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Randomness thread, part two.

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  1. #20026
    Quote Originally Posted by spoonitnow View Post
    It was originally written as an ennealogy (nine episodes). Lucas could only originally get the budget to do one film, and he picked the fourth episode because it was the episode that could most easily be made into its own story. It was such a hit that it justified two sequels, which naturally were written from episodes four and five.

    The story arc from episodes 1-3 is especially dark and interesting, and it's a real shame that it was turned into a dumbed-down Disney version with the films.
    Yeah I was aware the recent episodes were written long ago.

    You nail it with your last sentence.
    Quote Originally Posted by wufwugy View Post
    ongies gonna ong
  2. #20027
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    Quote Originally Posted by OngBonga View Post
    There is no "right to buy what you want", this is merely a concept you just made up.
    Quote Originally Posted by OngBonga View Post
    I disagree that companies should be free to do so.

    VHS is more demanding on resources than DVD. So society has a responsibility to change. There is nothing wrong, in my opinion at least, with regulating what goods can be produced. If something is deemed to be too "dirty" in terms of pollution, and there is a cleaner, cost efficient alternative, then the alternative should be enforced by means of stopping producing the old shit.

    I have no idea why anyone feels they have the "right" to buy crappy old light bulbs. We use that word way too casually. No company is under obligation to make these things.
    lol this fucking guy
  3. #20028
    Quote Originally Posted by spoonitnow View Post
    lol this fucking guy
    You seem surprised that I'm talking shit.
    Quote Originally Posted by wufwugy View Post
    ongies gonna ong
  4. #20029
    Quote Originally Posted by OngBonga View Post
    So if the producer has the right to not sell, you have no right to buy.

    I see you now say the "right to consume". Well noone can take that right away, because eating is consuming.
    we've been using shorthand. im surprised that you have interpreted what rand paul said as meaning that if somebody wants to purchase something, then somebody else is obligated to provide it.
  5. #20030
    Quote Originally Posted by wufwugy View Post
    we've been using shorthand. im surprised that you have interpreted what rand paul said as meaning that if somebody wants to purchase something, then somebody else is obligated to provide it.
    I didn't say that. I'm suggesting that if you have the "right" to something, then it implies someone has an obligation to provide it.

    Such as education. You have a right to education, and the state has an obligation to provide it.
    Quote Originally Posted by wufwugy View Post
    ongies gonna ong
  6. #20031
    Quote Originally Posted by OngBonga View Post
    I didn't say that. I'm suggesting that if you have the "right" to something, then it implies someone has an obligation to provide it.

    Such as education. You have a right to education, and the state has an obligation to provide it.
    sorry to go proper werewolf on you, but i suggest if your pm says villager, to stop playing wolf.

    Quote Originally Posted by OngBonga View Post
    Ok, so people should have the right to use shitty old lightbulbs
    you initially brought in this terminology. at first you understood what paul meant. it was only after i adopted the terminology you initiated that you changed the meaning of what a right to something is by including an obligation from others to it.

    the terminology i have consistenntly used on this board has been freedom of choice of commerce.
  7. #20032
    I'm not suggesting Paul can't use old lightbulbs. I'm simply saying that he doesn't have any right to use them. It's not like there is an obligation on the part of the state to allow and cater for such demands.

    I don't care what shit I've said that you might be able to twist. I'll be the first to accept I'm talking out of my arse. It's what I do.

    But so is he when he bangs on about old lightbulbs like it's important that he has access to old lightbulbs.
    Quote Originally Posted by wufwugy View Post
    ongies gonna ong
  8. #20033
    His problem seems to be that he doesn't like being told that modern lightbulbs are the way forwards. It's like he thinks that choice is a right.

    It isn't. Choice is a consequence of competition, it's not deisnged to cater for people's rights.
    Quote Originally Posted by wufwugy View Post
    ongies gonna ong
  9. #20034
    Quote Originally Posted by OngBonga View Post
    His problem seems to be that he doesn't like being told that modern lightbulbs are the way forwards. It's like he thinks that choice is a right.

