I wonder who would try to minimize this. I guess we found out. Has it occurred to you that the issue may not be the totality of her communication but, rather, the ethical and potential legal violations this insinuates or proves? No? I'm not surprised.
I don't think I've ever accused anyone of being a paid shill on the internet before and I've often looked down on those who do make such accusations. However, that post looks like it might be from an idiot or from someone being paid to be an idiot. I'm sort of hoping it's the latter.
Is that what you got from the story? Hmm... I must be doing it wrong. Even as a child, and this was a long time ago, my conclusion was that the little lying bastard deserved to be eaten and his family shunned for having raised an idiot. Maybe that's why my mother stopped reading me stories?
I think McAfee is awesome and he and I have a lot in common, actually. However, I'd absolutely be unwilling to vote for him. He's crazier than I am and that's quite an achievement. I mean, yeah, I might vote for him because I enjoy "lulz" but, honestly, were I a caring individual who wanted to exercise his rights to help form a better society then, by no means, would I consider actually voting for John. I'd party with him. I'd snort hookers and screw blow with him. I'd even go out target practicing with him or travel with him for a while. Vote for him? The only reason I'd vote for him is because I'm secure and don't actually like my fellow citizens a great deal.
In my defense, in the past 15 years my fellow citizens have elected Bush twice, Obama twice, and now Trump and Clinton are both 'serious' candidates. I don't like my fellow citizens because they're astonishingly short sighted and stupid.
Ah. Okay. Looking at pictures is okay - and I think it's socially acceptable to watch a video. Reading the article? Not a chance. Reading it AND comprehending it? Now that's right out.
We go ice fishing up my way. Well, the locals/natives do. I used to go ice drinking but I don't drink any more. I've never once tried to fish through the ice unless you count jigging for smelts which, I guess, sort of qualifies as fishing and I did not even do that for long. I was mostly hell bent on getting drunk - which is all I've ever done out in the ice shacks. Some of them are pretty nice, too. In fact, I've gotten drunk in lots of ice shacks and not once really fished to the best of my recollection. No alien abductions though.
Valid point. I think I've either acclimated to the point where I don't even notice bugs. I just work around them. It's amusing that someone came along and modded it as off topic. They'll have to run around and find all my posts, for a long time too, to even make a dent in my karma. Silly geese.
I live on the side of a mountain. I have a diesel powered truck and some older cars that are rather bad for the environment. I should just start them all up and keep them idling - I'll flood 'em out.;) (No, I'd not really do such a thing but they do get operated when the situation calls for it.)
You can buy a drafty shack with piss poor efficiency for very low prices. I'm not suggesting you do but trying to equate today with yesterday isn't a very good idea considering how much has changed between now and then. Stop buying your kids iPads. Invest that in the stock market.
You have a better life than they did and work less hard as well. If you don't then you're probably doing something wrong - likely expecting more while doing less. Those aren't bad expectations they're just not realistic given how things have turned out.
Everything you mention is much better today than it was then. Our houses more efficient, our access to educational material is much greater and easier, and our health care capacities have improved many times over. I'm not suggesting this is the cause but I'm suggesting you failed to take that into account. There was no glory yesteryear. You're just lazier and feel more entitled.
Well, nobody was staying on topic anyhow and we never do so...
It's just an observation and I may be mistaken. I never did see the results of the poll/. did to find out the user's ages, genders, etc... They should release that information. It would be a few years old by now. Anyhow, I think you may be mistaken? 31 years ago, 1984, would be right around the time that I am guessing many of us were born. I think the user age here is probably a bit higher than that, as an average, and would expect it to be in the 35 to 45 range as the average. Personally, I'm 57 and was born in '57. (I only get to say this for a year, allow me my trivial enjoyments.) You're obviously older than some others and will help to change the average. I also know that there are a number of others who are older than myself from a number of conversations here.
That said, I'd really have liked to seen the results of their survey. I don't recall them releasing it and I paid attention for a while afterwards. I must, also, confess that I did not submit my information to said survey. I am far too lazy for that. I am not certain but it seems that a number of us are pretty old compared to a number of other sites that I frequent.
I use Opera which means that I can also "steal" Chrome extensions. It takes a minute (or ten) to configure, amortized over time, but uMatrix is awesome. It's like the early versions of Outpost. It's a very granular firewall specifically for the browser. Outpost is still like that but it's hidden these days (I am told - I haven't used it or Windows in a while). This means I block pretty much everything by default and selectively whitelist, temporarily or permanently, as needed and per domain. It's not as difficult as it might sound.
