No, I'm sticking with it. I've read it again. I'm still not convinced that your argument was anything other than a fallacy.
For the sake of amusement, you don't trust your kids. You'd be stupid to trust your kids.
No, I mean trust in the definition in the same sense you're using it. You do not trust them. You trust them to be forgetful, lie, cheat, manipulate, and conceal. You trust them to do lots of things but not trust in the sense of what you're suggesting.
You'd be a fool to trust your kids entirely. That's stupid and no, it doesn't raise monster kids. Like almost all things, the Law of Diminishing Returns applies here.
There's a finite value at which you trust them. Some trust may need to be withheld, and for good reason. It's also imperative to acknowledge that removing a trust level from a single device does not mean that it must extend elsewhere. You know better than that. You are, for your own reasons, very passionate about a few subjects, this is one of them - I've seen you post on this before.
My kids had large safes. They were combination safes and I never knew the combinations on them. Most of the times, they had them unlocked - actually. However, anything they could fit into that safe was off-limits to me. I could have forced them to unlock it, I never did.
At the same time, I have (and have had) things that were locked away and nobody but myself could access them. Right now, it will take you some serious effort to get into my gun safe at my house. It's rebar and 10" of concrete with wire mesh.The door is embedded into that concrete and is made of hardened steel. The ceiling has ¼" steel between it and the joists above. That's also got multiple safes inside of it. The door takes a very long numeric PIN.
If they want into the room, they needed only to ask. If you're curious, I had the same size and brand safe in my room. That was my personal space.
This is not speculation on the phone in this case. This is simply addressing dismay at your argument. You can do better than that.;-)
In my case, it would make a sound like "burr" only with an H. Sort of like an Ebonics speaker may enunciate "her." Such accents would be found in the middle of the Eastern Coastal States.
However, I'd pronounce it like I'd pronounce 'burr.
I'm more likely to say "durr" or "derp." That dependson whom I'm communicating with an the ultimate goal of that effort.
While that might raise it to the level of suspicion, it does not mean that one is liable in a criminal matter.
The burden of proof for a civil case is much lower so it might matter in divorce proceedings.
In case you do not know, I'll explain. You might be surprised to find out how many people don't understand or know these things.
Criminal offense: The State must prove, beyond reasonable doubt, that the defendant is charged with. Civil Offense: They State must prove that, you more likely than not, committed the offense.
So, if you go in the motel room and close the doors - providing no witnesses other than the two consenting parties, there's absolutely no (reasonable) way to get a conviction based on that evidence. In theory, something like a condom might be enough evidence, albeit circumstantial evidence, for a conviction.
Note: The criminal conviction is not "beyond all doubt. Beyond all reasonable doubt, reasonable is an actual legal concept. Note: The State does not have to provide a defense for *ANY* civil infractions. The 6th Amendment covers those who risk jail if convicted.
Criminal offense: May be sentenced to serve time in jail or prison. Civil offense: Can not result in jail time. OJ lost his civil trial, for example. Prior to that, he won is criminal trial.
Sorry - that might not be that articulate. I'm a bit stoned and I ate some sinus pills.
Yes, it's the comment limit and I just saw it the other day. Within the past week - I even commented as an AC to you not that long ago - a week and a half, maybe?
Let me see what I can discover... *goes off searching and returns a few minutes later*
Aright, I'm in the upper 40s right now. I'll post this and then, if it doesn't happen (I can take care of figuring this out in pretty quick order) I'll get back to you by my user account and, if it does, there will be an AC post. I'm sure you can tell the difference. I'm using my home in Maine as my proxy. I do have (and use) a VPN but I will avoid using it for this set of messages. (I believe admins see IP addresses, or did when I was playing with the earlier, open source, code.)
Gimme a few minutes. I think I'm currently on post #45 for a 24 hour period.
Well, here's another clue for you all... The walrus is Paul.
No, they probably won't get it...
Good call, by the way. I'm soon abed and I was listening to James Taylor (one of the actually good greatest hits albums out there) but I could do with the change. I'm thinking the White album.
I don't really have a problem with tax breaks, as some call them. Many people don't understand them and will call them "subsidies" or "tax-breaks" or other things without actually understanding them. For example, it'd be fucking moronic to tax a business on income other than its profit. Lots of people who complain about things like taxation (and this is NOT an accusation about you personally - let me make that clear) don't even know the difference between revenue and profit.
I've had conversations that went a bit like this:
They: That company had 1.2 billion in revenue. There's no reason they shouldn't be paying half of that in taxes. Me: Their profit was.3 billion. They: Then they need to make more money.
They: All corporations suck! Me: Did you mean that? Really? They: Yes. Every corporation is evil, money-grubbing, thieves. Me: You mean like the EFF or Linux Foundation? How about the ACLU, Habitat for Humanities, or BSD?
They: No, they can't let the guy park his car in the underground parking lot for free. It's against the law. Me: Wait, what? They: They have a legal obligation to make all the money they can, at any expense, and anything else puts the CEO in jail. Me: Are you high? They: It's called fiduciary duty, you fucking idiot. Look it up on Wikipedia! It's predatory stock-holders doing it!
I've had multiples of those conversations in the past month.
So, you'll have to pardon my skepticism when it comes to people, on this site in particular, attempting to discuss matters not pertaining to computers and technology.
I don't know what your income bracket is but I know that I sold my business and retired 8 years ago. As such, I know what the "wealthy" pay in taxes. I also pay attention to the numbers.
Now, this part might be confusing for you. I'll try to make it clear but I'm not the most articulate.
I have a few dollars. You'd call me rich or wealthy if you saw my bank account. And yes, if you need verification then I've actually met multiple people from this very site - in person. I have also been doxxed, back before it was even a thing.
My tax records are not a matter of public record but I pay capital gains rates. I don't do short-term investing. Just so that you know, a good rule of thumb is that if you hold onto it for longer than a year then it is taxed at capital gains rates. If you hold it less than that then it counts as regular income and is taxed at regular income rates - on the same exact form that you have access to. But, so you know, my overall rate, prior to reducing my burden, is 23% - counting both State and Federal. I can reduce it further than that, in a whole host of ways, but I don't really bother.
This is leading to the confusing part...
I not only don't mind taxes but I feel that I could pay more in taxes and not even notice. It's my duty to not really pay more than is required. I'm not very good at that - ask my accountant. I don't save receipts, I donate anonymously, I don't write off/down most of the things I buy that are business related.
Business related? Absolutely. I'm still very much the chief executive officer for several incorporated groups of people. They're rather passive things but the information, the articles of incorporation/corporate charter, can all be dug out of the records easily enough. That's besides the point.
The point is, you can incorporate if you want. Hire yourself as a sub-contractor and pay you to go to your day job. It might be worth it, if your tax burden is high enough.
But, like I said... I don't mind taxes and would actually happily pay more if I had any reason to believe it'd be spent wisely. When I sold my business, I did donate to the government. Yes, donate. I gave the US Government money, my money, and without force. I specifically was able to donate to NASA. In case your'e curious, you can donate to NASA but you can't earmark the donation for a project. Donations must go to the general operations fund. I was wantin
Yeah, someone linked to it below and I saw it later in the thread. I laughed. I also mentioned it to Ol' Olsec who also felt the dude was likely a closet perv.
However, in his "defense" he wasn't/really/ pimping so much as he was directing and facilitating. Hell, he was making a few bucks and the ladies were making some money. He's still a sleaze-bucket but wasn't really so much pimping even though that's what the charges were. I also noticed his face in the article...
I'm not normally a violent person - in fact, I go out of my way to be non-violent. I'm a "practicing" secular Buddhist, if it's possible for such to exist. It's too long a story to type tonight.
But... Did you notice his face? I'm *really* not a violent person, normally. But some people just have an eminently punchable face. The last one I noticed was the guy who's the CEO of that company that raised the cost of meds to some extreme amount and said he was doing it to prove a point. He's got a punchable face. I don't know what it is and I'd absolutely not punch them without cause.
Nope. I'd not punch either of them without cause. I just might find cause a bit easier, given the opportunity. Oddly, this sentiment led to a giant (and great) conversation in one of my journals on this site. It might have been Barbara's journal, actually. I don't recall now. Either way, the dude's seriously got a face that needs a good crack. Just a bit off-center with a marginal hook. Not aiming to break it but it might happen. The goal is to get it to make that popping sound and have them remember you for a couple of weeks. They could be innocent angels but they have faces that just scream, to me, "HIT ME!!!"