    It isn't. Choice is a consequence of competition, it's not deisnged to cater for people's rights.
    of course he did. the point he was making is that the "pro-choice" crowd is inconsistent about what choices they think are rights.

    nobody has denied that modern lightbulbs are a way forward. the market is rapidly adopting them because they reduce costs and increase prosperity. however, this does not mean they currently do so at every point in market behavior.
  10. #20035
    Quote Originally Posted by wufwugy View Post
    the point he was making is that the "pro-choice" crowd is inconsistent about what choices they think are rights.
    On that I agree. Like I initially said, he was onto something until he mentioned lightbulbs. Some things become obsolete, and to argue that you should still be able to purchase them purely because of the "right to choice", it's dumb. That's what I took issue with.
    Quote Originally Posted by wufwugy View Post
    ongies gonna ong
  11. #20036
    Quote Originally Posted by OngBonga View Post
    On that I agree. Like I initially said, he was onto something until he mentioned lightbulbs. Some things become obsolete, and to argue that you should still be able to purchase them purely because of the "right to choice", it's dumb. That's what I took issue with.
    if you take issue with it because you think when people say "right to choice" they also mean "obligation to have provided for", don't worry, nobody thinks that.

    if it's what you initially said, that it should be regulated against for reasons of negative externalities, the answer is that the regulation actually creates greater negative externalities. it is of the utmost importance that people are allowed to choose "wrongly".
  12. #20037
    Quote Originally Posted by wufwugy View Post
    it is of the utmost importance that people are allowed to choose "wrongly".
    the reason for this is because sometimes the 'wrongly" isn't wrong and it creates benefits in unforeseen ways. also it is the effective metric by which reality selects for beneficial things and selects against costly things. the backbone of human progress over the centuries has been freedom of choice, even when that choice is "wrong".
  13. #20038
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    Quote Originally Posted by OngBonga View Post
    I didn't say that. I'm suggesting that if you have the "right" to something, then it implies someone has an obligation to provide it.

    Such as education. You have a right to education, and the state has an obligation to provide it.
    You have the right to choose what you buy, but you don't have the right to buy [specific item] if it's not available to be bought. Once that demand is filled and the option to buy is there, however, then you have the right to buy that item at the price the seller agrees on for it.
  14. #20039
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    So some high-ranking guy rigged the lottery for years:

    SECURITY DIRECTOR CONVICTED IN U.S. LOTTERY JACKPOT SCAM



    At least four state lotteries could be involved.



    The US lottery industry is abuzz following the news that a former security director of the Multi-State Lottery Association, Eddie Tipton (52), has been convicted of fraud for fixing a jackpot in Des Moines, Iowa with prosecutors claiming that his high-tech scheme extended far beyond the state.



    The result is an expanding investigation across at least four states, with the enquiry centred on a modus operandi that saw the installation of undetectable malware that gave Tipton advance knowledge of winning numbers, enabling him to enlist accomplices to play the numbers and collect the jackpots.



    It is believed that the scam operated in four state lotteries for more than six years, enabling Tipton and his accomplices to enrich themselves. So far, Colorado, Wisconsin, and Oklahoma have joined Iowa in confirming that jackpots valued at a total of $8 million were paid out and allegedly linked to Tipton and associates.



    Tipton was caught when he decided to buy one of the winning tickets himself at a service station near the headquarters of the association where he had worked since 2003.



    The ticket he bought was subsequently presented in 2012 by a New York lawyer representing a newly created trust on behalf of a Belize-registered corporation, who turned in the ticket hours before a one-year deadline. When routinely questioned, the trust withdrew the claim rather than identify the ticket buyer, arousing the suspicions of the Iowa lottery.



    Surveillance video from the point of sale was publicised in an effort to identify the buyer of the winning ticket, and Tipton's colleagues at the lottery recognised him as the buyer.



    Further investigations led to claims that after buying the ticket Tipton passed it on to a university class mate and previous employer in Texas, Robert Rhodes, who passed it to a Canadian offshore banking expert, who delivered it to the New York lawyer who tried to collect.



    Tipton was subsequently convicted and sentenced to ten years in jail, but is currently free pending an appeal. His brother Tommy and Rhodes, who deny any wrongdoing, are currently the subject of investigation, with Rhodes contesting an extradition attempt by Iowa enforcement authorities.



    Local media reports claim that Colorado authorities alerted by the Iowa case are investigating a $4.5 million jackpot split by three winners in 2005. Authorities say Tipton's brother Tommy received $537,000 in a cash pay-out after giving a friend 10 percent for claiming the prize on his behalf.



    In Oklahoma a further investigation is in progress regarding a $1.2 million Hot Lotto jackpot claimed by a Texas construction company owner in 2011; collaboration with Iowa investigators has led to allegations that Eddie Tipton is linked to that drawing.



    And in Wisconsin investigators have been advised by Iowa that Tipton and Rhodes worked together to claim a prize there as well. The state lottery director, Mike Edmonds has triggered a state department of justice enquiry into a $2 million Megabucks winning ticket which Rhodes had a law firm claim on his behalf in 2008, asking that the cash be deposited to his corporation.



    Edmonds resigned his position this week after 12 years in-post for reasons that are not yet clear.



    Media in all four states have been covering the evolving story, reporting that the criminal activity has sent a chill through the 37 US states that operate lotteries, generating around $20 billion annually.