I have no idea if there's a Firefox version available. I only use Firefox for Hulu and for downloading the initial Opera install (the rest goes through a PPA). However, in my mind, had I not already been a user this would have been enough to make me consider switching browsers.
It's not fancy. It's sure as hell not pretty. It's a bit like a hammer in those regards. It does one thing and does it well. It blocks stuff and let's you decide to unblock stuff. It does have a configuration backup, which is nice, but that's about it. I mean, yeah, it does a few other things like spoof referrers if you want. A few/.ers have tried it and haven't replied telling me that I'm a jerk so I'm assuming they got along well with it. It's got a tiny learning curve but, like a hammer, you can really make it do what you want.
I was reading about this earlier. The article indicated that the bug exists in Chromium as well. Chromium is open source. Chrome is the closed source variant. This doesn't make the OP any less of an idiot but the bug exists in the open source version as well as far according to the article. I have not, of course, read this particular article. I'm not a heretic.
I certainly don't agree with them but that you think you're the arbiter of what is and isn't welcome is, in fact, a greater problem than racism, homophobia, or any other type of bigotry. That you think you've a right to control the conversation or to insist that others adhere to your level (when you've certainly no right to determine such) is a far greater social problem than racism is.
That you tell them that you're the authority of what is and isn't quality or welcome is pretty much the definition of why you're not welcome and are getting the push back that you are. I'd submit that you're the one who is not welcome here but, in fact, you are welcome here - we have an ignore feature and can selectively read what we wish. Be that as it may, and you're certainly welcome to participate, we're laughing at you and not with you.
That you think you're capable of deciding for others is laughable. That you think your opinion is valuable is laughable. That you think you're qualified to determine what is and isn't welcome is laughable. That you think you're able to decide the merits of conversation is laughable. That you think you're somehow able to control the conversation is laughable. That you think you're somehow entitled to control the conversation is laughable.
You, ma'am, are doing more harm to society than the racists, sexists, homophobic, xenophobic, or other freaks are. However, yes, do continue to push your agenda. Some of us get great amusement from it. It's like watching two mentally retarded people fight over a donut. Fortunately the majority of us are sane and capable of critical thinking.
One is by choice, the other by force. How is this inconsistent? I don't know if you're willfully ignorant, stupid, or trolling. I hope you're just stupid. Stupidity is something we can work with, we can cure that.
For example, I use GMail and allow tailored search results. However, I block everything they use like ads and tracking scripts with uMatrix. I made the choice to give up some of my privacy for the convenience of tailored search results.
I did not choose to have the NSA spy on me. I elect what information I share with them and how, as well as when, I share it. I do not control what data they, and other government bodies, take. I do control what Google scrapes and it's labor intensive to configure (initially) but worth it in the end. I make exceptions based on the results - if it's more beneficial for me to enable the Google API then I'll do so for that particular site. Generally it is not required so it seldom gets used.
Electing to share data with Google is not giving the government, or any other party, carte blanc to access that permission. This is not even a difficult concept - children can understand the idea of telling one thing to one person and the difference between that and sharing the information with everyone or having someone spy on you to access that information. Hell, you could even find an analogy between it and the game of Hide and Seek.
I realize you think you're smart but the two positions are quite consistent. If you can't understand the difference don't bother to reply. I've neither the time nor patience to give instructions on critical thinking when the subject is not capable or not interested. There is no false dichotomy. The two positions are just fine to be held and do not conflict with each other. It is about control and permission.
I'm forced to reason that you lack the intelligence of a child who is capable of playing Hide and Seek.
Added - this group is the GNAA and not (likely) APK. I had to edit the hell out of this post to make it pass the lameness filter.
That is a fairly old copypasta. They can be found and still have (or had) their IRC channel up. They're not thriving but they're active, sort of. I think they're growing up and in need of fresh blood.
They, among other groups, would make an interesting study. If it were my field then I'd consider doing the research and authoring a paper or two based on it. As it stands, I sometimes consider doing it though I'd never get it published because I lack the credentials - regardless of authorship's quality. I've been actively observing these folks, folks of this ilk - if you will, for quite some time.
Watching people and reading things like comments at online message boards is one of my favorite hobbies. I've been watching the trolls since the BBS days. I don't (usually) go for trolling personally. It's not my style and I'm generally too polite to intentionally piss people off unless I've good reason for doing so. That doesn't mean that I don't admire their work. There's a difference, in my mind, between being ignorant and being a bit of a performance artist.
