Police do... and in some extreme cases (the bank robbery against the two guys in body armor and automatic weapons) they go head to head against hard forces. However, the police, in general, if they knew a trained military force was coming to oppose them would turn into civilians VERY quickly. A related case in point, when Katrina hit New Orleans, we saw Police turn into civilians VERY quickly, and some joined in on the looting. Others went VERY far, and were hard to track down eventually. And that was just against nature. Nature didn't have squads in body armor, fully automatic weapons and explosives, heavy artillery and mechanized war machines.
Still in New Orleans, we can examine how corrupt it had become by 2000, as an example of how police act.
Shall we examine the Rodney King case to see how Police act?
I know... these are three separate incidents and they are not the norm or the everyday. However, since they are the extreme, they go a long way to setting precedent as to how police can be expected to act in extreme situations. When pushed, a Police man or woman is far more likely to act like everyone else, than act like a "trained soldier" (the Special Forces mentioned in the GP).
So no, I don't think that a Police Force in some country will react favorably when finding out that a trained military extraction team is coming to free a prisoner they have in custody. I think that the members of that Police Force would rather face their families, than a fusillade from the dark.
Actually the USB drive has the advantage of being copied a few times... one being put into the fire-proof safe, one being mailed to my cousin who keeps them all in that old bank safe he got at an auction... another goes into my safety-deposit box. Wow. Now, if the server that holds my data is flooded (as has happened http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2398916025034509084 ) it's gone if THEY don't have proper backups. However, by my making copies and sending them around, for that one time fee of $270, I get multiple backups in very safe locations.
Let's look at current Internet and home equipment usage for a second. A large portion of Americans are getting about 10m internet... most via cable, some via DSL... most DSL subscribers are at 1.5 or 3. Their cabled intranet speeds in their homes are 100m. If they are using Wireless B, they are at 11m. G, and they are looking at 54m. N, and they could see 300m. People are scrambling to have N up and running in their homes, when Wireless B will provide them with the same internet speed... as their wireless pipe will still be faster than their internet pipe. Are they using the blazing speed of N... or that Gigabyte network they set up? Not from the internet. This doesn't stop the demand for faster, cheaper home wireless. Maybe it's to prep for the time when our internet speeds are faster... but by then, the wireless technology will have improved as well, and people will STILL be clamoring for faster speeds.
Look at the majority of people out there, and how they are using the internet. Email, social networking, surfing, and watching legal streaming downloadable content is what is going on. And guess what? They are currently doing that at our current speeds. If that median 10m were to double, the quality of the streaming content would increase to eat up the bandwidth, websites would be even more content intensive (eating up bandwidth), email might and probably would become vmail, etc. All nice advances... but unnecessary ones. Sure, we can imagine what great advances would come about due to increased internet access speeds for all... but I'm noticing that all the great examples named are all based around entertainment and excess... not necessity.
We'd be better off getting a cell phone democracy started, where every citizen had a state phone, and instead of a house of rep and senate, we all voted. And don't be thinking that we'd be voting all the time. Our current house and senate spend very little time voting. Pushing for a national program like that (register to vote, get your phone... or register your phone) and the proper tech advances to make it feasible is a far better way to spend our time and money. Then just push for better wireless all around, and skip the cabled middleman.
Look at our little planet. Billions of years passed by with HUGE lumbering dinosaurs roaming around. Who knows how many civilizations stopped by for a Bronto Burger or 10. But, for Billions of years, the most intelligent life on the planet either had HUGE teeth and spent it's time chasing smaller tidbits, or ate leaves peacefully and waited for the next predator. Mammals and man have been around and in some kind of dominant position for what... 100,000 years? Maybe 150k? A blip in the eye of galactic life... a blip in the eye of our planet's history with life.
We can't assume that an Alien culture would grow and expand at a rate we might also grow and expand at. What we've done in the past 100 years, another culture on another planet might have done in 10... or it might just have easily done it in 10,000 years. What we might call patient and careful progress, another culture might think of as reckless and hurried.
You say "Some planets suitable for life"... you are assuming a carbon-based life form then, similar to our own form, or what might develop on our planet? Because if we open up the possibility for life forms based on other elements, then what criteria are you using to define a planet as suitable for life? And don't forget we have some strange life here on earth (micro bacteria that use iron as a means of respiration... hyperthermophiles) so who knows what is out there.
A civilization on a slow path may not have advanced to the point of seeding the galaxy. Even if they did start before us.
Imagine a counter top device that can keep a gallon of milk refrigerated to below 40 degrees F, and is only slightly larger than the gallon of milk... wouldn't that be excellent? OOPS already exists... uses Peltier tech to work. Oh. You can also buy a small cooler/refrigerator that runs off your car cigarette lighter... also uses Peltier.
Yes, there is a lot of talk about how much heat this thing moves. But, to be plain... if you put electricity through a Peltier, the Hot side gets hot, and the cold side... gets COLD! Yes, this means that you are not only just moving the heat from the processor to the heatsink (this goes between them), but you are actually applying a cold surface to the top of the processor. But, if that isn't clear... a regular heat sink and fan doesn't get cold (drop in temperature) on the processor side. This thing does. Ultra made a cooler that used a Peltier. http://www.xoxide.com/ultra-chilltech-cpu-cooler.html
So it isn't just about moving heat. That is part of how it works. But the right (or wrong) peltier in position on a processor can actually cause condensation to form around it. It is about adding cooling.
Just to assist in your clarification... so YOU understand where you are really coming from...
If you are talking about Power Users, in the sense of users who actually are in the know and can intelligently handle their systems properly... then you might as well be talking about Linux or Mac users... since as a Power User you are in as small of a minority as Linux users or Mac users... in comparison to the Average Joe user that you don't give a flying fuck about.
Because it isn't like the majority of Vista users are Power Users. They are the exception to the rule... not the rule.
And the huge numbers behind the "I-don't-give-a-flying-fuck-about-you" user base give the malware/spyware writers a target that is impossible to miss. As has been pointed out, these easily led users will click on anything to get what they want. Now, sure... there are Power Users out there who would not be fooled by such tactics... just as there are computer users who decided that going to Linux was easier than dealing with HAVING to know everything they had to know to avoid the pitfalls of using a MS product.
Take the Power Users out, and treat them differently. It doesn't matter. Windows will still be made for (almost) the lowest common denominator. Why does Windows even need to be "pretty"? Why doesn't MS sell the basic OS, no pretty at all? Then, the beautification software can be an extra. People *did* go out and buy Microsoft Plus! to add that kind of beautification to Win98, you know. Why isn't the essential OS sold as a true Basic package, then like most products, offer Extras.
No, instead we have an Idiot Base, as big as the Power User Base, that runs out to purchase Vista Ultimate, because they believe it has to be the Ultimate OS, not because they actually need any of the Business tools added to Home Premium (which is all Ultimate is... Home Premium and Business... that and BitLocker and Windows Movie Maker HD). Instead, they should be buying the basic OS, then adding the tools they want. MS knows it's user base is largely ignorant and counts on that. Malware and Spyware writers know that the majority of the Windows user base is ignorant AND the largest computer user base out there... and THEY count on that.