    The states use random-number generators from the Iowa-based Multi-State Lottery Association where Tipton worked.
  15. #20040
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    Source: http://m.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/...ley_sex_trial/

    VERDICT: Ten men guilty of rape in Keighley schoolgirl sex attack trial

    Yasser Kabir, 25, of Belgrave Road, Keighley, was found guilty on three charges of rape.

    Kabir's half-brother, Tauqeer (also known as Toki) Hussain, 23, of Belgrave Road, Keighley, was found guilty of three charges of rape - which included a second victim.

    Sufyan (Sufy) Ziarab, 22, of Kendal Mellor Court, Keighley, was convicted of two counts of rape.

    His brother, Bilal (Billy or Browny) Ziarab, 21, of Sedgwick Close, Manningham, Bradford, was also found guilty on two rape charges.

    Israr Ali (Sari), 19, of Devonshire Street West, Keighley, was found guilty on one rape charge.

    Nazir Khan (Khany), 23, of Buxton Street, Keighley, was found guilty of rape.

    Faisal Khan (Buller) 27, of Buxton Street, Lawkholme, Keighley, was convicted on one rape charge.

    Hussain Sardar (Dolly) 19, of Bradford Street, Lawkholme, Keighley, was found guilty on one rape charge.

    Saqib Younis (Saqi Butcher), 29, of Bradford Street, Lawkholme, Keighley, was found guilty of one rape charge.

    Zain Ali (Droopy), 20, of Buxton Street, Keighley, was convicted on one rape charge.

    Taxi driver Mohammed Akram, 63, of Holker Street, Keighley, was found guilty of sexual activity with a child under 16, when he was 59 and she was 14.

    He had sex with her in his cab.

    A 12th man, Khalid Mahmood, 34, care of Ashfield Prison, pleaded guilty to five charges of rape before the trial, we can now report.
    Keep letting them in, dipshits.
  16. #20041
    Quote Originally Posted by spoonitnow View Post
    You have the right to choose what you buy, but you don't have the right to buy [specific item] if it's not available to be bought. Once that demand is filled and the option to buy is there, however, then you have the right to buy that item at the price the seller agrees on for it.
    Rights and opportunity are not the same thing.
    Quote Originally Posted by wufwugy View Post
    ongies gonna ong
  17. #20042
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    Quote Originally Posted by OngBonga View Post
    Rights and opportunity are not the same thing.
    That's true and completely irrelevant, though I doubt you understand why after seeing what you've had to say at this point, so I'll just go back to trolling the election.
  18. #20043
    It's not irrelevant. You're confusing the opportunity to buy something that is for sale as a right to buy. Just because an item is for sale, does not mean you have the right to buy it. Only the opportunity. The vendor is under no obligation to sell, therefore you have no right to buy.

    People throw the word "right" around so casually. You included. Mock me all you like.
    Quote Originally Posted by wufwugy View Post
    ongies gonna ong
  19. #20044
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    Quote Originally Posted by OngBonga View Post
    It's not irrelevant. You're confusing the opportunity to buy something that is for sale as a right to buy. Just because an item is for sale, does not mean you have the right to buy it. Only the opportunity. The vendor is under no obligation to sell, therefore you have no right to buy.

    People throw the word "right" around so casually. You included. Mock me all you like.
    The bold is where you're missing the point that is being made. Vendors should have the right to choose who they sell to and who they do not, and they are not under obligation to sell. "The right to buy," as being referenced in this thread, isn't disputing that. Instead, it's linked to the right to sell. If a third party tells someone they can't buy, then that also means they're telling the vendor that they can't sell.

    The right to buy != forcing someone to sell. It's the right to buy if someone agrees to sell to you.
  20. #20045
    Quote Originally Posted by OngBonga View Post
    People throw the word "right" around so casually. You included. Mock me all you like.
    you. it was you. you did it. you you you.

    stop playing dense. you know full well that you are the one who initially adopted that terminology and you know full well how i have explained to you what anybody means when discussing the idea of commerce rights.
  21. #20046
    I feel like my trolling is coming apart at the seams.