Socrates would be considered a troll if he had internet access. I bet he'd have, and insist on using, an AOL email address.
A good troll will not only make you react in a disproportionate manner but will also give one/others pause to rethink their already concluded thought patterns. In fact, good trolling (and I'm presuming such exists even if folks might argue) is fairly rare and often requires quite a bit of work. Anonymity and protection from physical repercussions means we see more online trolls than we see IRL trolls.
I suspect that many of these folks would be missing teeth if they tried their antics in the real world.
Awesome! I knew that someone would know exactly what I was speaking about and would remember more of it than I do. There's, as I mentioned, an excellent documentary about him and the varieties that he created. I'd thought they were mostly built on the Shermans and a few models based on the Churchills. I had no knowledge of the others being utilized, thanks for the information.
He designed another one that was kind of interesting. It dropped sticks into and on to stuff. I thought that one was rather creative. The flailing attachment used to quickly clear a path in a mine field was also rather effective if I understand it properly and recall it properly.
Part of my problem (if it is properly considered a problem) is that I watch only documentaries, for the most part. These are 'entertainment' for me and my goal isn't really to remember all the names. While I learn stuff the goal isn't just to learn - it's because I find them truly entertaining and get more enjoyment from those than I do from other media genres.
I'm not sure if that makes sense...
I end up watching for amusement and not for serious study. As it's really passive it means that I don't learn everything at depth and I don't remember things like names unless I've had lots of references to them. I usually recall enough to make for effective search engine queries but I'm also kind of lazy at times and Google is so very far away.
Make sense?
If it were more formal and my goal was to actually be a historian or an expert in the field then I'd make it a point to recall the information as well as to act on learning more. What's awesome is that there are usually people like yourself who will come in and fill in the blanks for me so that I'm able to bring up a subject and someone will come along and provide information that covers the gaps in my education and memory.
The added benefit is that the information is now something I've read and interacted with (in the form of a reply) which means I'll not only have learned something new but I'll be more likely to retain it and draw on it at a later date and time.
I'm an automobile aficionado and, because of this, I own far more cars than is healthy. Each one of them is owned for, generally, very specific reasons and each of them is utilized to for enjoyment in those particular areas - some are also utilitarian such as an RV and a couple of pick up trucks. One of my goals is to put such vehicles through their paces. I get a great deal of enjoyment from pushing them beyond their design limits. My enjoyment means that, most weekends, I have a local garage that sends someone by to work every Saturday in my garage.
I mention that so that I can mention this...
One of these vehicles is a mid-1990s Subaru Outback, specifically the L.L. Bean edition. It is still in stock condition and would likely qualify as 'near mint' even after this escapade.
Picture, if you will, Maine in the spring. Now, there are generally floods if there was a heavy snow pack, lots of rain, or the temperature is high enough to make the snow melt rapidly. Because of the bodies of water and different elevations there are numerous area that would qualify for the term 'micro climate.'
Quite a ways from my house is a town called Rome. Google Maps will find it if you're curious. In Rome there's a 'road' (term applied loosely) called the Watson Pond Road. Off of this road is another 'road' that is no longer in use. It is The Old Rome Road and connected Rome to Mt. Vernon. It's on the Rand McNally atlas though marked in hyphens with a section that is blank in the middle. Both of those mean something.
Now, spring has sprung and we've a fifth season here in Maine. I learned of it when I came here to attend high school and then relearned it when I moved here. It's called Mud Season. Some of us celebrate the arrival of this season with greater festivity than we celebrate Christmas or the start of hunting season. I am one of those people and have a variety of vehicles that I use to visit the tops of mountains.
One of those vehicles is the afore mentioned Subaru. It was not designed for this. I should also mention that I don't believe in getting "towed." Getting a tow or pulled out from a ditch just means you failed to apply enough throttle. No, if you're going to do it then do it right. I believe in getting my vehicle "extracted." The difference is huge, often requires things like heavy machinery, great expense, and block and tackle setups.
So, I take this road because I'd taken it in the summer the year before and, well, it appeared to be passable. It had rained but it wasn't that muddy. Eventually, I reach the point where it is probably too difficult to continue and decide to try to turn the vehicle around. The nice thing about a Subaru is the very tight turning radius. It was not enough, if you look at the picture as an example, I ended up wedged between the two banks with my bumpers holding the car off the ground far enough that I could no longer get traction.