So ok. It is acknowledged that YOU are talking about the Power Users. Note, that that user base can be largely ignored, since it is having little to no effect on the status of the rest of the Windows users
Wow... I'm guessing that AC hasn't filled out many applications... and I admit that I've only seen rare few applications ask about ethnicity... but otherwise, age, gender... two standards from my experience. Why would a job site care about Birthdate, Gender, and Race? Because EMPLOYERS care about Birthdates, Gender, and Race. Employers would like to know roughly how old their potential new employees will be, they like to know if they will be hiring a girl (for the day shift) or a guy (for the overnight third-shift they have had trouble with locals on).
Yes there are. And there are simple steps to being able to clear those worms/spyware/malware when you are infected with them. However, those simple steps either require running scans and updates regularly, or paying for software that will do it automatically (although spybot does have a scheduler feature).
The issue right now, is that there is not one cleaning tool that gets them all. That's where it starts to get complicated. A large portion of the worst stuff can be cleared easily and painlessly with Malwarebytes and a recent ComboFix. But then it's a matter of getting THAT knowledge into the mainstream. And these tools will fall by the wayside as different kinds of infections become more prevalent, and other cleaning tool developers stay on top of what is current. So education is the key I guess... as it is with most things.
Linux users should not be feeling smug. They should appreciate Microsoft more than they do. If Linux had a more dominant position in the market, Linux users would be cleaning spyware/malware from their machines too. But most linux users are too smart to realize or admit that.
I don't disagree. And with laptops, this is always the first line of approach. Check the hardware, then software. Hell, just booting to BartPE will tell you a lot about the hardware outside of the installed OS. Then you've got tools to check other things, etc... I've seen a number of instances where a machine will boot to a black screen error that the system portion of the registry hive is either missing or corrupted. You can't boot to safe mode. You can boot to a recovery console and manually copy the one in the repair directory off windows...But... what causes this error is almost always accompanied by actual data corruption. Can't fix it before a Chkdsk... it just may not need one.
or
Boot to BartPE If desktop shows the C drive as (unrecognized) Run Chkdsk and fix. Start the Remote Registry Editor. It detects the error, and fixes it from a different and recent partial backup. Computer boots. Recover data from a most likely failing drive.
In this case, using software to determine hardware failure, and make the transition as smooth as possible. Might be a massive infection that caused the corruption, low chance though. But as an early diagnostic step on an unknown issue, I usually boot to BartPE before I open the case. Unless it is obvious ("Check system fan", no bootable device found, broken screen, dripping, etc.).
Laser printers and copiers sit better over time, compared to ink-based printers. Of course, moisture does play a part in this. If you move the laser copier/printer out to the shed in back, and leave it for a year, yes, you are going to have problems. If you close the door to your office, and go on sabbatical for 6 months, when you come back that laser copier/printer will print just fine.
The ink in the channels, the ink in the print head, and in some cases in the very cartridge (Xerox had these thin little ink cartridges that would dry up in a month or so, once opened, if they weren't used) will dry and clog the system, forcing one to change the print heads or more. In both cases, the best thing to do is just remove the toner/ink cartridges if you KNOW you are going to store the printer. It is just good to know if you take a modicum of care, the Toner will be good when you need it again. The ink won't
I wouldn't call geek squad for anything... considering they have sent business to the shop I work at... in once cases, leaving their tools CD inside a machine. Essentially a beefed and customized WinPE. The funniest part, as we were laughing and using the CD to diagnose the computer, memtest86 on the disc revealed RAM to be their issue. We would have used one of our discs, but you had to be there. The fact that we used Geek Squads diagnostic CD to uncover the problem with a PC, on a computer they couldn't fix and had sent to us, and had forgotten to remove their CD from... that kept us in stitches for a week or so.
Now, the situation you just described, happens for $888 at our shop. It currently ends with an AMD X2 64 5800+, a Gig of Ram, a 320gb WD drive, an Asus a8n-sli board, an Evga Nvidia 8600, an Antec case, a lightscribe DVD burner, a floppy drive, and an Antec 380 Earthwatts PS (we got a pile of them), and an OEM CD and Key for XP Pro. Sure, it's a bit overpriced if you or I was going out and buying the hardware. But this is the system we sell to the customers who come in with their Old Compaq desktops with their PII and AMD K6 processors... or the systems that came out with XP when it was new, and are still using their original 256MB of RAM and are having spyware troubles on top of running with SP3. They bring in their old machines, we build them their new one, we transfer all their family pictures and such, install software like Firefox, VLC, OpenOffice and such, give them a quick lesson on how and WHY they should be running AdAware and Spybot weekly, introduce them to AVG Free as it is installed on their machine, and ALWAYS send them away happy.
Sorry the Geeks Squad Hosed You on price, but if you walked into Bestbuy with a PII running WIn95, you needed a new computer and OS if you wanted to be current and compatible. If you wanted to keep that Win95 machine, you should have visited a smaller shop, and told them so. They would have fixed you up (we also give people that option) and got you running again. I've got several satisfied customers running WIn98 machines currently, and one still using a Win95 box. I've reinstalled for them, found the tools they need to stay clean etc... and they come back regardless... usually due to the fact that they won't run their cleaners regularly... and need a cleaning every few months. Kinda like teeth. Smaller shops are more likely to work harder to do what YOU want, as opposed to making you fit into their mold.
But what about your restricted build that you offer people... you might ask me. Well, that $888 starts there with that hardware. You want to customize? That's cool. You insist on a Striker Extreme? That's fine. I'm not one of the Geek Squad. I'm not going to walk you over to the sales department and tell you that you that you need to pick out a new machine, and we'll dump your data onto it. I'm not going to put a piece of cardboard on the side of your head so you can't see that the new computers being sold on the shelf next to where you are looking at that estimate you just described, and how they only cost $1000, and offer more than the hardware you are being expected to pay $3000 for. I'm a small shop tech. I aim to please. Your fault you went to the Geek Squad. Stop screwing over the little guy, and support your local business... or THAT is going to happen.
As a professional in the field of fixing this and other similar problems with PCs, I would have to say that the first thing to consider, is a fresh install of the operating system.
As a geek, that thought makes me cringe... because I want to fix it.
I was doing a bit of necessary research on a machine tonight, where every time it was updated to SP3 after a fresh install (heavy spyware/malware infected system, customer opted for the quicker format-reinstall instead of the longer cleaning) it would BSOD with a 0x07e. The fresh install was from a Compaq/HP recovery partition. The issue, as it turned out, was due to an orphaned registry entry relating to the fact that the initial recovery image was made on an Intel machine (probably at a factory in Texas). On a machine with a non-Intel processor, when Windows is updated to SP2 or SP3, this registry key is activated, and the machine will attempt to start up with intelpmm.sys loading... which causes a BSOD on an AMD machine. How many countless Compaq Presario desktop users came home to this obscure BSOD? We at the shop avoided seeing this problem on a lot of repair jobs, because we would just blow all the partitions, and install fresh with an OEM CD and their key.
