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User: edward2020

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Comments · 242

  1. Re:Philosophy academics... on Scottish Academic: Mining the Moon For Helium 3 Is Evil · · Score: 1

    I'm sure that Daniel Dennett would agree with your overly broad characterization.

  2. Re:Corporate humility at its best on GameStop Offers $50 Certificate For Coupon Fiasco · · Score: 1

    Does that additional stuff (with the possible exception of the extra missions) actually add any value to your gaming experience?

  3. Re:Hah, good luck. on Ask Slashdot: CS Degree Without Gen-Ed Requirements? · · Score: 1

    Per your first point, I'll just put this here --> "Never memorize what you can look up in books. " - Albert Einstein

    As far as GenEd goes, sure, let the students pick what they want and then let the market sort 'em out. Works for me.

  4. Re:Oh god! Not 50 nuclear missiles! on Power Failure Shuts Down 50 US Nuclear Missiles · · Score: 1

    You're not too smart, huh?

  5. Re:Oh god! Not 50 nuclear missiles! on Power Failure Shuts Down 50 US Nuclear Missiles · · Score: 1

    START II was never ratified.

  6. Re:the blackout was a good idea on Wikipedia Censored To Protect Captive Reporter · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    The illustrations found on wikipedia of that very important act also add a whole lot. Wikipedia user seedfeeder's depiction of 'the money shot' is truly one for the ages.

  7. Re:the blackout was a good idea on Wikipedia Censored To Protect Captive Reporter · · Score: 1

    Agreed

  8. old stories on China To Crack Down On "Undesirable" Games · · Score: 1

    Wow, a quote from an article over a year old, a link to a /. post from 4 years ago, and the stupid skeleton thing from March. Slow "news" day I guess...

  9. Re:Ok... on When Your Backhoe Cuts "Black" Fiber · · Score: 4, Interesting

    In my experience, having operated a back hoe off and on for 10 years, both the "red streamer" and the fill (smallish gravel gets used around here) aren't necessary to tell when you've dug past another ditch. The soil in the ditch you cross is visibly and tactilely different from undisturbed ground. Also, FYI, we hit a fiber line about as big around as my arm (it was marked ~15 feet from where it really was) once and the people who fixed it showed up within the hour - it was not a national security line, just a commercial com line. I know this b/c the gas station that was right there couldn't process credit cards 'till it was fixed.

  10. Re:Don't Forget the Lanyard on The Unexpected Patents of Steve Jobs · · Score: 1

    wow - note the extent of my enthusiasm

  11. Re:When your lawyer withdraws, you're probably gui on Jammie Thomas May Face RIAA Trial Alone · · Score: 2, Informative

    Nope - not guilty. Perhaps liable.

    You do know the difference between criminal and civil law, don't you?

  12. Re:And not illegal to handcuff him on Man Arrested For Taking Photo of Open ATM · · Score: 1

    I still can't believe that some people seem unable to grok what I'm saying. I am not defending some fucking stupid cop who got taser-happy. That was not and is not my purpose. My purpose was to point people in the direction of instances where NO DOUBT exists that the cops exceeded their authority. Where their statements have proven false and their actions have been extremely egregious - even leading to murder. Of course, if you want the current functioning of our system to continue the way it has been, then by all fucking goddamned means keep harping about cases where it is only arguable that police brutality occurred. Yeah, that makes a lot of fucking sense. Let me spell it out for you in even simpler terms. As you mention, it is indeed often a matter of a cops word against someone else's. Unfortunately, many people - probably older and who think all cops are andy griffith - will believe the cop over someone who can be characterized as a punk. Note, you fucking idiot, this is not a value judgment, but an assessment on how things work. So, the better strategy is to talk about cases where no reasonable person would support the abuses which the cops have done.

    Its no wonder that cops have lost respect. Part of it of course is their own problem, the other part comes from people like the above AC who in their "righteous rage" focus on cases that reasonable people can disagree about. Thus, when these types of public debates do occur (which only happens rarely) people use the latest alex jones/alternet/wacko idiot cause célÃbre to argue their point - instead of instances where only the most jackbooted thug would see any justice. Then, people who are reasonable as well as fence sitters on the issue think less of the point you're trying to make - which I assume is that cops lack serious oversight and that their cowboy tendencies need to be reigned in. Why, please tell me, is this simple concept so hard to understand?

