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This is kind of silly. The arrest/assault was silly, but being peeved about removing your hat is silly too. It's a sign of respect, albeit dated, but still, you can't gain respect if you don't give respect.

People should not have to earn rights.

What is your level of satisfaction with your job?

Colossal.

yeah, and I really can't wait for RE5. I don't know why other people don't seem that excited for it. I mean, 4 was only like one of the best action games ever.

Shiva

So the default is to save the movie as postscript? Then what, print it out and make a flipbook of it?

.ps = Program Stream http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MPEG_program_stream .ts = Transport Stream http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MPEG_transport_stream I can't believe someone claiming to be "resident IT expert at How-To Geek" doesn't know this. I also am having a hard time with the fact that he doesn't seem to know you can just repack the movie in .mpg, not transcode anything, and you'll get the video as-encoded on the DVD.

Bend the rules.

Both a koan and an answer!

Shit, I break a sweat eating a Big Dick. :-)

Is it still fun for you to see your comment pop up in the most random threads?

The fact that it explains what Rickroll is... is just... some people are so out of touch.

Well, keep in mind the target audience. The type of folk that read the Wall Street Journal aren't exactly keeping their fingers on the pulse of What The Kids Are Up To These Days.

The Civil War was about slavery. In that, if you asked your average Confederate soldier what they were fighting for, it wouldn't be state rights and sovereignty, it would be to keep slaves. Just read the letters Confederate soldiers wrote during the time and it becomes readily apparent that's what they believed the war was about. It's just another Libertarian talking point to show the evils of federal government, without much historical fact to back it up. Was the federal government evil for using the military to forcefully integrate schools against the wishes of some states?

If thats true, then what about these quotes from Lincoln? "If I could save The Union without freeing any slaves, I would do it" -- Abraham Lincoln or this, "I have no purpose to introduce political and social equality between the white and black races. There is a physical difference between the two, which, in my judgment, will probably forever forbid their living together upon the footing of perfect equality; and inasmuch as it becomes a necessity that there must be a difference, I, as well as Judge Douglas, am in the favor of the race to which I belong having the superior position. I have never said anything to the contrary." -- Abraham Lincoln or this, "My paramount object, is to save the Union, and not either destroy or save slavery. If I could save the Union without freeing the slaves, I would do it. If I could save the Union by freeing some and leaving others in slavery, I would do it. If I could save it by freeing all, I would do that. What I do about slavery and the colored race, I do because it helps save the Union." -- Abraham Lincoln or any of the dozens of more I can copy for you. No doubt you were taught what you think you know at one of the Governmental Education Units?

And how are mine communist? Unless you divide the world into two groups: pure anarchists and communists this is nonsense. How about you give three examples of ideas I have that are best described as communist. Either that or stop making stuff up.

I'm going out on a limb here, because most people *think* you are a troll. I have had a few good discussions with you though. So just a heads up. The person you are talking to is a troll. They will take the opposite of whatever position you argue, and call you names constantly, pull quotes from elsewhere, and most of all ... the telltale sign. Pick a little piece of what you said and steer you into a complete subject change. The main point you made though, I would clarify some. Rockwell is very much in favor of local emergency services. It's a valid and highly useful role of government. He's not an An-Cap or anarchist, he's like me. I like my local services, I'd like it to be better. I liked my local volunteer force in Darien, CT best of all. It was the best fire department I ever saw. Like anything else where people are doing a hobby, they love the living hell out of it. I got offtopic too some, but thought I clarify in case you thought most Libertarians hate the existence of the FD and PD. Which is a common mistake. Some do, but it's a lot like the amount of people even on the hard left in Code Pink or Moveon who think that it's a good idea to start burning down developments and sabotaging animal "prisons". Not that many Libertarians are that fervent, and not that many Green Party members are either, if you know what I mean.

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Oh, it's succeeded at that just fine. Leeching the soils of their nutrients, chemical runoff and erosion are the problems. In a lot of cases, erosion and mineral leeching can be minimized by no till or strip till practices which require huge upfront investments from corporate farmers that don't give a shit about anything but their bottom line. As for the chemical runoff, we seriously need to quit drip-feeding the American public on oil and the petrochemicals that go along with it. Reduce our thirst for oil and you will see fewer petro-based agricultural products on the market.

Hit *what*?

Oh, you poor thing...

That car vs an SUV in a crash. Winner? I think the SUV would win, and smash that car like a monster truck. That's a death-trap on 4 wheels. Count me out. My SUV eats cars like that for breakfast.

Cars like that and gasoline.

The only HoF that has respectable standards is the Baseball HoF. To the trolls, my comment does not imply Jordan doesn't deserve it. That would be stupid.

There really isn't anything that makes me thing basketball is legit. With all the ref controversy, you might as well watch the WWE (and the only reason to watch the WWE is for Randy Orton).

And no one will be able to find it on reddit unless the search improves (ok, way off topic)

I used Google to find this article.