Now... the geek in me wants to keep one iteration of an OS going for as long as possible... which I can do with Windows. I am typing this on a copy of windows that was installed... about 5 years ago. I've cloned it onto newer drives, and I've gone through different motherboards without having to reinstall. Why? Because I know enough to be a professional and I make my living on the hardware. I don't think that everyone should have to be a professional to keep their computer running smoothly though. unfortunately, this is not how things are.
So what to do with a machine that crawls? Look first at when it started crawling. If it happened slowly over time, that's hard to do. If you came home one day, booted the box and it crawled from that day forth... you look at the event viewer. You see what your computer did before it started running like crap. Was there a windows update? It is conceivable that there was an automatic update, and it is conceivable that it made a change that made your computer unhappy. I can't tell you how many systems run great as they are updating, then look or sound like crap, because the Windows Update suggested driver for the onboard Intel GPU or C-Media sound (which was actually a Realtek) screwed up an OS rebuild.
There are a bucket full of tools out there. http://www.majorgeeks.com/ Visit that site. Investigate the tools. Ok, you know about "antivirus" and Spybot. Do you know about Malwarebytes? And how it gets hundreds of current maleware baddies that spybot doesn't? Do you know about Combo Fix, how it will add an easy boot to the recovery console, AND repair some specific Malware infections? There is a long list of tools. And some of them do have an overlap with other tools, in what they find. Others, are Very specific (Smitfraud.C removal tool, for example). How is your AV doing? Are you mistakenly running multiple resident scanners at the same time? DO you have a ton of things running on Startup?
See? Sure, Linux can make things easier in some cases. And yes, the more you know, and the more patience you have (and the more care you exercise) the better your Windows experience can be. But you have to pay attention to your machine. You have to investigate problems. You have to be well armed, or willing to pay a professional to take care of it. Sure. Everyone has the potential to be a great gardener. Most, will hire a professional. Same thing here. I don't care who says it's easy. They forget that they know more than the majority. What is easy for them, is not common knowledge. People still think that their computer needs more "memory", because they can't download any more songs. They don't know that the little windows sticker on the side or bottom of a computer is an
If he has an Analog TV, then he is entitled to a coupon.... actually this statement is not true.
If he has an Analog TV and he has not purchased a replacement TV with a digital tuner (and for a 27" SDTV at Walmart, expect to pay around $200) because of his CHOICE... then he is not entitled to a coupon. People who cannot afford the switch over to digital are who are entitled to these coupons. If you have three plasma TVs all with digital tuners and a few DVRs and some other assorted digital receiving devices, then you are NOT entitled to a coupon for a free Digital Receiver.
I'm not sure that the OP understands what these coupons are for. This thing is not a DVR. It is not a device that will allow time shifting or anything else. It is simply the same as a radio. It is a Receiver that will pick up the digital TV signal, and output it to a single channel on the TV.
If this gentleman is expecting to get some kind of processor-type unit (to play AVI files, MPEG streams, etc) hewill be disappointed.
However, saying that everyone is entitled to one of these coupons, is like saying that everyone is entitled to unemployment, or welfare, or free food... the person who owns three homes and 8 cars is not entitled to welfare... until AFTER they give up everything.
But if this guy wants to use his coupon to get a device for free so he can hack it and potentially abuse it to where it will break... then no, he is not entitled to a free Digital Receiver. These devices are for who needs them... not for people who want to play around with them and save a few bucks.
I'm sorry, but your indication of how something went over the parent's head is completely lost... as well as completely out of place.
Let's recap, shall we? YOU obviously lost something in the translation. Parent posts that the hype that BSG is making over these final episodes is way over the top... that specifically this will not change TV as we know it. Someone responds by telling him he is entitled to his beliefs. Now, aside from any unorthodox usage of that phrase, Someone who responds with a blatantly obvious statement like that is leaving the unspoken "I disagree with you, but" from the front of the phrase. The parent responds back asking for specifics in how BSG is going make it so Television will never be the same... and YOU respond with this idiotic "Whoosh!".
There was nothing sarcastic or ironic to the response that he was entitled to his beliefs. There was nothing to indicate that this comment about beliefs should be taken any other way, other than exactly how it was posted. If we start assuming that people are not actually writing what they want to say, and we assume that about EVERYONE, and EVERYTHING they want to say... what's the point of communication if we are going to spend Zero time processing the communication, and all the time questioning the communication?
So, nice try there at being a slick slashdotter... nice fail, I should say.
of course, if you refute ANYTHING, I can just say it is sarcasm... and expect my reply to be a simple "Whoosh", because it is really obvious that if you disagree with me, you didn't understand me and it must have gone over your head.
So... what is it you want to do with this type of device that you don't want to SAY you want to do?
I mean, because you could easily log into your Yahoo account with this thing, and flip over to the Notes section, and do whatever it is you wanted to do with Notepad.
Oh... you wanted to do some web design? Well, go ahead and use the WYSIWYG editor through your sites CPanel.
Oh... you wanted to be a Purist... ah. Elitism. I get it. Well, then just purchase yourself a full fledged computer.
You are probably right. I mean, who would want to buy a limited function version of an already existing product... well... aside from the people who were tired of desktops and wanted something portable... they were willing to accept limited functionality in exchange for portability and thus the laptop was born. But aside from them... who wants limited functionality at a reduced price? Other than netbook customers that is... I mean, sure you can get a reduced function laptop for less than a full laptop. But still... you are totally right. No one is going to want to buy a device with restricted functions... well, aside from those portable DVD players... I mean, those screens are TINY! It's not like watching a DVD on a big screen. But seriously... noone is going to want to purchase limited functionality at a lowered price, when they can get more functionality at a higher price.
As a former homeless (who was posting to slashdot during my time living in a van outside of a coffee shop) person, I resent that remark. First of all, you could NEVER get that level of quality and productivity out of homeless alcoholics. Two brought together are friends, sure. Everyone knows that. Who wants to be homeless alone? Better to have a buddy. Three or more are bitter a enemies. Why? Who knows. These are drunk, homeless alcoholics who most likely have mental issues. So any work quickly devolves into arguments, literal pissing contests, and the din of confused people shouting "Isn't this 1989? I used to own all the compooters!"
So no, you could never just pay a pile of homeless guys in whiskey and low wages. They'd leave you with a smelly computer lab, keyboards that dripped things you didn't want to know about, and your liquor cabinet would be missing entirely. Oh... and nothing would be rated or reviewed.
Although, I'm sure the reviews that you did get out of them would seem completely normal.
There is a vast difference between believing that the smaller force ALWAYS loses, and believing that the probability is that the smaller force would lose. I'd expect you to recognize that, and I'm disappointed that you did not. It is far likelier that a small family defending a farm would lose what they have to a mob of angry, hungry urbanites... than it is that a small family defending a farm would be victorious at driving away the attackers and still keep what they had (and not lose it to collateral damage). All it takes is one person to drive a car through the farmhouse... then where are the defenders?