Fortunately, while I am thinking of it and thinking it would be fun - and satisfactory, I'd never actually consider doing such a thing. More accurately, I'd not seek them out intentionally to do such a thing. I can't really promise anything if the opportunity presents itself but it is quite unlikely that I'd act on it.
To your closing sentiment, I'd say, "You can't even imagine..." Except, you probably can - you might be worse than I. I got *HUGE* for a while - muscular. That didn't last. I've always been really tight and generally remained fit but I didn't *maintain* a whole lot of physical fitness. I doubt I have as much scar tissue - far less sparring, far less time in a gym, and more time with the "right" kind of exercise - sort of. That ended.;-)
I should add, in case you're confused, the chiropractor that I speak of was not a wrestler himself. No, he's just a fairly tiny fella. He's also not that fit. No, he worked ON the wrestlers. He was their sports therapist. I'm not sure if you're confused or not - so I figured I'd make that clear. I might not have been clear enough the first time around.
Also, yes, a tens unit. I have on from the VA. Technically, I have three from the VA. I'm not sure if this is valuable information for you but let me see if I can help there.
They actually are pretty good, except for one - I'm not home to check the brand. I have a *very* expensive one that I bought in another country - they're supposed to be (or were supposed to be) prescription only as a medical device? Something like that. That's now changed, by the way. At any rate, I paid an outlandish sum for a very nice one. But, this is the important part - I think? I'm not sure how valid it is and I'm not sure if it's State or Federal regulations. However, I believe you can now legally (you've been able to do it online for a while - sans prescription, I've looked a few times back when I was in pain) buy your own and don't need a prescription - at least in Maine. (More on that in a minute.)
I'd already had one from the VA at that point but it was pretty timid. Whatever the highest voltage is, was nothing. The contacts were lousy. That's why I bought the nice one. And that was pretty nice for a while but then the VA wanted me to try another so they gave it to me. This wasn't all that long ago - just a couple of years ago. I actually had to turn the first one back in. It's also important to note that I tried to buy one legally here in the US but nobody sold them - I was able to pick up the nice one at a pharmacy in Canada, my home is not far from the border. It was pretty expensive - even with real dollars.;-)
Now it gets more confusing. So, I had the one. That one, and the one I had purchased in Canada, are classed as medical devices and regulated or, as far as I understand, were regulated at the time. They're both pretty old now.
So, the VA gave me a second one but I had to turn in the first one. There was no prescription involved, I went home with it that day. They sent me new contacts and they wouldn't fit. So, they mailed me a second one (now the third). They never asked for the first one back and told me to not bother bringing it back when I asked about it.
Now, the second one (technically the third - or 4th if you're counting mine) was also different but the contacts fit and I had a whole bunch - but the belt is Velcro and sucked. I mentioned it and they sent me a whole new one. This means they're really cheap now - by the way. It also means that they're no longer being classified as medical devices, by somebody.
But, here's the thing... I told you this was the confusing part... Starting with the first new one, it's pretty powerful. The two that I have after that are virtually identical but the model number is slightly different. The contacts are universal between them. They fit in the same holster so they can be carried in a few different ways. They're made by the same vendor but the second of those two, the newest one, feels like it might be even stronger than the one that's a slightly older model.
In other words, that's my experience with some that I have had that were take-home/owned. They appear to no longer be classified as medical devices. They also appear to be upping the voltage. The package probably tells me, somewhere in the documentation, w
This might not make sense but I'll try to explain my line of thinking and then you may, or may not, agree. However, hear me out for a minute...
If that happened, it would be a good sign. I know, someone will have died. However, it'd be an indicator that they're scared and worried about the repercussions from an angry populace. It would mean that they want retribution. It would mean that they are worried about other information getting released.
That nothing has happened, or will happen, is a sure sign that they're not worried about winning any more. They're no longer worried about being caught. They no longer fear the repercussions. More importantly, they no longer fear the citizenry - to the point where they're comfortable with their dirty laundry being aired and have absolutely no intentions on stopping the bad behavior now.
That they don't care, that this man is still alive, those are bad things. In a way, it would be great if it was found having stabbed himself in the back, to death, tomorrow morning. That'd mean they care and, if caught, would face punishment and they worry about it.
Hmm... That's not the most articulate but if you can turn that word jumble into something meaningful then you'll understand what I'm trying to say. The government should be afraid of the citizens, not the other way around. Fear, in some cases, is nothing more than a healthy respect. It doesn't have to be bad that the government fears the citizens. In fact, it's ideal that they do - though there's always the Law of Diminishing Returns. Well, almost always such a law. The Law, itself, seemingly subject to itself.
On the other hand, I can see why you might be confused. But hey, you're not living with your mother. It's the basement. It's your OWN apartment - except when she's gotta do laundry, empty the cat box, or bring you pizza rolls. That wadded pile of blankets over next to the water heater IS your bedroom, damn it. You even had a girl over. Once. She's gonna call you back, any minute now.
(If you're gonna do stereotypes, at least get 'em right. Sheesh... Do I have to do everything around here?)
A number of people have recommended caution when proceeding forward with Unicode support - and for a variety of good reasons. That you were quite specific, something I've noticed about you - and appreciate, is that you said "for stories."
That's probably the best choice as well as expanding a the subset that we're able to use currently. It might even be time to *gasp* slap an editor on there and let people use markdown.
However, the complaints raised against Unicode are many and the things to be wary of are also many. Others have expressed it much more articulately than I can and I'll avoid boring you with repetition. Suffice to say, it does not look well when others can point, laugh, and say that you were warned. That you specifically stated stories makes me have high hopes for you.
Given my druthers, I'd like to see some additional support but I see no use for the various kanji/emoticons/poop piles.
Don't get me wrong - that will amuse me for days on end. If you enable the poop Unicode then I am going to use that character. I am going to find creative and unique ways to use that character and more. When they said that you don't want to allow that what they actually meant was that I visit and, because of this, the fewer buttons there are to push, the better off we'll be in the long-term.
'Cause if you put a big red button that says, "DO NOT PUSH" and I in the same room together, I'm pushing that button as soon as you leave the room. It might blow up the world. It might lock the door and gas me. I'm still pushing that button. I am not even remotely unique in those regards. If you give me the poop icon or a new way to Rick-roll people, I will do that. I will do that to *you* on day one - and I actually appreciate you.
It's probably important that you understand this. 'Cause I will find a way to make Unicode say things it does not and link to things it does not appear to link to. I can register a free domain name in about ten minutes and set up a redirection service even faster than people can figure it out. I've got time, patience, skill, and the maturity of a five year old.
That said, I'm still waiting on you to find and change ONE number. It is literally one number and needs to be changed once. Use a text editor, search, select files and sub-folders, and search the code base for "50." Make that a new number. Any number > 50 is an improvement. If you want, I can do this for you - you just tell me what the number it is that you want there and promise to not press charges - in writing.;-)
Then again, it might take me a while to find that number. It's Perl. It's a combination of chicken-scratch and wingding fonts - worse, it's still actually gotta be translated from those into the original Norse before you can even work on it. But, eventually - I will find the right number. There are a finite number of values to change and the neighborhood kid has Ritalin and Adderall.
It's amazing what revisionist history has done for the French Revolution. (No, not accusing you - you were the one citing actual history.)
I believe you're from France? I don't know if you're aware of this but a lot of people who are not from France have romanticized the French Revolution and think that it had the desired income. They'll outright disbelieve you when you point out that the revolutionaries all ended up dead (for the most part). They'll refuse to look at the evidence to see that it was more than just a few royal people who died. They'll forget about the violent oppression and the wild pendulum swing (where even the wealthy mimicked the poor in things like manner of dress and social behaviors LEST THEY DIE). They'll ignore that people died for, pretty much, not being happy enough - or faking it. They don't know about the zany calendar changes, the whole swing away from allowing religion, and that it lasted, largely, up until Napoleon where he finally managed to inspire the army into action - and then promptly went crazy AND got away with coming back from exile.
They think the Revolution was over with after a couple of heads were lopped off. They have no idea about the media manipulation that was so bad that some young lady went all the way to find the paper's publisher - stomped half-way across the country with a knife - and killed him. Then she got her head lopped off too.
I am, by no means, a historian but I've read a bunch and there are actually a few good, objective and information dense, documentaries on the subject. One of my favorites is entitled simply that, "The French Revolution." It's not too bad - it's four or five hours long, as I recall. (I'm too lazy to look it up.)