I did throw the [Astley] tag in there. :)

i knew what it was, and i clicked on it to see the flash player... but once those drum beats kicked in i just couldn't do anything but form a pissed off expression with my face and hit the Backspace key... I'm sure it has good sound quality but -PLEASE- link to something else so somebody can watch it.

Over a language using, human saving, self-sacrificing sea animal. Eat all the fish you want, just leave sapient creatures that aren't hurting you the fuck alone.

Ok so we are clear on this, you do in fact have a twisted perception of reality. Self-sacrificing? You know the movies aren't real right?

Whats amazing is that even their worst movie was pretty decent.

meh. It was a fucking nostalgia trip into the same imaginary perfect 1950's that every right wing choad believes in. Horrors, the Evil Highway made some small town people sad. Boo fucking hoo. Ya know what? Those little roads, Route 66 and whatnot? You know they killed a lot of little towns that served the horse and buggy crowd? Yeah, that lovely "mother road" did the same fucking thing to hundreds of tiny towns that the Evil Highway did. Fuck nostalgia, the past was miserable. The other thing that bugs me (ha ha) about Pixar is that they seem to go out of their way to avoid major female characters. Take, "A Bee Movie" as a spectacular example of this. It was a movie about bees. 99% of bees are female. 100% of all worker bees are female. So naturally their worker bee protagonist was, wait for it, male! Yup, mere biology and reality must step down when it comes to Pixar's agenda to never, not fucking once, have a female lead. I also loved, in Cars, the way the wimmin folk stayed back in the kitchen where they belonged and watched the big race on a shitty TV instead of being part of the pit crew. EDIT: ummm. Yeah. A Bee Movie by DreamWorks. As in, not by Pixar. My bad. EDIT 2: A Bug's Life is what I was thinking of, same problem. Male ants don't do shit but eat and breed. They aren't workers.

That never occurred to me... I knew that the history of Mirror universe was different as far back as at least the late 1960s (Terran Imperial Flag on the moon), but I never had a theory on where the histories diverged.

Well when McCoy saved her life, she continued her talk of peace, love, and tolerance. The peace movement became huge and she became friends with the president. The peace movement delayed the construction of the American H-Bomb and Germany ended up winning WW2. edit: This is just an assumption that the "evil" mirror universe is the same one, however. Star Trek writers aren't exactly known for keeping in step with their own canon.

I remember when video rentals were 99c for one night... sometimes 49c. I'm not all that old.

\*Hands you a ¢\* Here, use this next time.

I think Sartre gives a good counter-example: Imagine you are at a hotel walking down the hall, and you hear two people having sex. Being an old hotel it has a keyhole. In a moment of voyeurism, you look in and watch the two people. Shortly after becoming completely taken by this event, you look over to see the bell boy looking at you with complete disdain. It is in that moment, when you are caught, all you defenses are down and the anxiety of the moment reveals that there is truly another person in the world. You know you are being judged by another. Now one could make up all the arguments they wanted about how you wanted there to be a person and you set this up. But, the example is not about that, it about looking at your self with honestly and seeing how lost and anxious you are. It is this that suggests you are not the only person.

Does this really disprove solipsism? When I dream at night, my mind creates instances in which I at times face scorn, anger, and judgment from other people. Couldn't our sub conscience or our greater mind have sadist or uncontrollable tendencies? The bellboy judging you could in fact be just a complex intrusive thought.

While I don't find it particularly surprising that the History channel would do this. I find it horrible that any channel or network would run ads for Dianetics.

They run ads for free Bibles and the Book of Mormon. Scientology is a tax-free religious institution just like the regular churches, so in the eyes of fairness, it seems alright to me that history channel is running the ads. Don't get me wrong, though, I'm as much an atheist is everyone else here and I think all of it's ridiculous, I just don't see why we're going "Ooooh, they're advertising [insert crazy cult du'jour]"

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Not true :D

Fool me to Orlando, shame on you. Fool me to Tennessee, shame on me.

What I find funny it's not just Tennessee, it's Memphis which is the extreme western part of the state on the Mississippi river. It's literally half-way across the country.

I'm sorry but I apparently missed the part where "...Jean Luc Picard didn't really command the USS Enterprise". The effects of a changed timeline were not laid out other than the Vulcan issue, and STNG already had a few episodes dealing with alternate universes so even if he did not exist in this particular universe, Picard exists/existed somewhere. I look forward to the new franchise and will probably become a "real" trekkie now that I have the opportunity to experience everything as it unfolds from the beginning. Unlike STTNG, I'm willing to buy into this completely. STTNG was a little too cerebral and far too repetitive. Enterprise was too unoriginal. DS9 and Voyager were awesome.

Voyager? Awesome? Oh my.

Even worse than these are ["twisty cats"](http://www.karmafarms.com/twisty.htm)

That's horrible.

What surprises me most about this clip is that apparently none of the pundits know enough history to recognize the quote or the implied meaning of the man's sign. I thought they'd be shrieking over that.

Yeah, that was disturbing.