I'm not forgetting history. You are forgetting the countless battles where a superior force (in number, or in training, or in position) crushed a much smaller force. History is carpeted with examples of such. I'm glad you could find specific examples where a well trained, well disciplined, well DEFENDED and POSITIONED force could hold out for an Extended period of time. Why not actually attempt to see this from the other side.. and do the research that shows how much of a minority those battles are, considering the majority of battles that did not work out nearly as well for the inferior force. I'm not going to do the research for you. Why? Because if you think that the majority of battles out there were won by inferior forces... this discussion is pointless.
Sure... in this hypothetical situation, Jim Jones might indeed hold off his attackers. But the family farms of Bob Bobson, Jack Johnson, Bill Hardy, Frank Poulton, Carl Roberts, Tim Mason, Phil Carter, and Steve Wilson would fall. I'll acknowledge that there ARE farmers and the like out there that could defend themselves... that does not detract from the fact that there are MORE farmers out there who could NOT defend themselves.
And let's not forget the VAST number of Trained Military Personnel out there living in METROPOLITIAN areas who are going to need food, and they know where the farms and compounds are going to be, and they have extensive training in how to seige and get to those farms and compounds... so we got Jim Johnson and his boys, up against the 101st Airborne... because the Army is no more, and Airborne has to eat. Still think the Farmers with the rifles are gonna hold off the hungry hordes? Man, I wish I could live in your fantasy.
Well, not to shoot holes in what you believe to be fact...
But I grew up in a rural area... had horses, farmed land... that kind of stuff. My Dad was in the Military. He had Guns. He couldn't hit the broadside of our barn... it took him two shots once to put a puppy out if it's misery when it had been hit by a car. My Grandfather (moms side) lived a 5 minute walk up the street. He was a Vet too. He couldn't shoot worth a damn. In fact, plenty of people in the surrounding area had guns, and few could shoot well. So whose facts trump whose?
Those who forget history, are doomed to repeat it.
What happens when you surround a small force with an overwhelming number of attackers? The small force, unless it has a way to destroy the attackers en masse, loses. Let me put it another way. Jim Jones and his boys want to protect his farm and the food he has. 1000 people from the city armed with torches, light arms, and makeshift weapons are there to take what they can.
You think that Farmer Jones and his sons are gonna hold off the attackers? Sure, you live in a movie.. I live on Earth.
You did not have an honest question... you had a loaded question.
How many people live in Central Falls, RI? as of 2000, 18,928. Why is this important? Because the City is 1.29 square miles in size. That's right. Roughly one mile on a side. Almost twenty thousand people living in one square mile. How many people live in a square mile up around where you live? You think the residents of Central Falls can grow their own food there, slaughter their own cattle there, and in general survive like you intend to? Because THOSE statistics say that you are 1 in 18928 that will survive an Anomaly relatively unscathed.
So you are just wondering what the statistics are? http://www.census.gov/population/www/pop-profile/files/2000/chap07.pdf Start with this. 46% of all housing units are in Suburban areas. Another 30% are in central cities. That leaves 24% located outside of metropolitan areas... like yours. Meaning that as of 1999, 24% of the US lived in rural areas like yours that would support that independent life style. So, roughly 24% wouldn't have major issues in the event of a major Anomaly... at first... because as has already been pointed out, some percentage would then seek out to take what that 24% had for themselves... and I'm willing to bet that a Majority of that unknown percentage would be more aggressive about taking, than the majority of the 24% would be about keeping.
Ok, so first I mention that it could very well be a contest that they run every year... then YOU come in and reiterate what I already said, as if it is some excuse...
Except you did not acknowledge that he didn't take one shot of the Amtrak Logo on an Amtrak train. It doesn't matter if he wants people with winter coats, or snow backgrounds, or people with blue hair... if the contest rules state very specifically that the photos that will be considered for entry have to be of Amtrak Trains, and they have to show the Amtrak Logo pictured on that contest page... then any other pictures that this guy takes are all bogus. Shots of the Station will not be considered for the contest. Why? Shots of the station will not be shots of a TRAIN with a clearly visible Amtrak LOGO.
Now... you say that Just Because they are not accepting new photos it doesn't mean that you can't get your good shots now... this is not true. Just because it is not hunting season, doesn't mean you can't get your good kills in now, since they have hunting season every year. This is a true statement? No it is not. I'm not saying that there is a Photography season, so don't even think of going there. What I am saying, is that The Contest is currently Over, and there is no mention of accepting new photos for the next year. For all we know, this contest was the biggest waste of money ever in Amtrak history, and this was the last year they are running it. We don't know, because the only information available to us is 6 months out of date at the Amtrak site. So, with no current contest, using the excuse of "I'm taking pictures for the calender contest" falls apart. Plus, using the excuse that "I'm taking pictures for the contest." doesn't work either, because he wasn't taking pictures of TRAINS with a clearly displayed Amtrak LOGO on them.
Again... let me point out that the only pictures that would be accepted into the contest, were pictures of TRAINS with a clearly visible Amtrak LOGO on them.
Did I mention that this guy didn't take any pictures that could even be considered for the contest anyway? Did you read the contest rules, and look at the pictures he took?
{sarcasm}It's nice to see that the Slashdot editors are on their A game with this one.{/sarcasm}
First, when visiting the Amtrak contest site http://www.amtrak.com/photocontest one will notice that the contest ended in July of 2008. Maybe they do run it every year. However, the contest has a definite cut off date. They do not say they are currently accepting submissions for the next years contest. SO this Photographer's claim that he was taking pictures for the contest was false. 5-months-after-closing-time false.
Second, the contest requirements call for pictures of Amtrak trains, that clearly show the Amtrak logo. The rules and the contest description are very specific on this. Amtrak even shows you what the logo you are taking pictures of should look like. I looked through this guys photos. I did not see one clean Amtrak logo in any of them. His use of that crazy lens just makes it worse, for that lens would surely destroy any potential clear capture of the logo he was supposed to have on film. So this photographer fails in what he was taking pictures of, since he was obviously not taking pictures of the TRAINS with the AMTRAK LOGO. He was taking pictures of people, and the station and of blurry trains that could have been New York Transit or whatnot.
You can't break the rules, then turn around and use those rules as a shield from prosecution. You can't ignore the rules, then throw a tantrum when you can't use those rules for protection.
Why? To the Muslims, Jesus Christ is no more than a historical figure. Islam was alive and kicking and doing just fine in the grand scheme of things long before Christianity came into being. If we were to personify the religions, Christianity was a newborn in the manger, while three kings from far off lands, these kings maybe being Islam, Buddhism, and Confucianism... came to visit and gawk at the new kid on the block.
Why would I have to explain to the Muslims in the region that in the grand schemes, Christianity is a relative new-comer to that region... considering how long the religions that were there all along have been there... I think the Muslims already know.
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Police do... and in some extreme cases (the bank robbery against the two guys in body armor and automatic weapons) they go head to head against hard forces. However, the police, in general, if they knew a trained military force was coming to oppose them would turn into civilians VERY quickly. A related case in point, when Katrina hit New Orleans, we saw Police turn into civilians VERY quickly, and some joined in on the looting. Others went VERY far, and were hard to track down eventually. And that was just against nature. Nature didn't have squads in body armor, fully automatic weapons and explosives, heavy artillery and mechanized war machines.