    I really don't give a fuck about what I've been talking about. I just found it funny that he wanted old light bulbs, and got carried away. Sorry.
    Quote Originally Posted by wufwugy View Post
    ongies gonna ong
  22. #20047
    Quote Originally Posted by spoonitnow View Post
    The right to buy != forcing someone to sell. It's the right to buy if someone agrees to sell to you.
    If you can't force someone to sell, then you don't have the right to buy it. On that I'm not talking crap. If someone agrees to sell to you, they give you an opportunity, not a right. Rights aren't supposed to be taken away, but the vendor can change his mind and stick his tongue out at you if he so chooses to.
    Quote Originally Posted by wufwugy View Post
    ongies gonna ong
  23. #20048
    Quote Originally Posted by OngBonga View Post
    If you can't force someone to sell, then you don't have the right to buy it. On that I'm not talking crap. If someone agrees to sell to you, they give you an opportunity, not a right. Rights aren't supposed to be taken away, but the vendor can change his mind and stick his tongue out at you if he so chooses to.
    the idea of right of commerce is that individuals have the right to choose commerce decisions without the government stepping in.
  24. #20049
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  25. #20050
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  26. #20051
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    Quote Originally Posted by OngBonga View Post
    If you can't force someone to sell, then you don't have the right to buy it. On that I'm not talking crap. If someone agrees to sell to you, they give you an opportunity, not a right. Rights aren't supposed to be taken away, but the vendor can change his mind and stick his tongue out at you if he so chooses to.
    Are you literally illiterate? In the short bit you quoted, I just said that the "right to buy" being referenced here is the right to buy IF the vendor agrees to sell. The right to buy and right to sell are completely tied to each other. If the vendor decides not to sell, then the "right to buy" being referenced in this thread no longer applies. Why are you acting like you disagree with everyone on this point? This isn't even in contention.
  27. #20052
    great post giving bullet points relevant to the type of debates of markets vs regulation we get into. in case you're interested.

    http://econlog.econlib.org/archives/...econ_vers.html
  28. #20053
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    Quote Originally Posted by wufwugy View Post
    great post giving bullet points relevant to the type of debates of markets vs regulation we get into. in case you're interested.

    http://econlog.econlib.org/archives/...econ_vers.html
    But what if we've just ridden the easy energy of fossil fuels as far as we could possibly take them?

    http://www.economist.com/news/briefi...ing-increasing

    Don't pretend that coaxing gov't policy can fix the grander problem at hand.
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  29. #20054
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    I'll open a thread tomorrow about our living in the age of peak innovation, but the quick treat reads like this - You can literally fly across the ocean on the back of the work of a crew of men pumping oil from the Earth in North Dakota. This easy labor has made the world something very new, and while we're trying to coax such a surplus of wealth into enduring endevours, there's no reason to believe we can just innovate ourselves out of any problem. There's no reason to pretend that profitable air-cleaning technology is one garage full of engineers away. We may have walked on the Moon, but we're pretty much stuck on this Earth, and individual choice won't change the overall course we find ourselves on.
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  30. #20055
    Quote Originally Posted by a500lbgorilla View Post
    But what if we've just ridden the easy energy of fossil fuels as far as we could possibly take them?

    http://www.economist.com/news/briefi...ing-increasing

    Don't pretend that coaxing gov't policy can fix the grander problem at hand.
    I'm not sure what you're getting at.

    Regulations don't change long run costs and benefits.
  31. #20056
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    Or I won't because it's Christmas time, and we should be having about it

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  32. #20057
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    Quote Originally Posted by wufwugy View Post
    I'm not sure what you're getting at.

    Regulations don't change long run costs and benefits.
    It only seems to me like economics lives in the abstract, and the realities of the world tend to upset things.
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  33. #20058
    Quote Originally Posted by a500lbgorilla View Post
    I'll open a thread tomorrow about our living in the age of peak innovation, but the quick treat reads like this - You can literally fly across the ocean on the back of the work of a crew of men pumping oil from the Earth in North Dakota. This easy labor has made the world something very new, and while we're trying to coax such a surplus of wealth into enduring endevours, there's no reason to believe we can just innovate ourselves out of any problem. There's no reason to pretend that profitable air-cleaning technology is one garage full of engineers away. We may have walked on the Moon, but we're pretty much stuck on this Earth, and individual choice won't change the overall course we find ourselves on.
    Neither will regulation. That will just deter it at best. Just because a market may not provide an answer doesn't mean that a regulatory body automatically can.

    Also, be VERY wary of "peak innovation" claims. Every decade for over a century, many educated people made claims to that effect, and every decade they've been shown very wrong.

    Additionally, there's a lot of funky use of statistics by the mainstream narrative. It looks at a sample and calls it the population. The so-called decrease in living standards growth is a myth. Examples include no acknowledgement of digital deflation, the growth of welfare and regulation, and shifts in labor skill.

    Digital deflation alone has seen unbelievable growth in living standards, none of which are measured. Conventional metrics typically make it look like things are getting worse by obsoletion, but that couldn't be further from the truth.

    Production and productivity have nose-dived due to welfare and regulation. People used to start working as early teens and develop skills that way and produce all their adult lives until they were old and lived on savings and investments. Now trillions are thrown down the toilet by putting people through many years of pointless schooling and then they retire and make more from social security and medicare than they ever put into them.