But yeah, I don't know if you know this but outside of your country there are a whole bunch of people who think the French Revolution was a rosy affair that ended the way it was intended to end and was over when the kids (plural?) disappeared and Marie lost her head. The Revolutionaries were batshit insane and the whole society went batshit insane for quite a while. Yet, they've a romantic image that denies the reality.
It ended up exactly nothing like what was intended. They tried to one-up each other to be the most common, for example. Complete with their manner of dress. I believe that it still impacts some of the customs today - but I forget which ones. Something about articles of clothing, socks, pointy shoes - or lack of them, or something like that.
They've a crazy belief that it was something other than what it was - a time of insanity that culminated with Emperor Bonaparte and his eventual failings vs. Russians and English (Lord Nelson, maybe? I am NOT a historian) and was quite a dreadful affair. They, these people who romanticize it without knowing a damned thing about it, want us to emulate it - or at least express such sentiments. I don't think they know what they speak of.
What I do not understand is who did the revisionist history? I don't think it was by the French. I know some French people and have been to France multiple times and even discussed it with a number of citizens and ex-pats. They're quite frank and realistic about it. They largely (at least in the ones I've communicated with) accept that it really wasn't all that it was cracked up to be but that it sort of worked out in the end.
> A guy who once left [grapevine.is] in the middle of a parliamentary session while answering questions because he had a craving for chocolate cake?
I hate to say this but it has to be said. I didn't click your link because I trust you'd not lie to me.
I'm sorry but if someone has the balls and temerity to skip out on a parliamentary session while THEY are the one being questioned just because they had a hankering for some cake then that is kind of awesome. I know... I know it's bad for governance but the sheer balls of that? The temerity? The virtual slap that was done? The loss of face for the authorities?
That is AWESOME!
It's retarded - but still awesome. That would be fantastic. Other countries get shoes thrown, full on fist fights, desks and chairs broken, and people going to the hospital. The US doesn't really get anything like that at the major league level and our individual States aren't usually that exciting but they sometimes have some amusing antics.
No, I'm not sorry to say it. That's really kind of awesome in its own little fashion.
Anyhow... Regarding your follow-up post about an executioner. I'm familiar with Iceland, a little bit, and I also know that they've an absolutely outstandingly large percent of giants there. How many times has someone from Iceland won the World's Strongman (or is it Toughest Man) Competitions? They do things like move 500 pound kegs, carry 1500 pounds on their shoulders, move giant rocks and anvils, and lug buses and cars around. They lift hundreds and hundreds of pounds and blow out BONES from the weight and sheer torque applied to them by the muscles. In other words, sometimes their muscle fibers, ligaments, and tendons are stronger than their bones and are so strong that they break their bones!
And little tiny Iceland, with a total population of 185 people, some seals, and an angry volcano god has a disproportionate number of winners or top-level competitors. Pretty much every year, they've got at least one person in the championship. They even have SEVERAL schools/training facilities just for this.
I suspect there's a secret breeding program going on up there and they're feeding 'em some strange stuff and tweaking their genes. Some of those guys are huge and absurdly strong.
I can't pronounce or spell any of their names. I can't even recollect where the two (that I know of) training facilities are. I'm gonna guess that if Iceland needs an executioner, they're well and truly able to grow their own.:-)
LOL I'm reading the replies backwards. i wish I'd seen this one before typing out my other reply. That would have saved some time. Ah well...
Err... You've got a novella waiting for you.:P
It's not *too* long. In the not-too-distant future, I'll share a link and you can visit a site I'm working on - it's for open communication, free speech in other words.
However, it has the caveat that it needs to be civil. Uncivil comments will be removed - even though anonymous people will be allowed and encouraged to participate. There's a whole lot more to it than that but that is the gist of it. I've no idea how well it will work. I do know I know a lot of people who may actually be interested in such a thing.
The end game is to make it fund itself (it's also part of a bet - the web/I and "nothing" vs. "traditional" social media avenues and qualitative and numeric results are the metric but I'm not at liberty to discuss it at depth as that spoils the fun - and makes me lose the bet) and then, ideally, to hand it off to be owned by the community itself. I don't want ownership nor control. I want to participate. I'm simply starting it as I feel it needs to be done and done well.
So, that's something... I'll give a yell and you can check it out then - if you want.
Anyhow, if I'd read this one first, I'd have had a shorter post as my other reply. *sighs* I'm good at that novella thing. But, I do go into some detail and explain it a bit better. The comment was that you were sorry and so I read that as you thinking I wasn't enjoying myself or that my existence was mundane or devoid of meaning. Nope, it's just bonus rounds and I still only had to spend just a few quarters. I just keep hitting those one-ups or getting lucky at multi-ball.
I *know* DAMNED well that you're old enough to know what I speak of. *grins*
I understand and have always figured that if I'm going to step up to the plate, I'm going to swing for the fences. It'll be Fed or not at all. Given the likelihood of offense-types that I'd be most inclined to commit, my current lack of a record, and my financial status then I'm pretty sure that I'd not only be going to a Federal Penitentiary but that I'll be most likely to go to ClubFed.
No Lewisburg for me. I'll be in Danbury or something. I've got a couple of dollars and a clean record. It'd be white-collar, non-violent, and probably a bit (in)famous. I've a (small and mostly meaningless in the scale of things) level of notoriety. Any offense that I would be likely to commit AND prosecuted for would be in the tame classification and my "points" would be pretty low. I've got a few friends in the system (on both sides of the yellow line) so I imagine I'd be just fine - but I'd absolutely go Fed.
I can't believe I'm having this conversation. I can't believe I'm having it on Slashdot.
As an aside; I've two things to add... I'll try to keep them short but I think they're salient and you might find them interesting.
I shan't delve into details but I was "online" in the mid-1980s. I'm also actually a fully degreed (Ph.D. even) mathematician. I hated computers but I had to learn how they worked. Learning how they worked entailed lots of things and a few close friends. Some of them are friends to this day - we were all at MIT back in the late 1980s. Some of them, you might have heard of. Some of my actions might be questionable then and would certainly be felonious today. I was never malicious, however. I was mischievous and sometimes a bit overeager to seek retribution. However, I was largely non-malicious in nature and I never caused any real harm.
I realize harm is subjective as far as perception goes and I'm big on accepting what accountability I can. So, I'll say that I never caused any real harm on my own but I may have, knowingly, aided and abetted those who did and thus share culpability - though probably not legal culpability. I'd rather be discrete than an idealist accepting accountability and punishment so, suffice to say, that's the end of that part of the story but I will add that I later passed a SECOND security clearance and full acknowledged my participation in certain events as well as my familiarity with certain people or groups of people in the disclosure done for that purpose.
Sadly, that information is known to be a part of the OPM hack. Yeah, credit reporting is REALLY going to help... Assholes...
The second thing is that I paid for my education with the GI Bill. During my final stint, having already attended the various driving schools and learning everything from asset protection to safe large passenger motor vehicle operator class III (with a P certification) - which is also known as a bus, I attended school to become a "chaser/escort." It's largely the equivalent to the civilian version of a 'transportation officer.' I didn't go into the detention facility, through the second Sally Port, very often but I did train in there and was a member of SERT.
There was a hallway where you went from the barracks directly over to the third tier secure zone (in past the third set of locks - I'm sure you're familiar with the concept, perhaps even the nomenclature). On the wall, next to the door that led to that hallway, was a sign. This sign was old, embroidered by someone - no idea who, and absolutely not regulation. That sign said:
There, but by the grace of God, go I.
I'll let you parse that on your own and figure out why I mention those two things together, why I think they're salient, and why I thought you might appreciate the bit of history. There's also a HUGE difference between a military detention facility and a federal pen. There's an even bigger difference between that and the State. The difference is even larger when you contrast it with the typical County Jail, more so the crowded inner-city facilities. (I've had
Sorry? Oh, don't be. It's absolutely lovely to be well and truly content. To me, that is enlightenment. There are things left for me to do but there's nothing important left. I've accomplished every single one of my meaningful dreams. I've done everything I really want to do. I'm content. I never asked for or expect perfection. I would also say that I never really asked to be "happy." However, I am happy - because I'm content.