Still in New Orleans, we can examine how corrupt it had become by 2000, as an example of how police act.
Shall we examine the Rodney King case to see how Police act?
I know... these are three separate incidents and they are not the norm or the everyday. However, since they are the extreme, they go a long way to setting precedent as to how police can be expected to act in extreme situations. When pushed, a Police man or woman is far more likely to act like everyone else, than act like a "trained soldier" (the Special Forces mentioned in the GP).
So no, I don't think that a Police Force in some country will react favorably when finding out that a trained military extraction team is coming to free a prisoner they have in custody. I think that the members of that Police Force would rather face their families, than a fusillade from the dark.
Actually the USB drive has the advantage of being copied a few times... one being put into the fire-proof safe, one being mailed to my cousin who keeps them all in that old bank safe he got at an auction... another goes into my safety-deposit box. Wow. Now, if the server that holds my data is flooded (as has happened http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2398916025034509084 ) it's gone if THEY don't have proper backups. However, by my making copies and sending them around, for that one time fee of $270, I get multiple backups in very safe locations.
Let's look at current Internet and home equipment usage for a second. A large portion of Americans are getting about 10m internet... most via cable, some via DSL... most DSL subscribers are at 1.5 or 3. Their cabled intranet speeds in their homes are 100m. If they are using Wireless B, they are at 11m. G, and they are looking at 54m. N, and they could see 300m. People are scrambling to have N up and running in their homes, when Wireless B will provide them with the same internet speed... as their wireless pipe will still be faster than their internet pipe. Are they using the blazing speed of N... or that Gigabyte network they set up? Not from the internet. This doesn't stop the demand for faster, cheaper home wireless. Maybe it's to prep for the time when our internet speeds are faster... but by then, the wireless technology will have improved as well, and people will STILL be clamoring for faster speeds.
Look at the majority of people out there, and how they are using the internet. Email, social networking, surfing, and watching legal streaming downloadable content is what is going on. And guess what? They are currently doing that at our current speeds. If that median 10m were to double, the quality of the streaming content would increase to eat up the bandwidth, websites would be even more content intensive (eating up bandwidth), email might and probably would become vmail, etc. All nice advances... but unnecessary ones. Sure, we can imagine what great advances would come about due to increased internet access speeds for all... but I'm noticing that all the great examples named are all based around entertainment and excess... not necessity.
We'd be better off getting a cell phone democracy started, where every citizen had a state phone, and instead of a house of rep and senate, we all voted. And don't be thinking that we'd be voting all the time. Our current house and senate spend very little time voting. Pushing for a national program like that (register to vote, get your phone... or register your phone) and the proper tech advances to make it feasible is a far better way to spend our time and money. Then just push for better wireless all around, and skip the cabled middleman.
actually...
Look at our little planet. Billions of years passed by with HUGE lumbering dinosaurs roaming around. Who knows how many civilizations stopped by for a Bronto Burger or 10. But, for Billions of years, the most intelligent life on the planet either had HUGE teeth and spent it's time chasing smaller tidbits, or ate leaves peacefully and waited for the next predator. Mammals and man have been around and in some kind of dominant position for what... 100,000 years? Maybe 150k? A blip in the eye of galactic life... a blip in the eye of our planet's history with life.
We can't assume that an Alien culture would grow and expand at a rate we might also grow and expand at. What we've done in the past 100 years, another culture on another planet might have done in 10... or it might just have easily done it in 10,000 years. What we might call patient and careful progress, another culture might think of as reckless and hurried.
You say "Some planets suitable for life"... you are assuming a carbon-based life form then, similar to our own form, or what might develop on our planet? Because if we open up the possibility for life forms based on other elements, then what criteria are you using to define a planet as suitable for life? And don't forget we have some strange life here on earth (micro bacteria that use iron as a means of respiration... hyperthermophiles) so who knows what is out there.
A civilization on a slow path may not have advanced to the point of seeding the galaxy. Even if they did start before us.
Actually that will be Windows 9.
Windows 8 will be the RC2 of Windows 7 that Microsoft *now* says it isn't going to have to release... but will end up releasing anyway.
honestly, I'm fine with this. Trek has always been good solid entertainment. It isn't history... it isn't science... it's Entertainment.
Imagine a counter top device that can keep a gallon of milk refrigerated to below 40 degrees F, and is only slightly larger than the gallon of milk... wouldn't that be excellent? OOPS already exists... uses Peltier tech to work. Oh. You can also buy a small cooler/refrigerator that runs off your car cigarette lighter... also uses Peltier.
Yes, there is a lot of talk about how much heat this thing moves. But, to be plain... if you put electricity through a Peltier, the Hot side gets hot, and the cold side... gets COLD! Yes, this means that you are not only just moving the heat from the processor to the heatsink (this goes between them), but you are actually applying a cold surface to the top of the processor. But, if that isn't clear... a regular heat sink and fan doesn't get cold (drop in temperature) on the processor side. This thing does. Ultra made a cooler that used a Peltier. http://www.xoxide.com/ultra-chilltech-cpu-cooler.html
So it isn't just about moving heat. That is part of how it works. But the right (or wrong) peltier in position on a processor can actually cause condensation to form around it. It is about adding cooling.
Just to assist in your clarification... so YOU understand where you are really coming from...
If you are talking about Power Users, in the sense of users who actually are in the know and can intelligently handle their systems properly... then you might as well be talking about Linux or Mac users... since as a Power User you are in as small of a minority as Linux users or Mac users... in comparison to the Average Joe user that you don't give a flying fuck about.
Because it isn't like the majority of Vista users are Power Users. They are the exception to the rule... not the rule.
And the huge numbers behind the "I-don't-give-a-flying-fuck-about-you" user base give the malware/spyware writers a target that is impossible to miss. As has been pointed out, these easily led users will click on anything to get what they want. Now, sure... there are Power Users out there who would not be fooled by such tactics... just as there are computer users who decided that going to Linux was easier than dealing with HAVING to know everything they had to know to avoid the pitfalls of using a MS product.
Take the Power Users out, and treat them differently. It doesn't matter. Windows will still be made for (almost) the lowest common denominator. Why does Windows even need to be "pretty"? Why doesn't MS sell the basic OS, no pretty at all? Then, the beautification software can be an extra. People *did* go out and buy Microsoft Plus! to add that kind of beautification to Win98, you know. Why isn't the essential OS sold as a true Basic package, then like most products, offer Extras.
No, instead we have an Idiot Base, as big as the Power User Base, that runs out to purchase Vista Ultimate, because they believe it has to be the Ultimate OS, not because they actually need any of the Business tools added to Home Premium (which is all Ultimate is... Home Premium and Business... that and BitLocker and Windows Movie Maker HD). Instead, they should be buying the basic OS, then adding the tools they want. MS knows it's user base is largely ignorant and counts on that. Malware and Spyware writers know that the majority of the Windows user base is ignorant AND the largest computer user base out there... and THEY count on that.