No problem. I have a bumper jack and can get the vehicle down from that position but I can only get it down and facing the same direction. So I am still faced with the same problem - the road is too rocky to risk backing out and there is no way forward without taking serious risks. I should also mention that alcohol was involved as was a friend of mine who happily encourages my behavior.
Lacking any other choice, forward to adventure, high ho and all that. We actually manage to get through this section. Only to go another mile or less before sinking to the frame and entirely burying the vehicle to the point where extricating oneself is nigh on impossible with the equipment on hand.
I ended up asking the land owner's permission and leaving the vehicle there for another month (and paying them for the hassle). I then went down and brought my truck and an extra winch as well as block and tackle and a number of chains and tow straps as well as a few friends (more alcohol) and some other tools like shovels and the likes. It took much work but the vehicle was finally extracted.
I am not sure why that is. I'll try to explain but, please, understand that I'm tired and not the most articulate.
I owned my own company. I've spoken with many others who have been in the same position. I have crunched my own numbers and have spoken, extensively, with others who have done the same. In almost every field (I'm unable to think of many that do not fit this pattern) the cost of labor is trivial when compared to other expenses.
To give an example, I paid some employees more than I was actually paid. (I did have the benefit of being the owner of the cookie jar, however.) Now, I paid very well - some had salaries that exceeded six figures. Add to that the various expenses associated with hiring, insuring, and providing other benefits... Add all that up, including space occupied, parking provisions, and the likes...
I still paid FAR more to Xerox for printers than I paid some employees. There were plenty of times that I spent more on licensing software and buying hardware (we were a Sun shop, mostly) than I spent on employee salaries and benefits. Rent, prior to ownership, was a greater expense than some of the labor. We gave some people more in bonuses than some other employees made in a year. (We gave decent bonuses and some staff was simply secretarial or similar.)
Chances are, at least according to my own experiences and my questions aimed at others, labor is a trivial expense. I don't recall ever, not even once, turning down a request for a raise. Aside: If you pay them well in the first place, chances are they won't come in asking for a raise and will go much longer before they do need an increase in their wages. Imagine that?
Anyhow, if someone tells you they can't afford to give you a raise because of financial difficulties - go grab a copy machine and set it on fire. They're paying the copy machine more than they're paying you. Hell, just replace their lighting with energy efficient lights and enforce a policy of turning lights off in unoccupied rooms. After six months they can afford your damned raise.
They might be paying more, depending on their size, for managed and supplied coffee machines than they are paying you. Labor is a trivial expense though it's a higher percentage when the company is in its early stages. Cutting the cost of labor is obscene and the margins so slim that they'd do better just having a few less copy machines and hiring dedicated staff to manage the queue.
There are exceptions to this, some industries where there is a great deal of manpower or the likes. However, those are few and far between from what I've seen. If one things pisses me off more than anything else then failure to properly compensate the people who make your business possible is pretty damned high on the list. It's unfortunate that more people do not understand this. Greed is fine so long as it is not excessive - the goal is, usually, to make money if we ignore those who are altruistic. However, there's a point where it simply becomes degeneration and harmful.
Sorry if I didn't explain it well. I re-read it and it seems to make sense in my head but, as I mentioned, I'm not the most articulate of people. I am, however, verbose.
TL;DR: Pay your damned employees what they're worth and then enough on top of that to keep them happy. You'd be surprised at how that impacts your bottom line. The impact of doing so is almost certainly a greater percentage than you'd achieve by lowering salaries or paying less. (That's a generic you, not you specifically.)
You're wrong. Yes, yes I am willing to pay for that. I could buy my clothing from a department store. Instead, I buy from L.L. Bean or the likes. (Yes, their flagship store is as awesome as you might imagine.) I already pay more for a better automobile where my daily driver is concerned. I pay more for my hardware. I pay more for building supplies. I pay more for food.
No, not all of us are looking for the lowest possible cost. We're also not looking for the most expensive. We're looking for the best returns on our investments and the highest quality goods at the most reasonable prices. I don't mind spending $200 extra on a phone because I'm going to be able to use that phone for several years. Amortization over all those years makes the additional expense trivial and the benefits are such that it is worth it to me.
In short, math is a thing and you're mistaken if you think that the world is solely populated by those who are incapable of doing simple algebra in their heads. Yes, yes I will pay more for stability, function, durability, and accountability. I already do.
Slashdot Mirror
Shouldn't that be, "Thus, in tiny pieces, a language is corrupted?"
