans quotes and spaces) and get < and stuff like that.
'Snot really all that hard to get much of the functionality. Hmm... I think it's UTF actually? I don't think it's ASCII. I think there's a whitelist and that the U+12345 doesn't work to insert them or something along those lines. € There it is... It is right alt + 5 € and left alt + shift + 4 is £. Left alt + the - is the ¥ (© ® ½¾ and things like that.)
The symbols for micro (as in microgram) and paragraph are on my edit screen but do not show. The power doesn't show, so no 4^3 or the likes.
The whole list isn't on the whitelist but some are. The insertion method matters - you can't do U+FOO but have to use the keyboard layout insertion method. But, you get to do it, to some extent, for the ones you mentioned (which quotes?) but that limited subset works well enough. I've been using Linux for a while now and haven't found a keyboard layout that I like as well as I like the US International on Windows. I've not bothered figuring out how to edit and make my own. Suffice to say, I've not learned all of them - even though I've been at it for a while. I know the important ones that I use. € £ © ® and whatnot. You can just set up the keyboard and then make sure it's default (don't delete the original - set it to secondary and not default) and then just poke at it. It's otherwise normal so it doesn't mess with your usual typing. The Windows keyboard layout can do so - hitting the ' means you need to hit space after it or it may post an unintended character. You adjust pretty quickly.
I figured it out quite by accident and then someone mentioned the whitelist aspect not too long ago. I'd been doing it for years without realizing that it was something odd - until I spent time in Linux and tried to use the U+FOO method. So, at that point, I just went looking for, and found, the various international layouts. There are quite a few and you can probably find more. You can also probably edit and make your own. I just haven't bothered - it's easier to just learn a slightly revamped system as I need it than it is to bother making my own.
Also, I have no idea why more are not whitelisted. I understand the approach, I just don't know why they selected the set they did select. Micro and exponential values would be good. Not even the & sup3 ; method works.
I do not know the details, none of us do, but I think they have some sort of system for that in place with the meta moderation.
I had someone claim they were going to down moderate all of my posts. They did try but I tend to be a bit verbose. They were getting five points a day, every day. Then it was less frequently. Then it was three points every few days. Now they don't do it at all - I kind of feel bad for 'em 'Snot like I don't have karma to burn.
They'd always do the posts in a row and right after each other, I was actually able to watch the effects, in real time, more than once. It was all very ego-inflating. I'd never had a dedicated stalker before and having that much power over someone was nice.
Alas, they appear to have gone away. It was kind of fun, I honestly kind of miss the attention. Someone was giving me their most valuable asset (time) on a regular basis - and they, literally, did so pretty much at my command. (It's all in how you look at it.) I was able to control their behavior. Oh man, I was like a tyrant with that - I wasn't mean or anything, I spoke to them like I speak to you or to anyone else. I did, however, enjoy that I could make them give me their most valuable of possessions - pretty much on command.
So, they no longer get moderation points because they abused the points they had. It's kind of stupid because they could have easily hidden their effort a little. I say enough things that can be moderated as off-topic or the likes. They just went straight "troll" and did it for every post in a row - at about the same time each day.
I'm not reverse-trolling when I say (or said) that I enjoyed the power and attention. Not only that, it made me think about my posts a bit more and that can only be a good thing. (Alright, so I was mostly thinking about ways to get them to tell me how much they hated me but I was thinking about my posts, damn it.)
At any rate, they're somehow convinced I'm an ultraconservative, Republican, hateful, bigoted, - oh, and white. They seem to think I'm white. I am not. At least I am not very white, genetically. I'm kind of brown(ish), if you are curious, and I'm Amerindian more than anything else but there's some black African and white European in there to mix things up. I'm sure as hell not a conservative by any metric, I'm not Republican, I don't hate stupid people but I do dislike willfully ignorant people, and I'm so bigoted that I employed a mix of races, genders, sexualities, and creeds. I even paid them well and gave them good benefits and a stake in the company via bonuses. I just don't own said business because I sold it and retired.
So yes, I loved the power and attention. Now they do a random drive-by but I know they're attentive to my every word. They post as an AC, the verbiage is similar as is the syntax and punctuation. They have a real account (hi Metrix007!) and I don't really understand their motives because the things that I say are pretty easily verified as they're a matter of public information, at least they frequently are. It's not like I hide who I am - I just don't outright use my name (David) in every post. I not only know a number of Slashdotters in real life - I invited the entirety of Slashdot to my New Years Eve fireworks/festivities, posted pictures, and gave directions in public. Unfortunately, on a few could make it and only two of them could bring their families. I didn't plan it out very well.
Anyhow, there's some personal experiences and the fallout and causes. It's a bit verbose but I usually am. The meta moderation seems to have an impact on people's ability to moderate so that, with a little time, it corrects itself. I imagine they can pull from those metrics and see where the abuses are - and dig down as needed. uMatrix tells me that there are a few tracking scripts enabled and that at least one is fairly powerful - I'm familiar with it. Coupled with server logs and records, it should be easy to spot egregious abuses programmatically.