    The economy is actually really fantastic given how utterly terribly domestic policies are. It's pretty amazing that we still have RGDP growth tbh. It's a testament to the real strength of markets that even though policy-wise we're doing a tremendous amount to deter prosperity, we're still creating more of it.
  34. #20059
    Quote Originally Posted by a500lbgorilla View Post
    It only seems to me like economics lives in the abstract, and the realities of the world tend to upset things.
    Economics is a description of the realities of the world.
  35. #20060
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    Quote Originally Posted by wufwugy View Post
    Neither will regulation. That will just deter it at best. Just because a market may not provide an answer doesn't mean that a regulatory body automatically can.

    Also, be VERY wary of "peak innovation" claims. Every decade for over a century, many educated people made claims to that effect, and every decade they've been shown very wrong.

    Additionally, there's a lot of funky use of statistics by the mainstream narrative. It looks at a sample and calls it the population. The so-called decrease in living standards growth is a myth. Examples include no acknowledgement of digital deflation, the growth of welfare and regulation, and shifts in labor skill.

    Digital deflation alone has seen unbelievable growth in living standards, none of which are measured. Conventional metrics typically make it look like things are getting worse by obsoletion, but that couldn't be further from the truth.

    Production and productivity have nose-dived due to welfare and regulation. People used to start working as early teens and develop skills that way and produce all their adult lives until they were old and lived on savings and investments. Now trillions are thrown down the toilet by putting people through many years of pointless schooling and then they retire and make more from social security and medicare than they ever put into them.

    The economy is actually really fantastic given how utterly terribly domestic policies are. It's pretty amazing that we still have RGDP growth tbh. It's a testament to the real strength of markets that even though policy-wise we're doing a tremendous amount to deter prosperity, we're still creating more of it.
    Now, I wonder about that.
    ---

    The peak innovation claim is mine. I just googled around for an article to do the leg work for me. Innovative society is fighting on the front of computation and computation alone. We have silicon valley and cyber warfare. Outside of these domains of tickling processors to behave usefully, we still have soil, and oil, and work, and all rest, and no real progress on any of those fronts. There may be no miracles left to us. And without the magic of miracles, you can't have an unending faith in the returns of competition and innovation that strike so many popular thinkers.

    We solved a lot of practical problems very quickly, and the problems we still find before us are... abstract and fantastical. https://www.quantamagazine.org/20151...es-of-science/ and a bit impossible.

    Tesla literally mocked a genius boy for thinking he could build a smart car in his garage, and rightly so, because you need a huge infrastructure to verify your design and your garage simply doesn't offer that.

    We may just be at the tail end of one hell of an upswing.
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  36. #20061
    It's fantastic relative. 1.5% RGDP growth is fantastic given that our batty ass policies are what are keeping it from going >5%.


    I mean, I don't disagree with your assessment to a degree. Some things can be figured out and some can't. The figuring out tends to be unpredictable. But this doesn't mean that a regulatory body can fare better.

    Besides, we are seeing progress on those fronts. The innovation in oil has been spectacular. We've actually blown through most of the best case scenarios of a decade ago. Oil doomsaying has almost completely died because of this. On soil, we're doing so well that the market has space for rapid growth in garbage organic bullshit. On work, productivity is still increasing very quickly. We get much more now per energy unit than ever. By a lot.
  37. #20062
    Quote Originally Posted by spoonitnow View Post
    Why are you acting like you disagree with everyone on this point? This isn't even in contention.
    Disagreeing is more fun, especially with you.
    Quote Originally Posted by wufwugy View Post
    ongies gonna ong
  38. #20063
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    Quote Originally Posted by wufwugy View Post
    I mean, I don't disagree with your assessment to a degree. Some things can be figured out and some can't. The figuring out tends to be unpredictable.
    http://fortune.com/2015/12/12/dow-du...earch-america/

    Don't worry. This is only happening because the incentives to tax dodge are so high, not because everyone has pulled back from pushing our limits of control over reality for better solutions to instead wage a civil war over nonsense like tax rates.
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  39. #20064
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  40. #20065
    Quote Originally Posted by a500lbgorilla View Post
    http://fortune.com/2015/12/12/dow-du...earch-america/

    Don't worry. This is only happening because the incentives to tax dodge are so high, not because everyone has pulled back from pushing our limits of control over reality for better solutions to instead wage a civil war over nonsense like tax rates.
    the article makes the same error that virtually every other amero-centric one makes: "here's a handful of american companies that aren't as great as they used to be; therefore things are worse than they used to be; but also over in these other countries things are much better to a degree far greater than that lost by the american company but nobody cares about that so we're gonna pretend like we have something important to say..."