That probably does sound strange to people now that I look at it with a more critical eye. However, imagine - if you can, to be able to say, "Yes. I have done everything I've ever really wanted to do, been everywhere I've really wanted to go, and have everything I can possibly need and no worries about needing anything ever again."
That's content. To me, that's happiness. There are still things that I will do. There are still accomplishments that I may reach and achievements I may work for but they're not pressing, not important, not essential. I have laughed, I have cried. I have sung, I have danced. I have been foolish and wise. I've been low and I've been high. I've been inebriated and I've been sober.
How many people, truly introspective people, can look at their lives and say that they've done everything they want? That doesn't mean that the rest of my existence is without meaning - it means that anything from here on out is a bonus and more than I'd a right to ask for - by far. I still have a lot to write but that's something I've already done a lot of. I still have more to learn but I know enough about the subjects I have most urgently wanted to learn. I've been on icecaps and in deserts. I've been in the ocean and on it. I've been in the air and across the ground. I've been really damned poor and quite well to do. I broken and mended hearts. I run towards the sounds of screams and gun fire. I've run away from someone bigger and badder than I. I've had my heart broken and mended.
Don't be sad for me. Not at all. I'm probably one of the most content people on the planet. If anything, that's cause to celebrate. It doesn't mean life is bland and meaningless. It doesn't mean I don't enjoy it. It just means that I'm content to die today. How to explain this?
Hmm...
Where I to die today, there's not one thing that I'd regret not having done. To me, that's an excellent place to be - both mentally and physically.
I should also mention, again, that I am a practicing, albeit secular (as confusing as that sounds), Buddhist. I have every reason to believe that my existence is temporary. I have every reason to believe that my atoms will be used again - albeit not in the typically believed in sense of reincarnation. I believe that my atoms will one day be the same atoms that make up a star or, perhaps, a black hole. My atoms will exist for a near eternity. Obviously, they won't be impacted by their prior composition nor have any memory of it - but they will, some day, make up the matter that is the stars.
The Earth will turn to cinders as the Sun expands. We'll be in gaseous form. We'll coalesce and time and gravity will bring us together and we will be the matter that makes up a star. We'll be expelled in unimaginable waves of energy and become planets and, potentially, even life. And this cycle will repeat for billions and billions of years before it finally gets to cold, old, and slow - where it either stops or "rips" and it might start the process all over again.
I do not fear that. It'd be futile to fear it anyhow, I have no say in the matter. On the karmic scale, for what it is worth, I'm on the positive side - I'm sure of this. Even if I wasn't, we're a pragmatic lot and I could easily justify even the more troublesome of deeds. I am not completely rid of desire, I am not a monk - I'm not even a faithful practitioner but a secular practicing Buddhist - and not even a very good one at that.
It's not sad. It's wonderful. How many other people get to die content and knowing that they've accomplished every last single one of their meaningfu
Yes, yes it is a bit of a mental conundrum but I have to stand reasonably fast on this one. Even though, like I said, it might be good in this case - it sets a bad precedent and leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Retroactive goodness to you is retroactive badness to another. Keep that in mind and realize that you might not always be on the positive side of that equation.
I'm not sure if that makes much sense to you but it does to me. Yeah, a part of me would love for it to fix the mess they made in the 70s and then when they tampered with it again - what was that, in the 80s and then again with the DMCA? However, fixes often end up not fixing a whole hell of a lot and just end up making lawyers money. More importantly, there's that equation thing that I mentioned. The idea of retroactive punishment (supposedly unconstitutional) is horrifying and not, by any means, a slippery slope fallacy. It's a straight-up Teflon® slope and not one I want those in power to even approach.
I'll take partially screwed over royally fucked.
So, yeah, that's about as clear as mud. But it makes sense to me.
It does not follow that if the government had more money that they'd be spending it on social safety nets. It does not matter the government, it simply does not follow. It is not necessarily true that they'd be more inclined to feed the hungry than they would be to make a down payment on yet-another-expensive-defense-project.
I've been alive for quite a while and that doesn't necessarily make me wise - but it does mean I've had the chance to witness a lot of things. One of the things I've witnessed is that governments, at least the more stable of them, don't actually have an income problem. Not at all. They have a spending problem. We talk about the tax breaks and the tax rates while ignoring the fact that the overall taxation rate on GDP is actually as high was it has ever been.
No, the governments have plenty of money. They just spend it on some really stupid things - like another bomber, fighter, aircraft carrier, or straight up hookers and blow. A trivial, nearly meaningless, sum might actually go/have gone to needy people but that's not even a certainty. Hell, it's not even a high probability. So, that doesn't follow. If the government had more money, there's almost certain more hookers and more blow and those just aren't going to do themselves, you know.
I don't know, maybe you speak a different language than I do. However, when you prohibit the construction of a device that is impossible for government interception (even lawfully) that's unrestricted in my book.
At this point, I lack both time and energy to educate you on your rights and why they're important. Answer my question and then we'll continue.
Show me one time when the government has been unrestricted in its action and things have turned out well for the society or the government.
When the government outlaws the ability to create something they can't access that's pretty fucking unrestricted to me. And don't give me the, "Oh but they're still not allowed to murder us like dogs in the street" type of shit either. I've no patients to willful and abject stupidity today but, I tell you what, if you seriously don't see what's wrong with your statement then respond to my quoted text. Show me one... Just one... Show me one government that's disallowed that isn't a tyranny.
Hint: You can't. They don't exist. They've never existed. They're never going to exist.
You can have liberty or you can have a fake sense of security that does nothing but encroach on our collective liberties or strip them entirely. I can't believe I'm having to explain this to a grown adult. I seriously can't understand this. Are you fucking broken? Seriously, are you? I'll try to help you out but my patience is really thin right now - I've read your other comments.
And, again, that's an order, not a warrant. At this point, I can only assume you're trolling. Read your own link. Hell, just CTRL + F and search for warrant.
You've stated that we're not allowed to create things that the government can't access. That's actually the most retarded thing I've heard all day and I've already explained why.
You can pretend you don't understand if you want. The world's full of stupid people and you can pretend to be one of them. I have no idea what would prompt you to do so but it seems to make you happy. Look at your OWN link. Search for warrant... No moving the goal posts but, even if you did, the same rebuttal applies that it is both perfectly lawful and necessary to be able to do so. We've had safes that can't be opened without risk of damaging the content. We've had evidence that could never be recovered.
We dealt with it like big adults. Be a coward on someone's rights. Leave mine alone.
Most people I know, of those who have experienced both, would much prefer to do their time in prison than in a county jail. If I were given six months, I'd probably ask for a full year (assuming it was in a State where this applied) instead - I'd make it part of the plea agreement. You get a gym, pool table, can buy a television, have a decent library, have regular television, have contact visits, and things like that while you're in prison. You do not necessarily get those things while in county jail and almost certainly don't get some of those things. Not here, not in the US inasmuch as I'm aware.
I did feel it was important (enough to comment, at least) that the parent poster knows the actual difference. They seemed to be legitimately misunderstanding and not maliciously attempting to misinterpret. I'll go out of my way to help those out (where I can). I spend a whole lot of time (compared to most) in court - but it's usually just observing it. It's free, it's default open to the public. It's my end of the social contract.
It's my job to know what the courts are doing in my name. It's my job to observe and see that Lady Justice hasn't slid the blindfold up to peek. It's my job to see that the spirit, and letter, of the law is being upheld. I can, and have, written to a number of judges and filed a motion to be heard - often only simply to express a view, more or less - you can almost always petition the courts, just don't be a nuisance about it. It may not come to anything but I've done so on more than one occasion, with varied levels of success.
The doors to the courtroom, while in session, default to unlocked for a reason. If there is no room in the court, seek another judge and have them pipe the video and sound to an anteroom. I've actually gone down to the jail to watch the court feed. Why? If we don't watch the justice department then their natural progression is towards abuse. It's human nature and I'm a pragmatic bastard - as well as a realist.
The only other avenue to approach the government (for the average citizen) is the press. The courts are far more accessible and always have been. Much justice is done locally and that's the way it should be. In fact, more of it should be than currently is but that's beyond the scope of this conversation. Err... Email works.;-) However, I'd probably be preaching to the choir as you seem to have an understanding of the system as it stands.
Slashdot Mirror
No, I'm sticking with it. I've read it again. I'm still not convinced that your argument was anything other than a fallacy.
For the sake of amusement, you don't trust your kids. You'd be stupid to trust your kids.