Good. The Patriots are a buncha cheaters and the league played it down since N.E. brings in the $$$. Seriously, where do they get off giving Belichick the Coach-of-the-Year Award when he was caught red-handed? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spygate (also, dumbest scandal name ever)

Every team does what the Pats do- and it's been going on for years. Ask any NFL insider and he will tell you the same thing. It's a non-story/non-event. The haters always seem to forget this fact, however.

Guys.. should we have a policy on personal info? i.e. when there's a situation, many people here publish names/addresses etc - this info is used to help but I think it should probably be deleted in a day or two, to protect the person in question. What are your thoughts?

It should be a responsibilty of the person posting the information to remove it as soon as it's no longer necessary. The mods should also patrol the comments and if something is still visible after x amount of time, remove it from public view and message the redditor.

perhaps that was the point? Not all art has to make you feel good about yourself

Certainly true. And like I said, I got something out of 1984, which didn't leave me with the warm fuzzies. But I still got something out of it. What was I supposed to get out of it? That humanity is destructive? That we're not worth saving? If I wanted that I could've turned on Fox News for 2 hours.

“life is like a shit sandwich, the more bread you got the better it tastes” That must be Lil Jon's father or something...

Mel Gibson gave that advice to a stunned audience at Harvard 10 years ago.

Land.

theres enough land in texas for every person on earth to have an acre

i know a kid in BC trying to get me to move there haha.

In BC no one tries to get you to move to BC.

You will get many different answers. Some will say that you will have to simply believe that Christ took your sins away (Acts 16:31 used as evidence). Others will say that you must confess with your mouth in prayer that you have sinned against God and need Jesus to atone for your sins (Romans 10:9 is used as evidence). Finally others will say that without baptism you are not saved (Mark 16:16 is used as evidence). Now as a Christian I believed before I confessed to God my sin. And it was 2 years after I was baptized. I believe that simply believing that Christ is your savior and has given you grace is all that you need. I believe this only because the other two followed through after this belief. Either way, if you believe that Jesus is your Lord and Savior I would like to welcome you to the Body of Christ. It is not an easy path but it is the most exciting, and wonderful path ever. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your mind, with all your soul, and all your strength. And the your neighbors as you love yourself.

Well, I was Baptised at birth, does that count? And how would I *confess*?

i love these moments. these usually happen to me when im riding my bike with friends or alone when its a quiet cool summer night and i have the entire road to myself

I don't generally write poetry, but I was struck by the emptiness and darkness of the streets on a race across town with a car. I lost, of course, because there wasn't any traffic and I can't go 35 mph, even though the car left about 5-7 minutes after I did...but it was fun. [This](http://nettabird.wordpress.com/2009/07/05/night-ride/) kind of popped out when I got home.

I put *my* machine in a box, and operate it remotely from the outside. Since I can't see or hear what's happening inside the box, I both lose an win at the same time.

I have to goto casinos with my g/f sometime. I hate those places but she like to gamble but its pretty fun. I only play quarter machines, I'll put money I want to spend in the machine and keep pressing the button. I never look at the machine.

It is sad when a professor doing his job properly becomes newsworthy.

I don't think he was merely doing his job properly. I think he's significantly outperforming his duties . . . and it's somewhat churlish to try to diminish that.

The Never Ending Story was the absolute best movie when I was a little kid.

After this post I got an urge to bone up on a Falcor look alike.

Like somebody else said, Rick Rickett, the OL coach, was WVU's OL coach until '07. When the defense would go offsides the OL was instructed to stay in place to ensure the penalty wasn't called as a false start. This isn't a play designed to confuse the defense at all. Typically the entire line will stay frozen but it doesn't appear that there was actually a player offsides on this so it looks more like confusion than anything else.

It was probably a misheard snap count.

This guy makes the case for juvenile execution.

Sorry, I'm going to pick on your comment. At least I'm not stabbing you in the temple with scissors ;) Execution is *never* justified. The only times when you have a right to take someone else's life is when: a) They ask you to and are incapable of doing it themselves. b) They are posing a clear and present danger to the lives of others. Once you have the person in custody they are no longer a threat. You can lock them up with food and water on an island surrounded by sharks with laser beams on their heads to live out their lives away from the rest of humanity, but killing them is not justified. For areas with a sparse quantity of remote islands surrounded by laser-toting sharks I recommend a small concrete cell with a grate on the top through which food and water are dispensed and a grate on the bottom for excrement.

Yes, and people should still be using abaci to do math.

... Really I thought you were smarter than that... Let's all start using aimbots, seeing as the mouse is such an ancient piece of equipment in comparison. Some scripts are fine, but when you start substituting player skill for script advantage, the little niches that make players of x class exceptional (full-speed manual pistol rape as scout, while being able to aim properly, is a scary thing to witness) become nothing more but something that 'they should have used a script' for.

This blog author writes in some sort of bazaar hillbilly speak. I just glanced a few more articles and I feel like I stepped into the Grapes Of Wrath.