    large entrenched companies with lots of shareholders and governments that unduly reward them is a problem. we can fix the government unduly rewarding them part. the lots of shareholders part is sorta just an inherent element to a proportion of companies. they're a good way to make money, but innovation doesn't typically come from them.

    the good news is that the more companies not innovating, the more incentive for disruption from other companies. it's like how microsoft was an "unstoppable giant" then got lazy then got creamed by other new companies and now it's in the back of the pack.

    heroes like musk and newell exist. cunts like apple also exist.
  41. #20066
    btw im not defending the companies. they're being dumb dumbs and need to be called out on it. but im not convinced it means there's any significant move away from private research.
  42. #20067
    spoonitnow's Avatar
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    lol gender roles are bullshit obv: http://www.wired.com/2010/12/chimp-dolls/
  43. #20068
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    Quote Originally Posted by wufwugy View Post
    the article makes the same error that virtually every other amero-centric one makes: "here's a handful of american companies that aren't as great as they used to be; therefore things are worse than they used to be; but also over in these other countries things are much better to a degree far greater than that lost by the american company but nobody cares about that so we're gonna pretend like we have something important to say..."

    large entrenched companies with lots of shareholders and governments that unduly reward them is a problem. we can fix the government unduly rewarding them part. the lots of shareholders part is sorta just an inherent element to a proportion of companies. they're a good way to make money, but innovation doesn't typically come from them.

    the good news is that the more companies not innovating, the more incentive for disruption from other companies. it's like how microsoft was an "unstoppable giant" then got lazy then got creamed by other new companies and now it's in the back of the pack.

    heroes like musk and newell exist. cunts like apple also exist.
    http://www.theguardian.com/environme...urity-shortage

    1/3rd of arable land has been compromised for some time. But it's probably just that sensationalist media trying to sell us that hot, smoking bacon of sensationalism.
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  44. #20069
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    Plus, science is still having fun with how to go forward.

    http://www.philosophersmag.com/index...-doing-science
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  45. #20070
    Quote Originally Posted by a500lbgorilla View Post
    http://www.theguardian.com/environme...urity-shortage

    1/3rd of arable land has been compromised for some time. But it's probably just that sensationalist media trying to sell us that hot, smoking bacon of sensationalism.
    okay. i don't even know what point you're trying to make.
  46. #20071
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    I'm just having a poke at libertarian and free-market thinking because it's fun and easy.

    That's to say, you can't just believe in the magic of "innovation." It isn't a given through competition and low costs alone - there are real limits to our ability to control the world.
    Last edited by a500lbgorilla; 12-22-2015 at 03:32 PM. Reason: to streamline
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  47. #20072
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    This is now a science is cool thread

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  48. #20073
    Quote Originally Posted by a500lbgorilla View Post
    I'm just having a poke at libertarian and free-market thinking because it's fun and easy.

    That's to say, you can't just believe in the magic of "innovation." It isn't a given through competition and low costs alone - there are real limits to our ability to control the world.
    I'm not doing that. You said markets are imperfect; therefore government's can change things. I have pointed out that the "therefore" is not accurate. Governmental policies can't coax out a result that isn't economically viable. Attempts to do so end up just redistributing costs and stymieing innovation. Costs and benefits are real. The lay look at something like a 30% reduction in arable land and say "that's the cost", but economists look at it and say "the costs that come from this show up in the markets" (and they're right). The supply and demand laws aren't magic; magic is the idea they can be avoided through policy.

    What we know about innovation is that when it happens, it comes through markets. This doesn't mean that markets innovate perfectly.
  49. #20074
    Quote Originally Posted by a500lbgorilla View Post
    I'm just having a poke at libertarian
    on a different note, so something ive been looking at, the free state project in new hampshire, appears to be total bullshit. a couple podcasters who have their heads screwed on straight who once joined it have stated that it's not at all about the movement of liberty but about hippies smoking weed and banging each others' girlfriends.

    libertarians suck
  50. #20075
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    Quote Originally Posted by wufwugy View Post
    I'm not doing that. You said markets are imperfect; therefore government's can change things. I have pointed out that the "therefore" is not accurate. Governmental policies can't coax out a result that isn't economically viable. Attempts to do so end up just redistributing costs and stymieing innovation. Costs and benefits are real. The lay look at something like a 30% reduction in arable land and say "that's the cost", but economists look at it and say "the costs that come from this show up in the markets" (and they're right). The supply and demand laws aren't magic; magic is the idea they can be avoided through policy.