So ok. It is acknowledged that YOU are talking about the Power Users. Note, that that user base can be largely ignored, since it is having little to no effect on the status of the rest of the Windows users
Wow... I'm guessing that AC hasn't filled out many applications... and I admit that I've only seen rare few applications ask about ethnicity... but otherwise, age, gender... two standards from my experience. Why would a job site care about Birthdate, Gender, and Race? Because EMPLOYERS care about Birthdates, Gender, and Race. Employers would like to know roughly how old their potential new employees will be, they like to know if they will be hiring a girl (for the day shift) or a guy (for the overnight third-shift they have had trouble with locals on).
Ethnicity...hmm..
Yes there are. And there are simple steps to being able to clear those worms/spyware/malware when you are infected with them. However, those simple steps either require running scans and updates regularly, or paying for software that will do it automatically (although spybot does have a scheduler feature).
The issue right now, is that there is not one cleaning tool that gets them all. That's where it starts to get complicated. A large portion of the worst stuff can be cleared easily and painlessly with Malwarebytes and a recent ComboFix. But then it's a matter of getting THAT knowledge into the mainstream. And these tools will fall by the wayside as different kinds of infections become more prevalent, and other cleaning tool developers stay on top of what is current. So education is the key I guess... as it is with most things.
Linux users should not be feeling smug. They should appreciate Microsoft more than they do. If Linux had a more dominant position in the market, Linux users would be cleaning spyware/malware from their machines too. But most linux users are too smart to realize or admit that.
I don't disagree. And with laptops, this is always the first line of approach. Check the hardware, then software. Hell, just booting to BartPE will tell you a lot about the hardware outside of the installed OS. Then you've got tools to check other things, etc... I've seen a number of instances where a machine will boot to a black screen error that the system portion of the registry hive is either missing or corrupted. You can't boot to safe mode. You can boot to a recovery console and manually copy the one in the repair directory off windows...But... what causes this error is almost always accompanied by actual data corruption. Can't fix it before a Chkdsk... it just may not need one.
or
Boot to BartPE
If desktop shows the C drive as (unrecognized)
Run Chkdsk and fix.
Start the Remote Registry Editor.
It detects the error, and fixes it from a different and recent partial backup.
Computer boots.
Recover data from a most likely failing drive.
In this case, using software to determine hardware failure, and make the transition as smooth as possible. Might be a massive infection that caused the corruption, low chance though. But as an early diagnostic step on an unknown issue, I usually boot to BartPE before I open the case. Unless it is obvious ("Check system fan", no bootable device found, broken screen, dripping, etc.).
Laser printers and copiers sit better over time, compared to ink-based printers. Of course, moisture does play a part in this. If you move the laser copier/printer out to the shed in back, and leave it for a year, yes, you are going to have problems. If you close the door to your office, and go on sabbatical for 6 months, when you come back that laser copier/printer will print just fine.
The ink in the channels, the ink in the print head, and in some cases in the very cartridge (Xerox had these thin little ink cartridges that would dry up in a month or so, once opened, if they weren't used) will dry and clog the system, forcing one to change the print heads or more. In both cases, the best thing to do is just remove the toner/ink cartridges if you KNOW you are going to store the printer. It is just good to know if you take a modicum of care, the Toner will be good when you need it again. The ink won't
I wouldn't call geek squad for anything... considering they have sent business to the shop I work at... in once cases, leaving their tools CD inside a machine. Essentially a beefed and customized WinPE. The funniest part, as we were laughing and using the CD to diagnose the computer, memtest86 on the disc revealed RAM to be their issue. We would have used one of our discs, but you had to be there. The fact that we used Geek Squads diagnostic CD to uncover the problem with a PC, on a computer they couldn't fix and had sent to us, and had forgotten to remove their CD from... that kept us in stitches for a week or so.
Now, the situation you just described, happens for $888 at our shop. It currently ends with an AMD X2 64 5800+, a Gig of Ram, a 320gb WD drive, an Asus a8n-sli board, an Evga Nvidia 8600, an Antec case, a lightscribe DVD burner, a floppy drive, and an Antec 380 Earthwatts PS (we got a pile of them), and an OEM CD and Key for XP Pro. Sure, it's a bit overpriced if you or I was going out and buying the hardware. But this is the system we sell to the customers who come in with their Old Compaq desktops with their PII and AMD K6 processors... or the systems that came out with XP when it was new, and are still using their original 256MB of RAM and are having spyware troubles on top of running with SP3. They bring in their old machines, we build them their new one, we transfer all their family pictures and such, install software like Firefox, VLC, OpenOffice and such, give them a quick lesson on how and WHY they should be running AdAware and Spybot weekly, introduce them to AVG Free as it is installed on their machine, and ALWAYS send them away happy.
Sorry the Geeks Squad Hosed You on price, but if you walked into Bestbuy with a PII running WIn95, you needed a new computer and OS if you wanted to be current and compatible. If you wanted to keep that Win95 machine, you should have visited a smaller shop, and told them so. They would have fixed you up (we also give people that option) and got you running again. I've got several satisfied customers running WIn98 machines currently, and one still using a Win95 box. I've reinstalled for them, found the tools they need to stay clean etc... and they come back regardless... usually due to the fact that they won't run their cleaners regularly... and need a cleaning every few months. Kinda like teeth. Smaller shops are more likely to work harder to do what YOU want, as opposed to making you fit into their mold.
But what about your restricted build that you offer people... you might ask me. Well, that $888 starts there with that hardware. You want to customize? That's cool. You insist on a Striker Extreme? That's fine. I'm not one of the Geek Squad. I'm not going to walk you over to the sales department and tell you that you that you need to pick out a new machine, and we'll dump your data onto it. I'm not going to put a piece of cardboard on the side of your head so you can't see that the new computers being sold on the shelf next to where you are looking at that estimate you just described, and how they only cost $1000, and offer more than the hardware you are being expected to pay $3000 for. I'm a small shop tech. I aim to please. Your fault you went to the Geek Squad. Stop screwing over the little guy, and support your local business... or THAT is going to happen.
As a professional in the field of fixing this and other similar problems with PCs, I would have to say that the first thing to consider, is a fresh install of the operating system.
As a geek, that thought makes me cringe... because I want to fix it.
I was doing a bit of necessary research on a machine tonight, where every time it was updated to SP3 after a fresh install (heavy spyware/malware infected system, customer opted for the quicker format-reinstall instead of the longer cleaning) it would BSOD with a 0x07e. The fresh install was from a Compaq/HP recovery partition. The issue, as it turned out, was due to an orphaned registry entry relating to the fact that the initial recovery image was made on an Intel machine (probably at a factory in Texas). On a machine with a non-Intel processor, when Windows is updated to SP2 or SP3, this registry key is activated, and the machine will attempt to start up with intelpmm.sys loading... which causes a BSOD on an AMD machine. How many countless Compaq Presario desktop users came home to this obscure BSOD? We at the shop avoided seeing this problem on a lot of repair jobs, because we would just blow all the partitions, and install fresh with an OEM CD and their key.