  13. Re:And not illegal to handcuff him on Man Arrested For Taking Photo of Open ATM · · Score: 1

    Let me google that for you

    To recap, the parents claim he was clean but refused to release any blood test to the police. Hmmm, who should we believe?

    Let me reiterate my point - again. No one, me included, wants dirty cops. This case may have involved a dirty cop. However, the facts of the case are ambiguous. So, for people wanting to point out the jack-booted thugs in law enforcement would do well by picking unambiguous stories, i.e. stories in which there is no doubt that the cops acted beyond their authority.

    Is this really so difficult to understand?

  14. Re:And not illegal to handcuff him on Man Arrested For Taking Photo of Open ATM · · Score: 1

    My entire point is that when highlighting police brutality people need to stick to stories that are clear and not ambiguous. Its not like its hard to find these stories, so why use bad examples? Once again, stories like Kathryn Johnston's are good examples of police brutality, why no-knock warrants shouldn't be issued as easily as they are now, and how paid police snitches are bad.

    If you want this crap to stop - don't use examples that are easily picked apart after 10 minutes with google.

  15. Re:And not illegal to handcuff him on Man Arrested For Taking Photo of Open ATM · · Score: 4, Informative

    Since this happened down the road from me, I had to do a little more research. Now, not a fan of jack-booted thugs myself, in this particular story apparently the kid had shot a house up earlier (as in with a firearm) and was trippin acid when the cops Tasered him. If that was indeed the case, then the cop subsequently being cleared of any wrongdoing makes a little bit more sense - especially since, allegedly, the kid was muttering "shoot the cops" over and over again. The lesson here, when you drop acid and ever have to talk to cops, don't talk about shooting them. Lets save our vitriol about cops for when they kill people's granny's, shoot pregnant women, or kill harmless pets for fun.

  16. Re:You Can't Fight the Internet on California Family Fights For Privacy, Relief From Cyber-Harassment · · Score: 1

    res judicata

  17. Re:You Can't Fight the Internet on California Family Fights For Privacy, Relief From Cyber-Harassment · · Score: 1

    Go back to your hobbit hole.

  18. Re:Peak Oil on Energy Secretary Chu Endorses "Clean Coal" · · Score: 3, Insightful

    In addition, though DesCorps uses the quote from Chu that coal is his "worst nightmare" to imply that Chu has flipped-flopped on the issue, reading TFA the quote is taken from shows that even then Chu was talking about 'clean' coal.

  19. Re:why would a master hacker be that stupid .. on College Police Think Using Linux Is Suspicious Behavior · · Score: 1

    I agree. With no other evidence except someones word (for example, wouldn't a prof. be suspicious if a student's grade suddenly jumped a few letters) its pretty similar to a witch hunt from back in the day. Maybe we should see if the fucker floats.

  20. Re:sure it is on College Police Think Using Linux Is Suspicious Behavior · · Score: 1

    It's not compelling at all. Some people have latched onto the grade thing. Apparently though, from the affidavit, it is not alleged that any grades were changed - only that the person who's pissed at being called gay said he had seen the person who was deprived of his property enter the "grade" system. Sorry, that's not sufficient cause to steal people's shit.

  21. Re:Zotero on Building a Searchable Literature Archive With Keywords? · · Score: 1

    I'll even fourth it.

  22. Re:D&D is dead on No More D&D PDFs, Wizards of the Coast Sues 8 File Sharers · · Score: 1

    Regarding Planescape - I quit playing AD&D long before 3rd edition came out and very much enjoyed my planar travels thank you very much. A little google "work" shows that Planescape was released some 6 years before 3rd ed.

  23. Jury nullification on Phoenix Police Seize PCs of a Blogger Critical of the Department · · Score: 1

    Look it up.

  24. Re:Used car salesmen use the same thing on Cellular Repo Man · · Score: 1

    I laughed aloud when I read this - in a good way!

  25. Re:Used car salesmen use the same thing on Cellular Repo Man · · Score: 1

    So, you're suggesting that people with these devices never turn their car off? Or rent it as a taxi, which would get you in trouble in some municipalities. How 'bout just put a new starter on it and call it good?