Which, when fermented for the requisite period will become the Wine of Wrath.

I bought this Logitech headset a while back (holds up headset). As I remember, the pictures on the packaging showed a few gamers, wearing the headset and playing their games. One of them was holding a keyboard like a guitar, because this is how most computer games are designed to be played.

I'm going to make a treadmill that simulates pressing the W, with buttons on the sides for S and D, and strapping two Wii controllers (one for attacking and one for blocking) on my forearms, with the Natural Environments mod and simulating more traffic mod. Just cruisin' thru Cyrodiil baby.

unless you own one, and then it is pretty obvious what a nice little device it is.

It never even crossed your mind that others may have a different opinion other than the one you currently subscribe to. Typical.

How do they protect their little member against this? Tinfoil?

Good question. Since this is old fashioned sorcery and not hoodoo, I don't think a mojo hand would suffice. Hmm, maybe a witch bottle? A holy hand grenade may also be useful.

Can someone explain the 'walkie-talkie' maneuver? I know about Greedo-shot-first, since I actually watched all versions of SW... but when did Spielberg change something into a walkie-talkie?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E.T._the_Extra-Terrestrial#20th_anniversary_edition

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Most comedy doesn't hold up after a decade or two. Even when it does, it doesn't survive in its entirety. As for "ripping off others", I'd hardly call it that. The basic theme has been around for centuries, but there's *way* more to comedy than subject matter.

I've never been there, but, I've been told that 2guys1horse.com has some related material. Very NSFW if it's true and that's the right link. -- Otherwise, that news is 3+ years old

It's Mr. Hands! There's a documentary about this called Zoo.

Kids who were born *after* N64 are 13 now...

I had to entertain a 10 year old, and we were playing Donkey Kong Country on the Wii's Virtual Console. And then I realized that he'd never even seen a SNES, much less play one. And then I realized my goldfish is older than him.

I don't know if that analogy works -- *TheBlueberryPirate's Mom Loves Anal II* was a direct to video sequel, and I thought it was pretty entertaining.

Wheeeeeeeeeeeee!

Haha, yeah. Have you seen [this?](http://www.worthalaugh.com/2008/06/29/pleasing-15-women-in-one-day/)

UGH i clicked it. now i hafta kill myself.

Kind of reminds me of [this](http://www.sinfest.net/archive_page.php?comicID=2966). (be sure to buy a sinfest t-shirt while you're there!)

Also, [this](http://www.cafepress.com/epistemelinks.18468380).

Carcasonne

You can get [Carcasonne](http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/c/carcassonnexboxlivearcade/) on Xbox LIVE Arcade.

Holy god! Each link is to the slideshow? Why the hell not just link to the site?

site

Marijuana is a Class one drug because it brings in a large amount of illegal dollars. It also pays many "legitimate salaries" You know police, DEA, Drug Task Force. Some of these Law Men are multiple agents. IE: Drug Task Force and local law enforcement so thats two paychecks. When a Police officer arrests a Marijuana Dealer the department gets more federal funding, the officer gets closer to promotion, for a conviction the prosecutor gets closer to being a judge, another Corrections Officer's salary is paid, another vacation for the Warden and his family. I'm not sure what the Judge gets out of it. Anyone know?

He gets to have a job. If all victimless crimes were taken off the books, we'd probably have about 3/4 the amount of judges we have now, if not less.

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I've got a wee, (pronounced: way).

Bull. That might be true for simply things like colors, but deeply ingrained habits are there from the start. Chimps do the same thing. There's a REASON society developed the way it did (<-----WHY DOES NO ONE CONSIDER THIS). It wasn't a coin flip that determined which sex was the hunter and which was the caregiver. It was DN fucking A.

Yes, but now that our environment no longer requires that men risk our lives hunting and protecting the child-bearers from predators, the question becomes: "To what extent are those differences insurmountable?" or alternatively, "To what extent can we use our technology and intelligence so that society receives the greatest possible benefit from each individual's mix of drive and ability, without regard for gender?"

Again, the point is not that it's kinda suspicious or that they didn't let him fly with it. The point is that the TSA can do no better than boast about a false positive.

Exactly. There's so many things that would be impressive, or at the least confirm that the TSA was doing SOMETHING for security. A real catch, statistics from their undercover trials, anything other than what amounts to a statistical failure. Here's what should be happening: a few people should be on the payroll of the DSA. They should be amply supplied with materials they request and allowed to plan and operate a mock attack. Obviously, anything they produce must ultimately be "safe"-- if they smuggle a gun on, it must be disarmed, etc. As it stands right now, TSA agents are trained to screen against specific attacks-- and more tellingly, are *only* tested on those attacks. With a system that encourages creative attacks, anytime something slips through, it shouldn't be regarded as a failure but as a new technique to be defended against. This whole story sucks. Yeah, in the state of paranoia, it probably wasn't a good idea to allow it on the plane. However, we wouldn't BE in this state of paranoia if people could trust the TSA to do their job. **Edit**: I just read that middle paragraph again and realized it sounds pretty pompous and arrogant. I'm sorry. I meant to say that this is what I *think* should be happening, but I'm not a security expert like Schneier. If someone can point out any flaws, by all means do so. I apologize for sounding like a douche.