No, I mean trust in the definition in the same sense you're using it. You do not trust them. You trust them to be forgetful, lie, cheat, manipulate, and conceal. You trust them to do lots of things but not trust in the sense of what you're suggesting.
You'd be a fool to trust your kids entirely. That's stupid and no, it doesn't raise monster kids. Like almost all things, the Law of Diminishing Returns applies here.
There's a finite value at which you trust them. Some trust may need to be withheld, and for good reason. It's also imperative to acknowledge that removing a trust level from a single device does not mean that it must extend elsewhere. You know better than that. You are, for your own reasons, very passionate about a few subjects, this is one of them - I've seen you post on this before.
My kids had large safes. They were combination safes and I never knew the combinations on them. Most of the times, they had them unlocked - actually. However, anything they could fit into that safe was off-limits to me. I could have forced them to unlock it, I never did.
At the same time, I have (and have had) things that were locked away and nobody but myself could access them. Right now, it will take you some serious effort to get into my gun safe at my house. It's rebar and 10" of concrete with wire mesh.The door is embedded into that concrete and is made of hardened steel. The ceiling has ¼" steel between it and the joists above. That's also got multiple safes inside of it. The door takes a very long numeric PIN.
If they want into the room, they needed only to ask. If you're curious, I had the same size and brand safe in my room. That was my personal space.
This is not speculation on the phone in this case. This is simply addressing dismay at your argument. You can do better than that. ;-)
In my case, it would make a sound like "burr" only with an H. Sort of like an Ebonics speaker may enunciate "her." Such accents would be found in the middle of the Eastern Coastal States.
However, I'd pronounce it like I'd pronounce 'burr.
I'm more likely to say "durr" or "derp." That dependson whom I'm communicating with an the ultimate goal of that effort.
That doesn't make it punishment.
Those are well put and astute observations.
I hope you don't mind but I might borrow that and ponder it in the not too distant future.
While that might raise it to the level of suspicion, it does not mean that one is liable in a criminal matter.
The burden of proof for a civil case is much lower so it might matter in divorce proceedings.
In case you do not know, I'll explain. You might be surprised to find out how many people don't understand or know these things.
Criminal offense: The State must prove, beyond reasonable doubt, that the defendant is charged with.
Civil Offense: They State must prove that, you more likely than not, committed the offense.
So, if you go in the motel room and close the doors - providing no witnesses other than the two consenting parties, there's absolutely no (reasonable) way to get a conviction based on that evidence. In theory, something like a condom might be enough evidence, albeit circumstantial evidence, for a conviction.
Note: The criminal conviction is not "beyond all doubt. Beyond all reasonable doubt, reasonable is an actual legal concept.
Note: The State does not have to provide a defense for *ANY* civil infractions. The 6th Amendment covers those who risk jail if convicted.
Criminal offense: May be sentenced to serve time in jail or prison.
Civil offense: Can not result in jail time. OJ lost his civil trial, for example. Prior to that, he won is criminal trial.
Sorry - that might not be that articulate. I'm a bit stoned and I ate some sinus pills.
Yes, it's the comment limit and I just saw it the other day. Within the past week - I even commented as an AC to you not that long ago - a week and a half, maybe?
Let me see what I can discover... *goes off searching and returns a few minutes later*
Aright, I'm in the upper 40s right now. I'll post this and then, if it doesn't happen (I can take care of figuring this out in pretty quick order) I'll get back to you by my user account and, if it does, there will be an AC post. I'm sure you can tell the difference. I'm using my home in Maine as my proxy. I do have (and use) a VPN but I will avoid using it for this set of messages. (I believe admins see IP addresses, or did when I was playing with the earlier, open source, code.)
Gimme a few minutes. I think I'm currently on post #45 for a 24 hour period.
Well, here's another clue for you all... The walrus is Paul.
No, they probably won't get it...
Good call, by the way. I'm soon abed and I was listening to James Taylor (one of the actually good greatest hits albums out there) but I could do with the change. I'm thinking the White album.
> Nothing at all will happen.
My sentiments and fears, in a nutshell.
I don't really have a problem with tax breaks, as some call them. Many people don't understand them and will call them "subsidies" or "tax-breaks" or other things without actually understanding them. For example, it'd be fucking moronic to tax a business on income other than its profit. Lots of people who complain about things like taxation (and this is NOT an accusation about you personally - let me make that clear) don't even know the difference between revenue and profit.
I've had conversations that went a bit like this:
They: That company had 1.2 billion in revenue. There's no reason they shouldn't be paying half of that in taxes. .3 billion.
Me: Their profit was
They: Then they need to make more money.
They: All corporations suck!
Me: Did you mean that? Really?
They: Yes. Every corporation is evil, money-grubbing, thieves.
Me: You mean like the EFF or Linux Foundation? How about the ACLU, Habitat for Humanities, or BSD?
They: No, they can't let the guy park his car in the underground parking lot for free. It's against the law.
Me: Wait, what?
They: They have a legal obligation to make all the money they can, at any expense, and anything else puts the CEO in jail.
Me: Are you high?
They: It's called fiduciary duty, you fucking idiot. Look it up on Wikipedia! It's predatory stock-holders doing it!
I've had multiples of those conversations in the past month.
So, you'll have to pardon my skepticism when it comes to people, on this site in particular, attempting to discuss matters not pertaining to computers and technology.
I don't know what your income bracket is but I know that I sold my business and retired 8 years ago. As such, I know what the "wealthy" pay in taxes. I also pay attention to the numbers.
Now, this part might be confusing for you. I'll try to make it clear but I'm not the most articulate.
I have a few dollars. You'd call me rich or wealthy if you saw my bank account. And yes, if you need verification then I've actually met multiple people from this very site - in person. I have also been doxxed, back before it was even a thing.
My tax records are not a matter of public record but I pay capital gains rates. I don't do short-term investing. Just so that you know, a good rule of thumb is that if you hold onto it for longer than a year then it is taxed at capital gains rates. If you hold it less than that then it counts as regular income and is taxed at regular income rates - on the same exact form that you have access to. But, so you know, my overall rate, prior to reducing my burden, is 23% - counting both State and Federal. I can reduce it further than that, in a whole host of ways, but I don't really bother.
This is leading to the confusing part...
I not only don't mind taxes but I feel that I could pay more in taxes and not even notice. It's my duty to not really pay more than is required. I'm not very good at that - ask my accountant. I don't save receipts, I donate anonymously, I don't write off/down most of the things I buy that are business related.
Business related? Absolutely. I'm still very much the chief executive officer for several incorporated groups of people. They're rather passive things but the information, the articles of incorporation/corporate charter, can all be dug out of the records easily enough. That's besides the point.
The point is, you can incorporate if you want. Hire yourself as a sub-contractor and pay you to go to your day job. It might be worth it, if your tax burden is high enough.
But, like I said... I don't mind taxes and would actually happily pay more if I had any reason to believe it'd be spent wisely. When I sold my business, I did donate to the government. Yes, donate. I gave the US Government money, my money, and without force. I specifically was able to donate to NASA. In case your'e curious, you can donate to NASA but you can't earmark the donation for a project. Donations must go to the general operations fund. I was wantin
Yeah, someone linked to it below and I saw it later in the thread. I laughed. I also mentioned it to Ol' Olsec who also felt the dude was likely a closet perv.
However, in his "defense" he wasn't /really/ pimping so much as he was directing and facilitating. Hell, he was making a few bucks and the ladies were making some money. He's still a sleaze-bucket but wasn't really so much pimping even though that's what the charges were. I also noticed his face in the article...
I'm not normally a violent person - in fact, I go out of my way to be non-violent. I'm a "practicing" secular Buddhist, if it's possible for such to exist. It's too long a story to type tonight.
But... Did you notice his face? I'm *really* not a violent person, normally. But some people just have an eminently punchable face. The last one I noticed was the guy who's the CEO of that company that raised the cost of meds to some extreme amount and said he was doing it to prove a point. He's got a punchable face. I don't know what it is and I'd absolutely not punch them without cause.
Nope. I'd not punch either of them without cause. I just might find cause a bit easier, given the opportunity. Oddly, this sentiment led to a giant (and great) conversation in one of my journals on this site. It might have been Barbara's journal, actually. I don't recall now. Either way, the dude's seriously got a face that needs a good crack. Just a bit off-center with a marginal hook. Not aiming to break it but it might happen. The goal is to get it to make that popping sound and have them remember you for a couple of weeks. They could be innocent angels but they have faces that just scream, to me, "HIT ME!!!"