Now... the geek in me wants to keep one iteration of an OS going for as long as possible... which I can do with Windows. I am typing this on a copy of windows that was installed... about 5 years ago. I've cloned it onto newer drives, and I've gone through different motherboards without having to reinstall. Why? Because I know enough to be a professional and I make my living on the hardware. I don't think that everyone should have to be a professional to keep their computer running smoothly though. unfortunately, this is not how things are.
So what to do with a machine that crawls? Look first at when it started crawling. If it happened slowly over time, that's hard to do. If you came home one day, booted the box and it crawled from that day forth... you look at the event viewer. You see what your computer did before it started running like crap. Was there a windows update? It is conceivable that there was an automatic update, and it is conceivable that it made a change that made your computer unhappy. I can't tell you how many systems run great as they are updating, then look or sound like crap, because the Windows Update suggested driver for the onboard Intel GPU or C-Media sound (which was actually a Realtek) screwed up an OS rebuild.
There are a bucket full of tools out there.
http://www.majorgeeks.com/
Visit that site. Investigate the tools. Ok, you know about "antivirus" and Spybot. Do you know about Malwarebytes? And how it gets hundreds of current maleware baddies that spybot doesn't? Do you know about Combo Fix, how it will add an easy boot to the recovery console, AND repair some specific Malware infections? There is a long list of tools. And some of them do have an overlap with other tools, in what they find. Others, are Very specific (Smitfraud.C removal tool, for example). How is your AV doing? Are you mistakenly running multiple resident scanners at the same time? DO you have a ton of things running on Startup?
See? Sure, Linux can make things easier in some cases. And yes, the more you know, and the more patience you have (and the more care you exercise) the better your Windows experience can be. But you have to pay attention to your machine. You have to investigate problems. You have to be well armed, or willing to pay a professional to take care of it. Sure. Everyone has the potential to be a great gardener. Most, will hire a professional. Same thing here. I don't care who says it's easy. They forget that they know more than the majority. What is easy for them, is not common knowledge. People still think that their computer needs more "memory", because they can't download any more songs. They don't know that the little windows sticker on the side or bottom of a computer is an
If he has an Analog TV, then he is entitled to a coupon.... actually this statement is not true.
If he has an Analog TV and he has not purchased a replacement TV with a digital tuner (and for a 27" SDTV at Walmart, expect to pay around $200) because of his CHOICE... then he is not entitled to a coupon. People who cannot afford the switch over to digital are who are entitled to these coupons. If you have three plasma TVs all with digital tuners and a few DVRs and some other assorted digital receiving devices, then you are NOT entitled to a coupon for a free Digital Receiver.
I'm not sure that the OP understands what these coupons are for. This thing is not a DVR. It is not a device that will allow time shifting or anything else. It is simply the same as a radio. It is a Receiver that will pick up the digital TV signal, and output it to a single channel on the TV.
If this gentleman is expecting to get some kind of processor-type unit (to play AVI files, MPEG streams, etc) hewill be disappointed.
However, saying that everyone is entitled to one of these coupons, is like saying that everyone is entitled to unemployment, or welfare, or free food... the person who owns three homes and 8 cars is not entitled to welfare... until AFTER they give up everything.
But if this guy wants to use his coupon to get a device for free so he can hack it and potentially abuse it to where it will break... then no, he is not entitled to a free Digital Receiver. These devices are for who needs them... not for people who want to play around with them and save a few bucks.
I'm sorry, but your indication of how something went over the parent's head is completely lost... as well as completely out of place.
Let's recap, shall we? YOU obviously lost something in the translation.
Parent posts that the hype that BSG is making over these final episodes is way over the top... that specifically this will not change TV as we know it.
Someone responds by telling him he is entitled to his beliefs. Now, aside from any unorthodox usage of that phrase, Someone who responds with a blatantly obvious statement like that is leaving the unspoken "I disagree with you, but" from the front of the phrase.
The parent responds back asking for specifics in how BSG is going make it so Television will never be the same... and YOU respond with this idiotic "Whoosh!".
There was nothing sarcastic or ironic to the response that he was entitled to his beliefs. There was nothing to indicate that this comment about beliefs should be taken any other way, other than exactly how it was posted. If we start assuming that people are not actually writing what they want to say, and we assume that about EVERYONE, and EVERYTHING they want to say... what's the point of communication if we are going to spend Zero time processing the communication, and all the time questioning the communication?
So, nice try there at being a slick slashdotter... nice fail, I should say.
of course, if you refute ANYTHING, I can just say it is sarcasm... and expect my reply to be a simple "Whoosh", because it is really obvious that if you disagree with me, you didn't understand me and it must have gone over your head.
So... what is it you want to do with this type of device that you don't want to SAY you want to do?
I mean, because you could easily log into your Yahoo account with this thing, and flip over to the Notes section, and do whatever it is you wanted to do with Notepad.
Oh... you wanted to do some web design? Well, go ahead and use the WYSIWYG editor through your sites CPanel.
Oh... you wanted to be a Purist... ah. Elitism. I get it. Well, then just purchase yourself a full fledged computer.
You are probably right. I mean, who would want to buy a limited function version of an already existing product... well... aside from the people who were tired of desktops and wanted something portable... they were willing to accept limited functionality in exchange for portability and thus the laptop was born. But aside from them... who wants limited functionality at a reduced price? Other than netbook customers that is... I mean, sure you can get a reduced function laptop for less than a full laptop. But still... you are totally right. No one is going to want to buy a device with restricted functions... well, aside from those portable DVD players... I mean, those screens are TINY! It's not like watching a DVD on a big screen. But seriously... noone is going to want to purchase limited functionality at a lowered price, when they can get more functionality at a higher price.
See?
Hey... that app that you were sure already did this?
EMAIL!
Let me just fire off a text file to another user here... EMAIL!
As a former homeless (who was posting to slashdot during my time living in a van outside of a coffee shop) person, I resent that remark. First of all, you could NEVER get that level of quality and productivity out of homeless alcoholics. Two brought together are friends, sure. Everyone knows that. Who wants to be homeless alone? Better to have a buddy. Three or more are bitter a enemies. Why? Who knows. These are drunk, homeless alcoholics who most likely have mental issues. So any work quickly devolves into arguments, literal pissing contests, and the din of confused people shouting "Isn't this 1989? I used to own all the compooters!"
So no, you could never just pay a pile of homeless guys in whiskey and low wages. They'd leave you with a smelly computer lab, keyboards that dripped things you didn't want to know about, and your liquor cabinet would be missing entirely. Oh... and nothing would be rated or reviewed.
Although, I'm sure the reviews that you did get out of them would seem completely normal.
think about it a little harder... ...
That was his point. He was hoping that the music isn't changed.
I'm up for new tunes as long as Yoko Kanno gets to be the one composing it.