That is what happens to show that are written on a season to season basis. This is why I liked B5 and the new BSG. The creators knew there was a beginning, a middle and an end. Just like a good book. I hope my comment is clear, I'm a french canadian and most of the time I write onliners jokes.

bears beats BSG

I used KDE on everything for the very same reason.

hurray for free choice ;)

I don't get it.

USC is ranked 4th in the Harris and USA Today Polls for some inexplicable reason. Iowa can't seem to get any respect, largely because of stigma about the Big 10.

They don't even mention the fact that this thing cooks your EYES at low power. They call it 'less than lethal', but that's dependent on the distance and power; bullets are also non-lethal if fired from far enough away. Plus there's the fun bonus of most metals superheating and your cell phone turning into a leg destroying piece of charred plastic. We won't get into piercings, fillings... or rumors of this thing flash frying Iraqis. All in all this is one impressive and devastating weapon, and it is targeted for 'riot control'-AKA-civilians. Good times.

The only way it could do any damage to your eyes is if you managed to keep them open while getting shot, which you can't - just like you can't keep your eyes open while sneezing. I know - I have been shot by the ADS. And it has no effect on metals. I kept on my watch and ring. I even had my cell phone in my pocket while getting shot and it still works. This isn't the same kind of microwave that is used in your microwave oven. This only penetrates to the top 1/16 of an inch of your skin. Due to the wavelength it simply cannot penetrate any deeper. That's why closing your eyes will protect them - your eyelids are thicker than 1/16 of an inch.

It's wholly American to want to drive your car all the time, everywhere, as far as it will take you. Doubling the cost of gasoline doesn't half the miles Americans drive. It reduces them, because people are afraid to spend their last dime on a gallon of gas, but it's not proportionate. It's a sin tax on daily life. It's harmful to the average American, and the average American should be the government's bottom line.

If we don't increase the cost of fuel artificially now, there will come a day when the price will become unbearable due to normal market forces. As we saw last summer, our society cannot react in time to these changes in order to avert economic disaster. We have to do the smart thing an plan ahead.

That's so weird, I haven't celebrated Christmas since I was 10 and my family converted to Islam, but I've never quite felt like I was missing out on anything much. I enjoy the time of year because you get sappy movies, and that TV show that's just a burning log all morning, and Christmas carols and seeing people's lights, it brightens up the coldness of winter and I appreciate that. But Christmas day itself passes for me like... Wednesday. And then the next day is the same as the last.

Maybe because you've had the experience. Things always look better from a distance.

Goodness me. How long ago did DOS get GEM? Catch up please, Linux people!

Obviously they must be the same thing because they share an acronym (though different names: DOS' is called Graphics Environment Manager), regardless of the fact that the two technologies are 20 years apart and that Linux's GEM is replacing an existing technology rather than introducing a new technology. No, I completely agree with you that this must be a sign that Linux is behind the time and is only now getting DOS-era graphics capabilities.

http://www.traileraddict.com/trailer/iron-man-2/trailer for those of you who hate quicktime.

Can someone please explain the Quicktime hate to me? I'm a Mac user, and it's light, fast and not a CPU hog on OS X. Is Quicktime on windows heavy and slow? (I know this is the case for iTunes.)

Try reading the article. She was fine on the drug she was prescribed, but they forced her off of them.

...before putting her on them again 3 weeks before she freaked out. Read the whole article. To the very end. HINT: the LAST paragraph.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takraw I have no idea why I know this.

Oh, thanks. Now I should file this under "sport" because you sucked out the humor.

Awesome. Dawkins is my hero. It's shocking how ignorant many people are (sorry, but this is particularly true for the US). They think the only question is whether the Christian god exists or not. They don't realize that people around the planet have believed and still believe in thousands of different gods. And there is not one good reason why one of them should be taken more seriously than the others.

He makes a great point, and I agree with you, _but_ he doesn't really answer the question. What if he's wrong? Well, I'd say the answer to that is "I'm a scientist, therefore if there is no evidence for something I do not believe it. For me to be "wrong," there would have to be evidence against my current position. If such evidence were to appear I would evaluate it and "change sides" if appropriate."