    What we know about innovation is that when it happens, it comes through markets. This doesn't mean that markets innovate perfectly.
    In my defense, I'm still litigating old arguments I've had on this forum that are still stuck in my graw. But yes, I agree that the gov't doesn't possess the right touch on a lot of things either.
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  51. #20076
    Quote Originally Posted by a500lbgorilla View Post
    Fuckin Tony Stark, man.
  52. #20077
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    So who here is into doing cool shit with their desktop with Rainmeter, etc.?
  53. #20078
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    I bought a new lappy with Win10. It's real slick but also teeming with corporate bullshit. The search function to find files hidden away on some drive on your computer now has a chance of popping over to Bing and 'searching' the internet. And while I have actual minecraft on my computer, the start menu still wants me to buy the Xbox version for obvious reasons. Rainmeter still works, though.
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  54. #20079
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    Quote Originally Posted by a500lbgorilla View Post
    I bought a new lappy with Win10. It's real slick but also teeming with corporate bullshit. The search function to find files hidden away on some drive on your computer now has a chance of popping over to Bing and 'searching' the internet. And while I have actual minecraft on my computer, the start menu still wants me to buy the Xbox version for obvious reasons. Rainmeter still works, though.
    You can always use 'dir /s', and or find. The number one reason I prefer to do most things on the command line on any OS is that they rarely if ever fuck around with it.
    The strengh of a hero is defined by the weakness of his villains.
  55. #20080
    Remember in Counter-Strike, before they had a UI, when you had to either set up scripts or use the console and type shit like buy_awp to gear up?
  56. #20081
    Merry Xmas y'all. And Eve.

    Hope it's amazeballs.
    I will destroy you with sunshine and kittens.
  57. #20082
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    Merry Christmas everyone

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  58. #20083
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    Merry Christmas

    http://www.reuters.com/article/usa-i...0U805X20151225

    "The apostate's life and organs don't have to be respected and may be taken with impunity," says the document, which is in the form of a fatwa, or religious ruling, from the Islamic State’s Research and Fatwa Committee.

    "Organs that end the captive's life if removed: The removal of that type is also not prohibited," Fatwa Number 68 says, according to a U.S. government translation.

    The document does not offer any proof that Islamic State actually engages in organ harvesting or organ trafficking. But it does provide religious sanction for doing so under the group's harsh interpretation of Islam - which is rejected by most Muslims. Previously, Iraq has accused Islamic State of harvesting human organs and trafficking them for profit.
    #religionofpeace
  59. #20084
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    Quote Originally Posted by a500lbgorilla View Post
    I have actual minecraft on my computer
    I thought I was the only one.

    Are you doing epic vanilla builds or playing modded worlds?
    Favorite mods?

    I'm dedicating my winter break to playing through the Botania mod in 1.7.10. I want to really explore what Botania has, as I've heard it's a very deep mod with lots of hidden gems and a slow process to the eventual end-game OP gear.

    I learned that NEI, WAILA, and Journey Map are things I will not do without unless pure vanilla world. It hurts me to play without Extra Utilities, but I don't want to use any tech mods along side Botania in this build.

    Gotta love in-game documentation from a mod; Botania winning gold stars so far. Learning curve feels comfortable, but I'm really shallow in the mod so far.
  60. #20085
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    Quote Originally Posted by spoonitnow View Post
    Even the article says that interpretation of Islam is rejected by the majority who practice.
  61. #20086
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    Quote Originally Posted by JKDS View Post
    Even the article says that interpretation of Islam is rejected by the majority who practice.
    I mean you're a lawyer, so you're used to the idea of defending the enemy at all costs, so I can understand why you'd say that.

    What did everyone get for Christmas? I got some pretty sweet headphones.
  62. #20087
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    I bought myself a soft top. Drove around with the roof down on Christmas eve, it was 12 degrees but the sun was out. I think some people thought I was a cunt.
    I'm the king of bongo, baby I'm the king of bongo bong.
  63. #20088
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    Quote Originally Posted by rong View Post
    I bought myself a soft top. Drove around with the roof down on Christmas eve, it was 12 degrees but the sun was out. I think some people thought I was a cunt.
    Hahahahaha that's awesome.
  64. #20089
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    In the middle of a trip to take my girls to see some art shit:

    "Leonardo da Vinci’s Codex Leicester and the Creative Mind"
    http://ncartmuseum.org/exhibitions/view/11361

    The Codex Leicester is a 500-year-old notebook from inventor, scientist, and artist Leonardo da Vinci. Named after the Earl of Leicester, who purchased the 72-page manuscript in 1717, it is composed of 18 sheets of paper, each folded in half and written in the artist’s famed “mirror writing.”

    ...