Fortunately, while I am thinking of it and thinking it would be fun - and satisfactory, I'd never actually consider doing such a thing. More accurately, I'd not seek them out intentionally to do such a thing. I can't really promise anything if the opportunity presents itself but it is quite unlikely that I'd act on it.
To your closing sentiment, I'd say, "You can't even imagine..." Except, you probably can - you might be worse than I. I got *HUGE* for a while - muscular. That didn't last. I've always been really tight and generally remained fit but I didn't *maintain* a whole lot of physical fitness. I doubt I have as much scar tissue - far less sparring, far less time in a gym, and more time with the "right" kind of exercise - sort of. That ended. ;-)
I should add, in case you're confused, the chiropractor that I speak of was not a wrestler himself. No, he's just a fairly tiny fella. He's also not that fit. No, he worked ON the wrestlers. He was their sports therapist. I'm not sure if you're confused or not - so I figured I'd make that clear. I might not have been clear enough the first time around.
Also, yes, a tens unit. I have on from the VA. Technically, I have three from the VA. I'm not sure if this is valuable information for you but let me see if I can help there.
They actually are pretty good, except for one - I'm not home to check the brand. I have a *very* expensive one that I bought in another country - they're supposed to be (or were supposed to be) prescription only as a medical device? Something like that. That's now changed, by the way. At any rate, I paid an outlandish sum for a very nice one. But, this is the important part - I think? I'm not sure how valid it is and I'm not sure if it's State or Federal regulations. However, I believe you can now legally (you've been able to do it online for a while - sans prescription, I've looked a few times back when I was in pain) buy your own and don't need a prescription - at least in Maine. (More on that in a minute.)
I'd already had one from the VA at that point but it was pretty timid. Whatever the highest voltage is, was nothing. The contacts were lousy. That's why I bought the nice one. And that was pretty nice for a while but then the VA wanted me to try another so they gave it to me. This wasn't all that long ago - just a couple of years ago. I actually had to turn the first one back in. It's also important to note that I tried to buy one legally here in the US but nobody sold them - I was able to pick up the nice one at a pharmacy in Canada, my home is not far from the border. It was pretty expensive - even with real dollars. ;-)
Now it gets more confusing. So, I had the one. That one, and the one I had purchased in Canada, are classed as medical devices and regulated or, as far as I understand, were regulated at the time. They're both pretty old now.
So, the VA gave me a second one but I had to turn in the first one. There was no prescription involved, I went home with it that day. They sent me new contacts and they wouldn't fit. So, they mailed me a second one (now the third). They never asked for the first one back and told me to not bother bringing it back when I asked about it.
Now, the second one (technically the third - or 4th if you're counting mine) was also different but the contacts fit and I had a whole bunch - but the belt is Velcro and sucked. I mentioned it and they sent me a whole new one. This means they're really cheap now - by the way. It also means that they're no longer being classified as medical devices, by somebody.
But, here's the thing... I told you this was the confusing part... Starting with the first new one, it's pretty powerful. The two that I have after that are virtually identical but the model number is slightly different. The contacts are universal between them. They fit in the same holster so they can be carried in a few different ways. They're made by the same vendor but the second of those two, the newest one, feels like it might be even stronger than the one that's a slightly older model.
In other words, that's my experience with some that I have had that were take-home/owned. They appear to no longer be classified as medical devices. They also appear to be upping the voltage. The package probably tells me, somewhere in the documentation, w
This might not make sense but I'll try to explain my line of thinking and then you may, or may not, agree. However, hear me out for a minute...
If that happened, it would be a good sign. I know, someone will have died. However, it'd be an indicator that they're scared and worried about the repercussions from an angry populace. It would mean that they want retribution. It would mean that they are worried about other information getting released.
That nothing has happened, or will happen, is a sure sign that they're not worried about winning any more. They're no longer worried about being caught. They no longer fear the repercussions. More importantly, they no longer fear the citizenry - to the point where they're comfortable with their dirty laundry being aired and have absolutely no intentions on stopping the bad behavior now.
That they don't care, that this man is still alive, those are bad things. In a way, it would be great if it was found having stabbed himself in the back, to death, tomorrow morning. That'd mean they care and, if caught, would face punishment and they worry about it.
Hmm... That's not the most articulate but if you can turn that word jumble into something meaningful then you'll understand what I'm trying to say. The government should be afraid of the citizens, not the other way around. Fear, in some cases, is nothing more than a healthy respect. It doesn't have to be bad that the government fears the citizens. In fact, it's ideal that they do - though there's always the Law of Diminishing Returns. Well, almost always such a law. The Law, itself, seemingly subject to itself.
Bedroom?
Surely, you mean basement.
On the other hand, I can see why you might be confused. But hey, you're not living with your mother. It's the basement. It's your OWN apartment - except when she's gotta do laundry, empty the cat box, or bring you pizza rolls. That wadded pile of blankets over next to the water heater IS your bedroom, damn it. You even had a girl over. Once. She's gonna call you back, any minute now.
(If you're gonna do stereotypes, at least get 'em right. Sheesh... Do I have to do everything around here?)
A number of people have recommended caution when proceeding forward with Unicode support - and for a variety of good reasons. That you were quite specific, something I've noticed about you - and appreciate, is that you said "for stories."
That's probably the best choice as well as expanding a the subset that we're able to use currently. It might even be time to *gasp* slap an editor on there and let people use markdown.
However, the complaints raised against Unicode are many and the things to be wary of are also many. Others have expressed it much more articulately than I can and I'll avoid boring you with repetition. Suffice to say, it does not look well when others can point, laugh, and say that you were warned. That you specifically stated stories makes me have high hopes for you.
Given my druthers, I'd like to see some additional support but I see no use for the various kanji/emoticons/poop piles.
Don't get me wrong - that will amuse me for days on end. If you enable the poop Unicode then I am going to use that character. I am going to find creative and unique ways to use that character and more. When they said that you don't want to allow that what they actually meant was that I visit and, because of this, the fewer buttons there are to push, the better off we'll be in the long-term.
'Cause if you put a big red button that says, "DO NOT PUSH" and I in the same room together, I'm pushing that button as soon as you leave the room. It might blow up the world. It might lock the door and gas me. I'm still pushing that button. I am not even remotely unique in those regards. If you give me the poop icon or a new way to Rick-roll people, I will do that. I will do that to *you* on day one - and I actually appreciate you.
It's probably important that you understand this. 'Cause I will find a way to make Unicode say things it does not and link to things it does not appear to link to. I can register a free domain name in about ten minutes and set up a redirection service even faster than people can figure it out. I've got time, patience, skill, and the maturity of a five year old.
That said, I'm still waiting on you to find and change ONE number. It is literally one number and needs to be changed once. Use a text editor, search, select files and sub-folders, and search the code base for "50." Make that a new number. Any number > 50 is an improvement. If you want, I can do this for you - you just tell me what the number it is that you want there and promise to not press charges - in writing. ;-)
Then again, it might take me a while to find that number. It's Perl. It's a combination of chicken-scratch and wingding fonts - worse, it's still actually gotta be translated from those into the original Norse before you can even work on it. But, eventually - I will find the right number. There are a finite number of values to change and the neighborhood kid has Ritalin and Adderall.
It's amazing what revisionist history has done for the French Revolution. (No, not accusing you - you were the one citing actual history.)
I believe you're from France? I don't know if you're aware of this but a lot of people who are not from France have romanticized the French Revolution and think that it had the desired income. They'll outright disbelieve you when you point out that the revolutionaries all ended up dead (for the most part). They'll refuse to look at the evidence to see that it was more than just a few royal people who died. They'll forget about the violent oppression and the wild pendulum swing (where even the wealthy mimicked the poor in things like manner of dress and social behaviors LEST THEY DIE). They'll ignore that people died for, pretty much, not being happy enough - or faking it. They don't know about the zany calendar changes, the whole swing away from allowing religion, and that it lasted, largely, up until Napoleon where he finally managed to inspire the army into action - and then promptly went crazy AND got away with coming back from exile.
They think the Revolution was over with after a couple of heads were lopped off. They have no idea about the media manipulation that was so bad that some young lady went all the way to find the paper's publisher - stomped half-way across the country with a knife - and killed him. Then she got her head lopped off too.