There is a vast difference between believing that the smaller force ALWAYS loses, and believing that the probability is that the smaller force would lose. I'd expect you to recognize that, and I'm disappointed that you did not. It is far likelier that a small family defending a farm would lose what they have to a mob of angry, hungry urbanites... than it is that a small family defending a farm would be victorious at driving away the attackers and still keep what they had (and not lose it to collateral damage). All it takes is one person to drive a car through the farmhouse... then where are the defenders?
I'm not forgetting history. You are forgetting the countless battles where a superior force (in number, or in training, or in position) crushed a much smaller force. History is carpeted with examples of such. I'm glad you could find specific examples where a well trained, well disciplined, well DEFENDED and POSITIONED force could hold out for an Extended period of time. Why not actually attempt to see this from the other side.. and do the research that shows how much of a minority those battles are, considering the majority of battles that did not work out nearly as well for the inferior force. I'm not going to do the research for you. Why? Because if you think that the majority of battles out there were won by inferior forces... this discussion is pointless.
Sure... in this hypothetical situation, Jim Jones might indeed hold off his attackers. But the family farms of Bob Bobson, Jack Johnson, Bill Hardy, Frank Poulton, Carl Roberts, Tim Mason, Phil Carter, and Steve Wilson would fall. I'll acknowledge that there ARE farmers and the like out there that could defend themselves... that does not detract from the fact that there are MORE farmers out there who could NOT defend themselves.
And let's not forget the VAST number of Trained Military Personnel out there living in METROPOLITIAN areas who are going to need food, and they know where the farms and compounds are going to be, and they have extensive training in how to seige and get to those farms and compounds... so we got Jim Johnson and his boys, up against the 101st Airborne... because the Army is no more, and Airborne has to eat. Still think the Farmers with the rifles are gonna hold off the hungry hordes? Man, I wish I could live in your fantasy.
Well, not to shoot holes in what you believe to be fact...
But I grew up in a rural area... had horses, farmed land... that kind of stuff. My Dad was in the Military. He had Guns. He couldn't hit the broadside of our barn... it took him two shots once to put a puppy out if it's misery when it had been hit by a car. My Grandfather (moms side) lived a 5 minute walk up the street. He was a Vet too. He couldn't shoot worth a damn. In fact, plenty of people in the surrounding area had guns, and few could shoot well. So whose facts trump whose?
Those who forget history, are doomed to repeat it.
What happens when you surround a small force with an overwhelming number of attackers? The small force, unless it has a way to destroy the attackers en masse, loses. Let me put it another way. Jim Jones and his boys want to protect his farm and the food he has. 1000 people from the city armed with torches, light arms, and makeshift weapons are there to take what they can.
You think that Farmer Jones and his sons are gonna hold off the attackers? Sure, you live in a movie.. I live on Earth.
You did not have an honest question... you had a loaded question.
How many people live in Central Falls, RI? as of 2000, 18,928. Why is this important? Because the City is 1.29 square miles in size. That's right. Roughly one mile on a side. Almost twenty thousand people living in one square mile. How many people live in a square mile up around where you live? You think the residents of Central Falls can grow their own food there, slaughter their own cattle there, and in general survive like you intend to? Because THOSE statistics say that you are 1 in 18928 that will survive an Anomaly relatively unscathed.
So you are just wondering what the statistics are? http://www.census.gov/population/www/pop-profile/files/2000/chap07.pdf Start with this. 46% of all housing units are in Suburban areas. Another 30% are in central cities. That leaves 24% located outside of metropolitan areas... like yours. Meaning that as of 1999, 24% of the US lived in rural areas like yours that would support that independent life style. So, roughly 24% wouldn't have major issues in the event of a major Anomaly... at first... because as has already been pointed out, some percentage would then seek out to take what that 24% had for themselves... and I'm willing to bet that a Majority of that unknown percentage would be more aggressive about taking, than the majority of the 24% would be about keeping.
Ok, so first I mention that it could very well be a contest that they run every year... then YOU come in and reiterate what I already said, as if it is some excuse...
Except you did not acknowledge that he didn't take one shot of the Amtrak Logo on an Amtrak train. It doesn't matter if he wants people with winter coats, or snow backgrounds, or people with blue hair... if the contest rules state very specifically that the photos that will be considered for entry have to be of Amtrak Trains, and they have to show the Amtrak Logo pictured on that contest page... then any other pictures that this guy takes are all bogus. Shots of the Station will not be considered for the contest. Why? Shots of the station will not be shots of a TRAIN with a clearly visible Amtrak LOGO.
Now... you say that Just Because they are not accepting new photos it doesn't mean that you can't get your good shots now... this is not true. Just because it is not hunting season, doesn't mean you can't get your good kills in now, since they have hunting season every year. This is a true statement? No it is not. I'm not saying that there is a Photography season, so don't even think of going there. What I am saying, is that The Contest is currently Over, and there is no mention of accepting new photos for the next year. For all we know, this contest was the biggest waste of money ever in Amtrak history, and this was the last year they are running it. We don't know, because the only information available to us is 6 months out of date at the Amtrak site. So, with no current contest, using the excuse of "I'm taking pictures for the calender contest" falls apart. Plus, using the excuse that "I'm taking pictures for the contest." doesn't work either, because he wasn't taking pictures of TRAINS with a clearly displayed Amtrak LOGO on them.
Again... let me point out that the only pictures that would be accepted into the contest, were pictures of TRAINS with a clearly visible Amtrak LOGO on them.
Did I mention that this guy didn't take any pictures that could even be considered for the contest anyway? Did you read the contest rules, and look at the pictures he took?
{sarcasm}It's nice to see that the Slashdot editors are on their A game with this one.{/sarcasm}
First, when visiting the Amtrak contest site http://www.amtrak.com/photocontest one will notice that the contest ended in July of 2008. Maybe they do run it every year. However, the contest has a definite cut off date. They do not say they are currently accepting submissions for the next years contest. SO this Photographer's claim that he was taking pictures for the contest was false. 5-months-after-closing-time false.
Second, the contest requirements call for pictures of Amtrak trains, that clearly show the Amtrak logo. The rules and the contest description are very specific on this. Amtrak even shows you what the logo you are taking pictures of should look like. I looked through this guys photos. I did not see one clean Amtrak logo in any of them. His use of that crazy lens just makes it worse, for that lens would surely destroy any potential clear capture of the logo he was supposed to have on film. So this photographer fails in what he was taking pictures of, since he was obviously not taking pictures of the TRAINS with the AMTRAK LOGO. He was taking pictures of people, and the station and of blurry trains that could have been New York Transit or whatnot.
You can't break the rules, then turn around and use those rules as a shield from prosecution. You can't ignore the rules, then throw a tantrum when you can't use those rules for protection.
Why? To the Muslims, Jesus Christ is no more than a historical figure. Islam was alive and kicking and doing just fine in the grand scheme of things long before Christianity came into being. If we were to personify the religions, Christianity was a newborn in the manger, while three kings from far off lands, these kings maybe being Islam, Buddhism, and Confucianism... came to visit and gawk at the new kid on the block.
Why would I have to explain to the Muslims in the region that in the grand schemes, Christianity is a relative new-comer to that region... considering how long the religions that were there all along have been there... I think the Muslims already know.