Good question. I've been asking it of myself this past few weeks. Let's start by acknowledging that it's not abnormal or morally deviant to hope that the science might be wrong and the world not be about to end. (Let's also acknowledge that stranger things have happened than a lot of scientists being wrong about the future.) The doom scenarios are overwhelming for cowards like me--they just make us despair. So 'climategate' initially offered a glimpse of hope. That hope actually gave me, and I suspect many others, the courage to take a look at the debate. It's not a pretty sight for newcomers: both 'sides' have some fairly unattractive PR tactics--and we're all sick of being marketed to. So you make shapes at learning some of the science and soon realize you're never gonna be able to learn enough to reach your own decision. So you look around for a scientist that will convince you either way. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find many that don't seem to overstate their case. The few that I've been thoroughly impressed by seem to voice a lot of doubt themselves (this oceanographer, for example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lks2hh6LGsE ). Given my ignorance, the most rational thing would be to defer to the majority of scientists and 'believe' (for that's all it would be) in AGW. That's kind of where I am now, but huge doubts remain and I'm embittered by the nasty tone of the debate and alarmed by the number of loonies on both sides. I don't think my position is all that uncommon and I really resent the hectoring tone applied to all of us who aren't 100% convinced. What would tip the balance for us uninformed doubters? Well, a more reasonable tone from the AGW camp would help; but I doubt that's gonna happen. (At the moment, one of my main reasons for believing in AGW--and it's a piss-poor 'reason'- is the fact that so many nutters are numbered amongst the 'deniers'.) I'm certainly not going to be convinced by any non-specialists. So I suppose what I'm looking for is an article or lecture by a scientist who shows an unusual degree of integrity and has the ability to assuage all my doubts either way. Maybe that's unrealistic? To those of you who have no doubts about AGW, please leave a link to the article or lecture that convinced you. (No post-normal science arguments please... I've been there.) Thanks. Last thing: I do believe the onus is on the AGW proponents to convince the doubters, not the other way round. EDIT: I used to believe the onus lay there :(

The proponents are trying to prevent permanent damage to the planet. The deniers are trying to continue practices that may cause harm to the planet. Why would you put the onus on those who are attempting to do the least damage? It just doesn't make any sense to me. Can you please explain the logic to me?

Oh, I agree that Queen's does inject a large amount of cash into the city, but the argument that Kingston would crumble and die without Queens in false.

Of course it wouldn't crumble and die as a whole - but it would be a far more different city, and the economy of the downtown core itself would certainly crumble and die. Just because something doesn't kill you and just leaves you crippled doesn't make it good. I mean come on - are you seriously this bitter as an ex-Queen's student yourself? You likely made the exact same mistakes and were misrepresented by a vocal minority in the same manner current Queen's students are. Relax, realize everyone needs each other, and it's a far better option to learn how to get along.

Just as a fake gun in the hands of a criminal gives them the power to rob a bank, a non-existent (but possible) gun in the pants/purse of a law-abiding citizen deters crime. A friend of mine who grew up in Italy used to pick pockets in his youth. He's still a pretty shady character, but he doesn't pick pockets anymore. I was talking to him about it, and while he was romantically retelling the joys of picking pockets he revealed the reason he no longer participates in his favorite childhood game: "you've got a 2% chance of getting shot when you pick a pocket in the US. In Italy you might get slapped around, and you might get arrested, but you're not going to die."

The fact that the ordinary citizen might have a gun is why the ordinary thief also needs a gun, which leads to the ordinary robbery turning deadly. Is is really worth it all for the cash in your wallet? Plus, the property crime rates aren't lower in the US than other rich countries with more restrictive gun ownership laws, so what really has gun ownership accomplished?

HOLY REGURGITATED SHIT BATMAN! You idiots will buy anything that has anything related to your childhood and marketing people know this and there just gonna re-raping the same shit over and over. I'm just scared for the next generation can you imagine how bad the remakes of pokemon and yu gi oh are gonna be.

I think the excitement is more about Aranofsky fleshing out the franchise than my fagtastic memories.

Well, this is the same lesson the music and auto industries need to learn too: evolve your business model or be slowly outflanked by more creative, progressive smaller companies with solid product.

Smaller companies? I wouldn't call Toyota or Honda small.

As a European, this map looks very strange to me. We're used to [this](http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/world_maps/world_pol495.jpg) map, which is taught in all schools. I wonder if Russia has a map centered on them as well.

I don't think its the point that America is in the middle. More to show the most uninterrupted Ocean than anything else. I don't know why they show Russia's Eastern half twice. It would be fine to cut it off at mid-India. EDIT: It's simply labeling purposes. EDIT2: Yes Russia has it's own maps. They are similar to [this](http://education.usgs.gov/common/resources/mapcatalog/images/international/worldmap.jpg)

Oooh, oooh, and they could feature Will Smith and Nike!

I thought it was Converse?

Also, they're exactly the people who will accidentally find your stash of horse porn buried in the system folders.

Tell them they found the signature files used by Norton AntiHorsePorn 2010. Yeah, it's a preview version for techy people, that's why they can't find it in stores.

So i had to read it like 5 times, but I think the cat is interrupting you from what would be an awesome dream about girls with no pants? For some reason it wasn't obvious the first 4 times through....lol

That is correct. Any tips? What did you originally see happening?

C&H.

CN = Cyanide. C2H5OH=Happiness CN&C2H5OH I prefer CN&H, though.

Throw in a simple comma question and a there/their/they're question. I know it seems grammar-nazi-ish, but it really hurts my brain to see a badly-placed comma or misuse of "there."