I wonder who would try to minimize this. I guess we found out. Has it occurred to you that the issue may not be the totality of her communication but, rather, the ethical and potential legal violations this insinuates or proves? No? I'm not surprised.
I don't think I've ever accused anyone of being a paid shill on the internet before and I've often looked down on those who do make such accusations. However, that post looks like it might be from an idiot or from someone being paid to be an idiot. I'm sort of hoping it's the latter.
Is that what you got from the story? Hmm... I must be doing it wrong. Even as a child, and this was a long time ago, my conclusion was that the little lying bastard deserved to be eaten and his family shunned for having raised an idiot. Maybe that's why my mother stopped reading me stories?
I think McAfee is awesome and he and I have a lot in common, actually. However, I'd absolutely be unwilling to vote for him. He's crazier than I am and that's quite an achievement. I mean, yeah, I might vote for him because I enjoy "lulz" but, honestly, were I a caring individual who wanted to exercise his rights to help form a better society then, by no means, would I consider actually voting for John. I'd party with him. I'd snort hookers and screw blow with him. I'd even go out target practicing with him or travel with him for a while. Vote for him? The only reason I'd vote for him is because I'm secure and don't actually like my fellow citizens a great deal.
In my defense, in the past 15 years my fellow citizens have elected Bush twice, Obama twice, and now Trump and Clinton are both 'serious' candidates. I don't like my fellow citizens because they're astonishingly short sighted and stupid.
Ah. Okay. Looking at pictures is okay - and I think it's socially acceptable to watch a video. Reading the article? Not a chance. Reading it AND comprehending it? Now that's right out.
We go ice fishing up my way. Well, the locals/natives do. I used to go ice drinking but I don't drink any more. I've never once tried to fish through the ice unless you count jigging for smelts which, I guess, sort of qualifies as fishing and I did not even do that for long. I was mostly hell bent on getting drunk - which is all I've ever done out in the ice shacks. Some of them are pretty nice, too. In fact, I've gotten drunk in lots of ice shacks and not once really fished to the best of my recollection. No alien abductions though.
Valid point. I think I've either acclimated to the point where I don't even notice bugs. I just work around them. It's amusing that someone came along and modded it as off topic. They'll have to run around and find all my posts, for a long time too, to even make a dent in my karma. Silly geese.
I live on the side of a mountain. I have a diesel powered truck and some older cars that are rather bad for the environment. I should just start them all up and keep them idling - I'll flood 'em out. ;) (No, I'd not really do such a thing but they do get operated when the situation calls for it.)
The new guy walks in and tells people to meet his standards. Cute. Pick another site. We like our bugs.
You can buy a drafty shack with piss poor efficiency for very low prices. I'm not suggesting you do but trying to equate today with yesterday isn't a very good idea considering how much has changed between now and then. Stop buying your kids iPads. Invest that in the stock market.
You have a better life than they did and work less hard as well. If you don't then you're probably doing something wrong - likely expecting more while doing less. Those aren't bad expectations they're just not realistic given how things have turned out.
Observation: Some people have too much free time.
Everything you mention is much better today than it was then. Our houses more efficient, our access to educational material is much greater and easier, and our health care capacities have improved many times over. I'm not suggesting this is the cause but I'm suggesting you failed to take that into account. There was no glory yesteryear. You're just lazier and feel more entitled.
Well, nobody was staying on topic anyhow and we never do so...
It's just an observation and I may be mistaken. I never did see the results of the poll /. did to find out the user's ages, genders, etc... They should release that information. It would be a few years old by now. Anyhow, I think you may be mistaken? 31 years ago, 1984, would be right around the time that I am guessing many of us were born. I think the user age here is probably a bit higher than that, as an average, and would expect it to be in the 35 to 45 range as the average. Personally, I'm 57 and was born in '57. (I only get to say this for a year, allow me my trivial enjoyments.) You're obviously older than some others and will help to change the average. I also know that there are a number of others who are older than myself from a number of conversations here.
That said, I'd really have liked to seen the results of their survey. I don't recall them releasing it and I paid attention for a while afterwards. I must, also, confess that I did not submit my information to said survey. I am far too lazy for that. I am not certain but it seems that a number of us are pretty old compared to a number of other sites that I frequent.
Did you forget to check the 'post anonymously' box?
I use Opera which means that I can also "steal" Chrome extensions. It takes a minute (or ten) to configure, amortized over time, but uMatrix is awesome. It's like the early versions of Outpost. It's a very granular firewall specifically for the browser. Outpost is still like that but it's hidden these days (I am told - I haven't used it or Windows in a while). This means I block pretty much everything by default and selectively whitelist, temporarily or permanently, as needed and per domain. It's not as difficult as it might sound.