I am, by no means, a historian but I've read a bunch and there are actually a few good, objective and information dense, documentaries on the subject. One of my favorites is entitled simply that, "The French Revolution." It's not too bad - it's four or five hours long, as I recall. (I'm too lazy to look it up.)
But yeah, I don't know if you know this but outside of your country there are a whole bunch of people who think the French Revolution was a rosy affair that ended the way it was intended to end and was over when the kids (plural?) disappeared and Marie lost her head. The Revolutionaries were batshit insane and the whole society went batshit insane for quite a while. Yet, they've a romantic image that denies the reality.
It ended up exactly nothing like what was intended. They tried to one-up each other to be the most common, for example. Complete with their manner of dress. I believe that it still impacts some of the customs today - but I forget which ones. Something about articles of clothing, socks, pointy shoes - or lack of them, or something like that.
They've a crazy belief that it was something other than what it was - a time of insanity that culminated with Emperor Bonaparte and his eventual failings vs. Russians and English (Lord Nelson, maybe? I am NOT a historian) and was quite a dreadful affair. They, these people who romanticize it without knowing a damned thing about it, want us to emulate it - or at least express such sentiments. I don't think they know what they speak of.
What I do not understand is who did the revisionist history? I don't think it was by the French. I know some French people and have been to France multiple times and even discussed it with a number of citizens and ex-pats. They're quite frank and realistic about it. They largely (at least in the ones I've communicated with) accept that it really wasn't all that it was cracked up to be but that it sort of worked out in the end.
> A guy who once left [grapevine.is] in the middle of a parliamentary session while answering questions because he had a craving for chocolate cake?
I hate to say this but it has to be said. I didn't click your link because I trust you'd not lie to me.
I'm sorry but if someone has the balls and temerity to skip out on a parliamentary session while THEY are the one being questioned just because they had a hankering for some cake then that is kind of awesome. I know... I know it's bad for governance but the sheer balls of that? The temerity? The virtual slap that was done? The loss of face for the authorities?
That is AWESOME!
It's retarded - but still awesome. That would be fantastic. Other countries get shoes thrown, full on fist fights, desks and chairs broken, and people going to the hospital. The US doesn't really get anything like that at the major league level and our individual States aren't usually that exciting but they sometimes have some amusing antics.
No, I'm not sorry to say it. That's really kind of awesome in its own little fashion.
Anyhow... Regarding your follow-up post about an executioner. I'm familiar with Iceland, a little bit, and I also know that they've an absolutely outstandingly large percent of giants there. How many times has someone from Iceland won the World's Strongman (or is it Toughest Man) Competitions? They do things like move 500 pound kegs, carry 1500 pounds on their shoulders, move giant rocks and anvils, and lug buses and cars around. They lift hundreds and hundreds of pounds and blow out BONES from the weight and sheer torque applied to them by the muscles. In other words, sometimes their muscle fibers, ligaments, and tendons are stronger than their bones and are so strong that they break their bones!
And little tiny Iceland, with a total population of 185 people, some seals, and an angry volcano god has a disproportionate number of winners or top-level competitors. Pretty much every year, they've got at least one person in the championship. They even have SEVERAL schools/training facilities just for this.
I suspect there's a secret breeding program going on up there and they're feeding 'em some strange stuff and tweaking their genes. Some of those guys are huge and absurdly strong.
I can't pronounce or spell any of their names. I can't even recollect where the two (that I know of) training facilities are. I'm gonna guess that if Iceland needs an executioner, they're well and truly able to grow their own. :-)
LOL I'm reading the replies backwards. i wish I'd seen this one before typing out my other reply. That would have saved some time. Ah well...
Err... You've got a novella waiting for you. :P
It's not *too* long. In the not-too-distant future, I'll share a link and you can visit a site I'm working on - it's for open communication, free speech in other words.
However, it has the caveat that it needs to be civil. Uncivil comments will be removed - even though anonymous people will be allowed and encouraged to participate. There's a whole lot more to it than that but that is the gist of it. I've no idea how well it will work. I do know I know a lot of people who may actually be interested in such a thing.
The end game is to make it fund itself (it's also part of a bet - the web/I and "nothing" vs. "traditional" social media avenues and qualitative and numeric results are the metric but I'm not at liberty to discuss it at depth as that spoils the fun - and makes me lose the bet) and then, ideally, to hand it off to be owned by the community itself. I don't want ownership nor control. I want to participate. I'm simply starting it as I feel it needs to be done and done well.
So, that's something... I'll give a yell and you can check it out then - if you want.
Anyhow, if I'd read this one first, I'd have had a shorter post as my other reply. *sighs* I'm good at that novella thing. But, I do go into some detail and explain it a bit better. The comment was that you were sorry and so I read that as you thinking I wasn't enjoying myself or that my existence was mundane or devoid of meaning. Nope, it's just bonus rounds and I still only had to spend just a few quarters. I just keep hitting those one-ups or getting lucky at multi-ball.
I *know* DAMNED well that you're old enough to know what I speak of. *grins*
I understand and have always figured that if I'm going to step up to the plate, I'm going to swing for the fences. It'll be Fed or not at all. Given the likelihood of offense-types that I'd be most inclined to commit, my current lack of a record, and my financial status then I'm pretty sure that I'd not only be going to a Federal Penitentiary but that I'll be most likely to go to ClubFed.
No Lewisburg for me. I'll be in Danbury or something. I've got a couple of dollars and a clean record. It'd be white-collar, non-violent, and probably a bit (in)famous. I've a (small and mostly meaningless in the scale of things) level of notoriety. Any offense that I would be likely to commit AND prosecuted for would be in the tame classification and my "points" would be pretty low. I've got a few friends in the system (on both sides of the yellow line) so I imagine I'd be just fine - but I'd absolutely go Fed.
I can't believe I'm having this conversation. I can't believe I'm having it on Slashdot.
As an aside; I've two things to add... I'll try to keep them short but I think they're salient and you might find them interesting.
I shan't delve into details but I was "online" in the mid-1980s. I'm also actually a fully degreed (Ph.D. even) mathematician. I hated computers but I had to learn how they worked. Learning how they worked entailed lots of things and a few close friends. Some of them are friends to this day - we were all at MIT back in the late 1980s. Some of them, you might have heard of. Some of my actions might be questionable then and would certainly be felonious today. I was never malicious, however. I was mischievous and sometimes a bit overeager to seek retribution. However, I was largely non-malicious in nature and I never caused any real harm.
I realize harm is subjective as far as perception goes and I'm big on accepting what accountability I can. So, I'll say that I never caused any real harm on my own but I may have, knowingly, aided and abetted those who did and thus share culpability - though probably not legal culpability. I'd rather be discrete than an idealist accepting accountability and punishment so, suffice to say, that's the end of that part of the story but I will add that I later passed a SECOND security clearance and full acknowledged my participation in certain events as well as my familiarity with certain people or groups of people in the disclosure done for that purpose.
Sadly, that information is known to be a part of the OPM hack. Yeah, credit reporting is REALLY going to help... Assholes...
The second thing is that I paid for my education with the GI Bill. During my final stint, having already attended the various driving schools and learning everything from asset protection to safe large passenger motor vehicle operator class III (with a P certification) - which is also known as a bus, I attended school to become a "chaser/escort." It's largely the equivalent to the civilian version of a 'transportation officer.' I didn't go into the detention facility, through the second Sally Port, very often but I did train in there and was a member of SERT.
There was a hallway where you went from the barracks directly over to the third tier secure zone (in past the third set of locks - I'm sure you're familiar with the concept, perhaps even the nomenclature). On the wall, next to the door that led to that hallway, was a sign. This sign was old, embroidered by someone - no idea who, and absolutely not regulation. That sign said:
There, but by the grace of God, go I.
I'll let you parse that on your own and figure out why I mention those two things together, why I think they're salient, and why I thought you might appreciate the bit of history. There's also a HUGE difference between a military detention facility and a federal pen. There's an even bigger difference between that and the State. The difference is even larger when you contrast it with the typical County Jail, more so the crowded inner-city facilities. (I've had
Sorry? Oh, don't be. It's absolutely lovely to be well and truly content. To me, that is enlightenment. There are things left for me to do but there's nothing important left. I've accomplished every single one of my meaningful dreams. I've done everything I really want to do. I'm content. I never asked for or expect perfection. I would also say that I never really asked to be "happy." However, I am happy - because I'm content.