But then I would fail my own test!? Though good idea, I'll see about adding one in.

There ARE assassinations of US politicians.

They tend to be the good ones.. JFK, for example.

And so Apple is faced with a dilemma -- it can allow flash or it can prohibit it, gain more short-term profits from the App store, and then ultimately lose dominance to other mobile platforms that can access Flash content.

Right. They sure are in a tight spot. When the next "iPhone killer" comes along they will be in trouble. When is that coming? Right after the "iPod killer".

Yeah, but titties.

Agreed, we want more.

I mostly agree with you. Religion as a hierarchical institution that enforces dogma and tells people how to think and when -- this is outdated useless garbage. However, spiritual thinking is as relevant as ever, very good, very useful, very beneficial, etc. God, as a concept, has been shat upon and abused by the Abrahamic religions, and thus currently stands for mostly negative and malevolent entity in most people's minds, or indeed, it stands for an entity, which is already a deviant meaning right there. Physicalism as espoused by most atheists is pretty bad and dangerous too, and is equally as dogmatic in the sense that atheists are not happy to question it and some of them get furious or dismissive when it's questioned. The fact that our secular learning institutions have started their life as religious ones and are patterned after religious ones in tenor and flavor is very bad as well. Our secular learning institutions suppress independent critical thinking as much as the Church, and do offer one size fits all education, that's pretty dogmatic in its own right. I would say they are only a shade or two shades better -- nothing to be proud of.

I agree with you for the most part, however i think you misunderstand most atheists. For a start, i dont really like the term, but am forced to use it to show that i am not of religious faith (although i mostly just say that). Just because you reject religion and the idea of a god as defined by those religions, does not mean you have to close your mind off to all forms of spirituality. I am open to the idea that there is some level of something that i don't believe i will understand. I think it is highly unlikely, but i am still open to the ideas. I just KNOW that the god of the bible and all other religions are bullshit made up by men to control other men. That doesn't mean that there is no other form of 'God'. As for atheist dogma through physicalism, i personally know of not a single 'atheist' who is like this. I don't understand what you mean by bad and dangerous...could you elaborate on this?

Star Wars isn't a plot hole. The hyperdrive on the *Falcon* was broken. It would have taken weeks, if not months, to get to another star system at sublight speed. Months of non-stop training seems about right, keeping in mind that much of the study for the Jedi when they were younger was learning history and diplomacy. Luke just had to learn basic Force skills because even if he did manage to defeat Darth Vader and the Emperor, he would have to rebuild the Jedi almost from scratch again anyway, since the previous system they used failed so horribly. I am going to shut up now because I have made myself sad.

but, what did they *eat* in that months?

[This Comment ](http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/22/f-22_rip/index.php#comment-3534733) was exceptional. I would write something, but that guy summed everything up perfectly

It is a great comment. However, it's hard to take seriously, a guy who's comment picture is the Dr. from "Who Framed Rodger Rabbit?"

beaver is like the worst name for vagina ever. Lets come up with some better terms.

Vin Diesel.

128mb Video RAM vs 1GB Video Ram.... plus better proc/cpu. I'm trying to make it a hackintosh, unsuccessfully so far. Plus, I didn't lose a penny upgrading.

They dont have a higher end version of the mac pro with a better cpu etc?

I have to imagine that there's CCTV coverage of the crossing (for murky incidents just like this), and that it will be subpoenaed by his defense. The whole story will come out then.

Hopefully.

consider a situation where I might not say "that's not true". it all depends on what the truth is. And the epistemology is still not able to solve the knowledge paradox. Nevertheless I believe ( because I trust my intuition ) that radical constructivism is closer to the truth than anything else.

My teenage son offers the following; Is there a difference in terms of philosophy, logic or semantics in the following two statements? "*Not collecting stamps" isn't a hobby*. and "*Not believing in god" isn't a belief*. I think I know where you are coming from (a post-modernist viewpoint), but I would like to see how you interpret the above.

You have to consider the sheer magnitude of the Leaf's crappyness. The fact that they managed to win a game was an accomplishment.

with a hat trick. NHL.com calls it "feels like the first time"

**I WANNA GIVE HIM THE CLAMPS!!!**

I don't get it... Edit: Oh, I guess it has something to do with Futurama.

When I was in second grade I slept over at my best friend's house and was awakened by a moist spot on the couch. I realized had pissed on my best friend's couch in his family's den while I was asleep. Realizing that this incident would ruin my reputation throughout primary schooling, I quietly got up while my friend and his family were asleep and cleaned myself up. As for the couch, I just flipped the cushion over.

A friend of mine did that in 9th grade, but on my bed. But he just left at 5am and went home, when I decided to get in the bed that he was no longer in, I discovered why he'd left so early.

What are the original problems? edit: I'm just curious, I'm not familiar with them.