I have no idea if there's a Firefox version available. I only use Firefox for Hulu and for downloading the initial Opera install (the rest goes through a PPA). However, in my mind, had I not already been a user this would have been enough to make me consider switching browsers.
It's not fancy. It's sure as hell not pretty. It's a bit like a hammer in those regards. It does one thing and does it well. It blocks stuff and let's you decide to unblock stuff. It does have a configuration backup, which is nice, but that's about it. I mean, yeah, it does a few other things like spoof referrers if you want. A few /.ers have tried it and haven't replied telling me that I'm a jerk so I'm assuming they got along well with it. It's got a tiny learning curve but, like a hammer, you can really make it do what you want.
Wait a minute...
You read the article?
I was reading about this earlier. The article indicated that the bug exists in Chromium as well. Chromium is open source. Chrome is the closed source variant. This doesn't make the OP any less of an idiot but the bug exists in the open source version as well as far according to the article. I have not, of course, read this particular article. I'm not a heretic.
I certainly don't agree with them but that you think you're the arbiter of what is and isn't welcome is, in fact, a greater problem than racism, homophobia, or any other type of bigotry. That you think you've a right to control the conversation or to insist that others adhere to your level (when you've certainly no right to determine such) is a far greater social problem than racism is.
That you tell them that you're the authority of what is and isn't quality or welcome is pretty much the definition of why you're not welcome and are getting the push back that you are. I'd submit that you're the one who is not welcome here but, in fact, you are welcome here - we have an ignore feature and can selectively read what we wish. Be that as it may, and you're certainly welcome to participate, we're laughing at you and not with you.
That you think you're capable of deciding for others is laughable. That you think your opinion is valuable is laughable. That you think you're qualified to determine what is and isn't welcome is laughable. That you think you're able to decide the merits of conversation is laughable. That you think you're somehow able to control the conversation is laughable. That you think you're somehow entitled to control the conversation is laughable.
You, ma'am, are doing more harm to society than the racists, sexists, homophobic, xenophobic, or other freaks are. However, yes, do continue to push your agenda. Some of us get great amusement from it. It's like watching two mentally retarded people fight over a donut. Fortunately the majority of us are sane and capable of critical thinking.
One is by choice, the other by force. How is this inconsistent? I don't know if you're willfully ignorant, stupid, or trolling. I hope you're just stupid. Stupidity is something we can work with, we can cure that.
For example, I use GMail and allow tailored search results. However, I block everything they use like ads and tracking scripts with uMatrix. I made the choice to give up some of my privacy for the convenience of tailored search results.
I did not choose to have the NSA spy on me. I elect what information I share with them and how, as well as when, I share it. I do not control what data they, and other government bodies, take. I do control what Google scrapes and it's labor intensive to configure (initially) but worth it in the end. I make exceptions based on the results - if it's more beneficial for me to enable the Google API then I'll do so for that particular site. Generally it is not required so it seldom gets used.
Electing to share data with Google is not giving the government, or any other party, carte blanc to access that permission. This is not even a difficult concept - children can understand the idea of telling one thing to one person and the difference between that and sharing the information with everyone or having someone spy on you to access that information. Hell, you could even find an analogy between it and the game of Hide and Seek.
I realize you think you're smart but the two positions are quite consistent. If you can't understand the difference don't bother to reply. I've neither the time nor patience to give instructions on critical thinking when the subject is not capable or not interested. There is no false dichotomy. The two positions are just fine to be held and do not conflict with each other. It is about control and permission.
I'm forced to reason that you lack the intelligence of a child who is capable of playing Hide and Seek.
Added - this group is the GNAA and not (likely) APK. I had to edit the hell out of this post to make it pass the lameness filter.
That is a fairly old copypasta. They can be found and still have (or had) their IRC channel up. They're not thriving but they're active, sort of. I think they're growing up and in need of fresh blood.
They, among other groups, would make an interesting study. If it were my field then I'd consider doing the research and authoring a paper or two based on it. As it stands, I sometimes consider doing it though I'd never get it published because I lack the credentials - regardless of authorship's quality. I've been actively observing these folks, folks of this ilk - if you will, for quite some time.