That probably does sound strange to people now that I look at it with a more critical eye. However, imagine - if you can, to be able to say, "Yes. I have done everything I've ever really wanted to do, been everywhere I've really wanted to go, and have everything I can possibly need and no worries about needing anything ever again."
That's content. To me, that's happiness. There are still things that I will do. There are still accomplishments that I may reach and achievements I may work for but they're not pressing, not important, not essential. I have laughed, I have cried. I have sung, I have danced. I have been foolish and wise. I've been low and I've been high. I've been inebriated and I've been sober.
How many people, truly introspective people, can look at their lives and say that they've done everything they want? That doesn't mean that the rest of my existence is without meaning - it means that anything from here on out is a bonus and more than I'd a right to ask for - by far. I still have a lot to write but that's something I've already done a lot of. I still have more to learn but I know enough about the subjects I have most urgently wanted to learn. I've been on icecaps and in deserts. I've been in the ocean and on it. I've been in the air and across the ground. I've been really damned poor and quite well to do. I broken and mended hearts. I run towards the sounds of screams and gun fire. I've run away from someone bigger and badder than I. I've had my heart broken and mended.
Don't be sad for me. Not at all. I'm probably one of the most content people on the planet. If anything, that's cause to celebrate. It doesn't mean life is bland and meaningless. It doesn't mean I don't enjoy it. It just means that I'm content to die today. How to explain this?
Hmm...
Where I to die today, there's not one thing that I'd regret not having done. To me, that's an excellent place to be - both mentally and physically.
I should also mention, again, that I am a practicing, albeit secular (as confusing as that sounds), Buddhist. I have every reason to believe that my existence is temporary. I have every reason to believe that my atoms will be used again - albeit not in the typically believed in sense of reincarnation. I believe that my atoms will one day be the same atoms that make up a star or, perhaps, a black hole. My atoms will exist for a near eternity. Obviously, they won't be impacted by their prior composition nor have any memory of it - but they will, some day, make up the matter that is the stars.
The Earth will turn to cinders as the Sun expands. We'll be in gaseous form. We'll coalesce and time and gravity will bring us together and we will be the matter that makes up a star. We'll be expelled in unimaginable waves of energy and become planets and, potentially, even life. And this cycle will repeat for billions and billions of years before it finally gets to cold, old, and slow - where it either stops or "rips" and it might start the process all over again.
I do not fear that. It'd be futile to fear it anyhow, I have no say in the matter. On the karmic scale, for what it is worth, I'm on the positive side - I'm sure of this. Even if I wasn't, we're a pragmatic lot and I could easily justify even the more troublesome of deeds. I am not completely rid of desire, I am not a monk - I'm not even a faithful practitioner but a secular practicing Buddhist - and not even a very good one at that.
It's not sad. It's wonderful. How many other people get to die content and knowing that they've accomplished every last single one of their meaningfu
I didn't like it then. :/
Yes, yes it is a bit of a mental conundrum but I have to stand reasonably fast on this one. Even though, like I said, it might be good in this case - it sets a bad precedent and leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Retroactive goodness to you is retroactive badness to another. Keep that in mind and realize that you might not always be on the positive side of that equation.
I'm not sure if that makes much sense to you but it does to me. Yeah, a part of me would love for it to fix the mess they made in the 70s and then when they tampered with it again - what was that, in the 80s and then again with the DMCA? However, fixes often end up not fixing a whole hell of a lot and just end up making lawyers money. More importantly, there's that equation thing that I mentioned. The idea of retroactive punishment (supposedly unconstitutional) is horrifying and not, by any means, a slippery slope fallacy. It's a straight-up Teflon® slope and not one I want those in power to even approach.
I'll take partially screwed over royally fucked.
So, yeah, that's about as clear as mud. But it makes sense to me.
Non sequitur... It does not follow. Literally.
It does not follow that if the government had more money that they'd be spending it on social safety nets. It does not matter the government, it simply does not follow. It is not necessarily true that they'd be more inclined to feed the hungry than they would be to make a down payment on yet-another-expensive-defense-project.
I've been alive for quite a while and that doesn't necessarily make me wise - but it does mean I've had the chance to witness a lot of things. One of the things I've witnessed is that governments, at least the more stable of them, don't actually have an income problem. Not at all. They have a spending problem. We talk about the tax breaks and the tax rates while ignoring the fact that the overall taxation rate on GDP is actually as high was it has ever been.
No, the governments have plenty of money. They just spend it on some really stupid things - like another bomber, fighter, aircraft carrier, or straight up hookers and blow. A trivial, nearly meaningless, sum might actually go/have gone to needy people but that's not even a certainty. Hell, it's not even a high probability. So, that doesn't follow. If the government had more money, there's almost certain more hookers and more blow and those just aren't going to do themselves, you know.
What the hell are you trying to say now?
I don't know, maybe you speak a different language than I do. However, when you prohibit the construction of a device that is impossible for government interception (even lawfully) that's unrestricted in my book.
At this point, I lack both time and energy to educate you on your rights and why they're important. Answer my question and then we'll continue.
Show me one time when the government has been unrestricted in its action and things have turned out well for the society or the government.
When the government outlaws the ability to create something they can't access that's pretty fucking unrestricted to me. And don't give me the, "Oh but they're still not allowed to murder us like dogs in the street" type of shit either. I've no patients to willful and abject stupidity today but, I tell you what, if you seriously don't see what's wrong with your statement then respond to my quoted text. Show me one... Just one... Show me one government that's disallowed that isn't a tyranny.
Hint: You can't. They don't exist. They've never existed. They're never going to exist.
You can have liberty or you can have a fake sense of security that does nothing but encroach on our collective liberties or strip them entirely. I can't believe I'm having to explain this to a grown adult. I seriously can't understand this. Are you fucking broken? Seriously, are you? I'll try to help you out but my patience is really thin right now - I've read your other comments.
It's not a warrant. Apple was never issued a warrant. If you don't even understand the basics, don't try to discuss it. Thanks.
And, again, that's an order, not a warrant. At this point, I can only assume you're trolling. Read your own link. Hell, just CTRL + F and search for warrant.
You've stated that we're not allowed to create things that the government can't access. That's actually the most retarded thing I've heard all day and I've already explained why.
You can pretend you don't understand if you want. The world's full of stupid people and you can pretend to be one of them. I have no idea what would prompt you to do so but it seems to make you happy. Look at your OWN link. Search for warrant... No moving the goal posts but, even if you did, the same rebuttal applies that it is both perfectly lawful and necessary to be able to do so. We've had safes that can't be opened without risk of damaging the content. We've had evidence that could never be recovered.
We dealt with it like big adults. Be a coward on someone's rights. Leave mine alone.
Most people I know, of those who have experienced both, would much prefer to do their time in prison than in a county jail. If I were given six months, I'd probably ask for a full year (assuming it was in a State where this applied) instead - I'd make it part of the plea agreement. You get a gym, pool table, can buy a television, have a decent library, have regular television, have contact visits, and things like that while you're in prison. You do not necessarily get those things while in county jail and almost certainly don't get some of those things. Not here, not in the US inasmuch as I'm aware.
I did feel it was important (enough to comment, at least) that the parent poster knows the actual difference. They seemed to be legitimately misunderstanding and not maliciously attempting to misinterpret. I'll go out of my way to help those out (where I can). I spend a whole lot of time (compared to most) in court - but it's usually just observing it. It's free, it's default open to the public. It's my end of the social contract.
It's my job to know what the courts are doing in my name. It's my job to observe and see that Lady Justice hasn't slid the blindfold up to peek. It's my job to see that the spirit, and letter, of the law is being upheld. I can, and have, written to a number of judges and filed a motion to be heard - often only simply to express a view, more or less - you can almost always petition the courts, just don't be a nuisance about it. It may not come to anything but I've done so on more than one occasion, with varied levels of success.
The doors to the courtroom, while in session, default to unlocked for a reason. If there is no room in the court, seek another judge and have them pipe the video and sound to an anteroom. I've actually gone down to the jail to watch the court feed. Why? If we don't watch the justice department then their natural progression is towards abuse. It's human nature and I'm a pragmatic bastard - as well as a realist.
The only other avenue to approach the government (for the average citizen) is the press. The courts are far more accessible and always have been. Much justice is done locally and that's the way it should be. In fact, more of it should be than currently is but that's beyond the scope of this conversation. Err... Email works. ;-) However, I'd probably be preaching to the choir as you seem to have an understanding of the system as it stands.