    The Codex Leicester is on loan from Bill Gates.
    "The Worlds of M. C. Escher: Nature, Science, and Imagination"
    http://ncartmuseum.org/exhibitions/view/11364

    Comprising more than 130 woodcuts, lithographs, wood engravings, and mezzotints, as well as numerous drawings, watercolors, wood blocks, and lithographic stones never before exhibited, The Worlds of M. C. Escher surveys the Dutch graphic artist’s entire career, from his earliest print to his final masterpiece.

    ...



    I'm not really into the shit personally, but I know they were really excited about going to see this shit, so I'm like w/e.
  65. #20090
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    Quote Originally Posted by spoonitnow View Post
    Hahahahaha that's awesome.
    It really was. Favourite day of 2015.
    I'm the king of bongo, baby I'm the king of bongo bong.
  66. #20091
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    Quote Originally Posted by rong View Post
    It really was. Favourite day of 2015.


    A friend of mine took me on a Christmas joyride with the top down decades ago. On the highway with the heat on, it's amazing. Something about the aerodynamics keeps the warm air in the cabin space from mixing with the cold air rushing past (or vise versa). It surprised me that the car's heater doesn't even need to be on full blast to be comfortable.

    It gets chilly when you slow down, though.
  67. #20092
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    Heated seats!
    I'm the king of bongo, baby I'm the king of bongo bong.
  68. #20093
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    Besides, I had my 2 girls, 4 and 6 yrs old, in the back who were literally squealing with excitement. Fun times.
    I'm the king of bongo, baby I'm the king of bongo bong.
  69. #20094
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    Quote Originally Posted by rong View Post
    Besides, I had my 2 girls, 4 and 6 yrs old, in the back who were literally squealing with excitement. Fun times.
    That probably makes it about 10,000x better. Hi5
  70. #20095
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    http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/inv...tory&tid=sm_tw

    Seems like a non biased review of officer involved shoozing for the year. I got about halfway, but most shootings seem legit
  71. #20096
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    That doesn't surprise me.

    As with most things the real problem is the masses. Uneducated and prone to mob mentality and slightly frustrated at a world that promised everything to everyone from an early age but can never deliver, so looking for someone to blame.

    I flip from sociopath seeing them all as sheep to be preyed on to socialist wanting to save the poor because they can't possibly save themselves. Depends whether or not I've had my morning coffee.
    I'm the king of bongo, baby I'm the king of bongo bong.
  72. #20097
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    Quote Originally Posted by MadMojoMonkey View Post
    I thought I was the only one.

    Are you doing epic vanilla builds or playing modded worlds?
    Favorite mods?

    I'm dedicating my winter break to playing through the Botania mod in 1.7.10. I want to really explore what Botania has, as I've heard it's a very deep mod with lots of hidden gems and a slow process to the eventual end-game OP gear.

    I learned that NEI, WAILA, and Journey Map are things I will not do without unless pure vanilla world. It hurts me to play without Extra Utilities, but I don't want to use any tech mods along side Botania in this build.

    Gotta love in-game documentation from a mod; Botania winning gold stars so far. Learning curve feels comfortable, but I'm really shallow in the mod so far.
    I threw it on to see how well it would run on the new laptop. I haven't really played it in a while, but I only ever played vanilla unless I was on a server playing with others and then, whatever mods they had set up.
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  73. #20098
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    I tried playing Minecraft, but I didn't do too well with the 3D environment. I'm a big fan of Terraria, though.
  74. #20099
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    Quote Originally Posted by rong View Post
    That doesn't surprise me.

    As with most things the real problem is the masses. Uneducated and prone to mob mentality and slightly frustrated at a world that promised everything to everyone from an early age but can never deliver, so looking for someone to blame.

    I flip from sociopath seeing them all as sheep to be preyed on to socialist wanting to save the poor because they can't possibly save themselves. Depends whether or not I've had my morning coffee.
    If you ever get around to reading Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahnmann, he basically nails the psychological problem as "What You See Is All There Is" coupled with the slow, pensive, intentional, rational mind being lazy and usually just letting the quick associative mind have say.

    It's impossible to be aware of every single facet of a situation, and things that you're fully unaware of have no impact on your opinion, and that opinion usually isn't vetted properly because it's a bit tiring and the brain isn't the biggest fan of working things through. People usually rely on lazy work-arounds to solve problems, while others get good at tricking these heuristics.
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  75. #20100
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    Quote Originally Posted by spoonitnow View Post
    I tried playing Minecraft, but I didn't do too well with the 3D environment. I'm a big fan of Terraria, though.
    I'm the exact other side. I just couldn't get into Terraria even though it looks more action filled fun, while spelunking or exploring Hell in Minecraft is right up my alley.
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