Watching people and reading things like comments at online message boards is one of my favorite hobbies. I've been watching the trolls since the BBS days. I don't (usually) go for trolling personally. It's not my style and I'm generally too polite to intentionally piss people off unless I've good reason for doing so. That doesn't mean that I don't admire their work. There's a difference, in my mind, between being ignorant and being a bit of a performance artist.
Socrates would be considered a troll if he had internet access. I bet he'd have, and insist on using, an AOL email address.
A good troll will not only make you react in a disproportionate manner but will also give one/others pause to rethink their already concluded thought patterns. In fact, good trolling (and I'm presuming such exists even if folks might argue) is fairly rare and often requires quite a bit of work. Anonymity and protection from physical repercussions means we see more online trolls than we see IRL trolls.
I suspect that many of these folks would be missing teeth if they tried their antics in the real world.
Awesome! I knew that someone would know exactly what I was speaking about and would remember more of it than I do. There's, as I mentioned, an excellent documentary about him and the varieties that he created. I'd thought they were mostly built on the Shermans and a few models based on the Churchills. I had no knowledge of the others being utilized, thanks for the information.
He designed another one that was kind of interesting. It dropped sticks into and on to stuff. I thought that one was rather creative. The flailing attachment used to quickly clear a path in a mine field was also rather effective if I understand it properly and recall it properly.
Part of my problem (if it is properly considered a problem) is that I watch only documentaries, for the most part. These are 'entertainment' for me and my goal isn't really to remember all the names. While I learn stuff the goal isn't just to learn - it's because I find them truly entertaining and get more enjoyment from those than I do from other media genres.
I'm not sure if that makes sense...
I end up watching for amusement and not for serious study. As it's really passive it means that I don't learn everything at depth and I don't remember things like names unless I've had lots of references to them. I usually recall enough to make for effective search engine queries but I'm also kind of lazy at times and Google is so very far away.
Make sense?
If it were more formal and my goal was to actually be a historian or an expert in the field then I'd make it a point to recall the information as well as to act on learning more. What's awesome is that there are usually people like yourself who will come in and fill in the blanks for me so that I'm able to bring up a subject and someone will come along and provide information that covers the gaps in my education and memory.
The added benefit is that the information is now something I've read and interacted with (in the form of a reply) which means I'll not only have learned something new but I'll be more likely to retain it and draw on it at a later date and time.
In short, thanks.
I'm an automobile aficionado and, because of this, I own far more cars than is healthy. Each one of them is owned for, generally, very specific reasons and each of them is utilized to for enjoyment in those particular areas - some are also utilitarian such as an RV and a couple of pick up trucks. One of my goals is to put such vehicles through their paces. I get a great deal of enjoyment from pushing them beyond their design limits. My enjoyment means that, most weekends, I have a local garage that sends someone by to work every Saturday in my garage.
I mention that so that I can mention this...
One of these vehicles is a mid-1990s Subaru Outback, specifically the L.L. Bean edition. It is still in stock condition and would likely qualify as 'near mint' even after this escapade.
Picture, if you will, Maine in the spring. Now, there are generally floods if there was a heavy snow pack, lots of rain, or the temperature is high enough to make the snow melt rapidly. Because of the bodies of water and different elevations there are numerous area that would qualify for the term 'micro climate.'
Quite a ways from my house is a town called Rome. Google Maps will find it if you're curious. In Rome there's a 'road' (term applied loosely) called the Watson Pond Road. Off of this road is another 'road' that is no longer in use. It is The Old Rome Road and connected Rome to Mt. Vernon. It's on the Rand McNally atlas though marked in hyphens with a section that is blank in the middle. Both of those mean something.
Now, spring has sprung and we've a fifth season here in Maine. I learned of it when I came here to attend high school and then relearned it when I moved here. It's called Mud Season. Some of us celebrate the arrival of this season with greater festivity than we celebrate Christmas or the start of hunting season. I am one of those people and have a variety of vehicles that I use to visit the tops of mountains.
One of those vehicles is the afore mentioned Subaru. It was not designed for this. I should also mention that I don't believe in getting "towed." Getting a tow or pulled out from a ditch just means you failed to apply enough throttle. No, if you're going to do it then do it right. I believe in getting my vehicle "extracted." The difference is huge, often requires things like heavy machinery, great expense, and block and tackle setups.
So, I take this road because I'd taken it in the summer the year before and, well, it appeared to be passable. It had rained but it wasn't that muddy. Eventually, I reach the point where it is probably too difficult to continue and decide to try to turn the vehicle around. The nice thing about a Subaru is the very tight turning radius. It was not enough, if you look at the picture as an example, I ended up wedged between the two banks with my bumpers holding the car off the ground far enough that I could no longer get traction.