They are actually all really fascinating: 1) This is based on The Ship of Theseus: This problem involves a ship which slowly has all its parts replaced until no part of the original ship remains. The question is: Is this still the original ship? A variation of the problem has the parts of the ship used to construct a new ship and it asks which is the original ship. If it is the ship with all replacement parts, how can it be the original ship if it has a completely different composition, and if it is the ship made of the original parts, when did the other ship stop being the original ship? 2) This is based on the White Horse Dialogue: It is a sort of proof for the contradictory sounding statement "A white horse is not a horse." The argument is something like this: a horse has the property of potentially being brown or white or black. A white horse does not have this property. Therefore, a white horse is not a horse. I don't think anyone is doubting whether or not white horses are horses because of it, but it does raise interesting questions about the nature of words and identity and what "is" is. 3) This is based on Zeno's dichotomy paradox. It states that motion is impossible because in order for something to move any distance it must first move half that distance and to do that it has to move half THAT distance and so on and so on. This creates an infinite number of tasks and Zeno felt that an infinite number of tasks was impossible. It's also based on the Futurama episode "Jurassic Bark", which is absolutely heartwarming. 4) This is based on a classic way to explain global skepticism. Back in the day, Descartes imagined a scenario with a trickster demon that fabricated all your sensations, so everything you perceived was false and you couldn't truly know anything. Later, philosophical example makers replaced the trickster demon with a brain in a vat. How do I know I'm not just a brain in a vat being fed fabricated sensations with a computer? That type thing. It's also a cute kitten.

I said: "When the banking system creates money out of thin air" and earlier I described the two ways that can happen, one of which CAN be done with fiat currency, but does not require it.

An interesting argument, but I'm not convinced that the business cycle is entirely predicated upon widening of the money supply; nor does it explain why using Keynesian stimulus and destimulus to counteract these effects is insufficient. An aside; I really do think much of this line of argument has a good deal of legitimacy, I just can't shake the feeling that something important and fundamental is being missed, even though I can't quite put my finger on it.

What's wrong with a girl having sexual experience? Attitudes like these keep women ashamed of their sexuality.

You'd have to meet her.

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In the article, if you read it, there was fluoride in some of the tested bottled water.

Federer deserves it more.

I have a hard time believing Federer should be a landlslide over Lance Armstrong. First off, the Tour de France is more physically demanding than tennis (not taking anything away from pro tennis), and far more physically demanding than golf. Probably equally as mentally demanding as well. Plus the whole testicular cancer thing, and the fact that he is an American dominating a sport than Americans have not been known to excel in...I think it makes him equally as acceptable a candidate as Federer, and both would be better than Tiger.

Define "intelligent race." If they're AS intelligent as us, as far along as we are, they're not even to the point of colonizing their own solar system. Are they a thousand years more advanced than us? Then they've probably got their solar system locked down, and are just now getting out and about. Two thousand years more advanced? Assuming they've managed some kind of crazy warp drive/wormhole business they might be popping up in various spots in the galaxy, but if they haven't, they're probably almost close enough to a handful of habitable planets. Space is huge. Life is rare (based on limited sample size), and hard to maintain. These things take time.

I don't think we'll have colonized another planet in the next 1000 years.

OR, have her stand at one of the big intersections every Saturday with a huge sign that says: "I KILLED SOMEONE BECAUSE I WAS TOO BUSY PAINTING MY NAILS...DON'T BE LIKE ME, DRIVE RESPONSIBLY"

Or she could just go to jail.

You may very well be right about the origin of the law based on a specific case or cases. My deeper question, though, appears still unanswered: Why target spirituality as a defense, thereby excluding other reasonable defenses that can be similar, but not spiritual?

It's iffy, and if you really want to get down to the bottom of this, I'd say talk to a couple of judges or lawyers in Oregon about it. It does seem to me that the act provides an important protection for anyone who might have just found out the hard way that "spiritual treatment" isn't as effective as medical care. Clause D in particular seems to construe the whole act as being about familiarity rather than spirituality. I don't know that the specificity of the act necessarily excludes other, similar but non-religious defenses. Again, you're best served talking to an Oregon judge about how the act is generally implemented. At the very least, I suspect that it could be cited as a precedent for allowing similar defenses. As regards the Worthington case, based on my reading of the act, I'd say their request to have the whole case dropped seems a little unrealistic. The act only stipulates a reduced sentence, and even that depends on their not having been involved in previous incidents. Given that their church reportedly has a history of preferring faith healing to medical attention, there's a good chance they fail to meed that requirement. The Beagley case will no doubt have an even harder time of it because of its family tie to the Worthington case. I'm interested in whether or not any of what I've said has led you to modify your position on any of this. In particular, I interpret the language of the act as being much more about individuals rather than the establishment of religion. To put a finer point on it, I think it's about providing *limited* protection to individuals whose religious associations have led them to engage in a criminal act, and that it does so without privileging a religious establishment. Actually, the fact that the Worthington's are part of a religious establishment would seem to work against them, since it makes it harder for them to argue that they haven't been involved in previous instances. And so far as I can tell, it offers no protection to anyone who might have helped or advised in their neglect of Asa.