No problem. I have a bumper jack and can get the vehicle down from that position but I can only get it down and facing the same direction. So I am still faced with the same problem - the road is too rocky to risk backing out and there is no way forward without taking serious risks. I should also mention that alcohol was involved as was a friend of mine who happily encourages my behavior.
Lacking any other choice, forward to adventure, high ho and all that. We actually manage to get through this section. Only to go another mile or less before sinking to the frame and entirely burying the vehicle to the point where extricating oneself is nigh on impossible with the equipment on hand.
I ended up asking the land owner's permission and leaving the vehicle there for another month (and paying them for the hassle). I then went down and brought my truck and an extra winch as well as block and tackle and a number of chains and tow straps as well as a few friends (more alcohol) and some other tools like shovels and the likes. It took much work but the vehicle was finally extracted.
It was glorious and meant a l
I am not sure why that is. I'll try to explain but, please, understand that I'm tired and not the most articulate.
I owned my own company. I've spoken with many others who have been in the same position. I have crunched my own numbers and have spoken, extensively, with others who have done the same. In almost every field (I'm unable to think of many that do not fit this pattern) the cost of labor is trivial when compared to other expenses.
To give an example, I paid some employees more than I was actually paid. (I did have the benefit of being the owner of the cookie jar, however.) Now, I paid very well - some had salaries that exceeded six figures. Add to that the various expenses associated with hiring, insuring, and providing other benefits... Add all that up, including space occupied, parking provisions, and the likes...
I still paid FAR more to Xerox for printers than I paid some employees. There were plenty of times that I spent more on licensing software and buying hardware (we were a Sun shop, mostly) than I spent on employee salaries and benefits. Rent, prior to ownership, was a greater expense than some of the labor. We gave some people more in bonuses than some other employees made in a year. (We gave decent bonuses and some staff was simply secretarial or similar.)
Chances are, at least according to my own experiences and my questions aimed at others, labor is a trivial expense. I don't recall ever, not even once, turning down a request for a raise. Aside: If you pay them well in the first place, chances are they won't come in asking for a raise and will go much longer before they do need an increase in their wages. Imagine that?
Anyhow, if someone tells you they can't afford to give you a raise because of financial difficulties - go grab a copy machine and set it on fire. They're paying the copy machine more than they're paying you. Hell, just replace their lighting with energy efficient lights and enforce a policy of turning lights off in unoccupied rooms. After six months they can afford your damned raise.
They might be paying more, depending on their size, for managed and supplied coffee machines than they are paying you. Labor is a trivial expense though it's a higher percentage when the company is in its early stages. Cutting the cost of labor is obscene and the margins so slim that they'd do better just having a few less copy machines and hiring dedicated staff to manage the queue.
There are exceptions to this, some industries where there is a great deal of manpower or the likes. However, those are few and far between from what I've seen. If one things pisses me off more than anything else then failure to properly compensate the people who make your business possible is pretty damned high on the list. It's unfortunate that more people do not understand this. Greed is fine so long as it is not excessive - the goal is, usually, to make money if we ignore those who are altruistic. However, there's a point where it simply becomes degeneration and harmful.
Sorry if I didn't explain it well. I re-read it and it seems to make sense in my head but, as I mentioned, I'm not the most articulate of people. I am, however, verbose.
TL;DR: Pay your damned employees what they're worth and then enough on top of that to keep them happy. You'd be surprised at how that impacts your bottom line. The impact of doing so is almost certainly a greater percentage than you'd achieve by lowering salaries or paying less. (That's a generic you, not you specifically.)
You're wrong. Yes, yes I am willing to pay for that. I could buy my clothing from a department store. Instead, I buy from L.L. Bean or the likes. (Yes, their flagship store is as awesome as you might imagine.) I already pay more for a better automobile where my daily driver is concerned. I pay more for my hardware. I pay more for building supplies. I pay more for food.
No, not all of us are looking for the lowest possible cost. We're also not looking for the most expensive. We're looking for the best returns on our investments and the highest quality goods at the most reasonable prices. I don't mind spending $200 extra on a phone because I'm going to be able to use that phone for several years. Amortization over all those years makes the additional expense trivial and the benefits are such that it is worth it to me.
In short, math is a thing and you're mistaken if you think that the world is solely populated by those who are incapable of doing simple algebra in their heads. Yes, yes I will pay more for stability, function, durability, and accountability. I already do.